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Early data: Santa Fe County—9s 4-8-40 patrol pilot shows increased proactive policing and lower overtime costs, sheriff reports
Summary
After four months of a voluntary 4-8-40 pilot schedule for patrol deputies, county data show increased self-initiated activity (traffic stops, close-patrols), reduced overtime hours and costs among opt-in officers, and improved priority-1 response times following internal guidance; commissioners will review full pilot results at its conclusion.
The Santa Fe County sheriff—9s office presented early results from a voluntary 4-8-40 pilot schedule intended to improve officer well-being, retention and public-safety productivity.
Under the pilot, participating patrol deputies work four 10-hour shifts with up to two hours per shift available for administrative leave to pursue physical or mental-health activities. Sheriff Mendoza and staff said the schedule was modeled on other agencies and aimed to reduce overtime, improve work-life balance and aid recruitment.
Chip Connor, data analyst manager, presented analyses comparing opt-in deputies to opt-out and pre-pilot cohorts. Key findings for the pilot period (Oct. 2024 through Jan. 2025) included: a noticeable increase in self-initiated activity (close patrols and traffic stops) among opt-in deputies; a reduction in overtime hours (roughly a 53% decrease in overtime hours for a comparative opt-in cohort over the 4-month window) and an associated estimated overtime cost reduction of about $70,000 for that cohort; improved average response times for Priority 1 calls after internal messaging in December; lower sick-time usage among opt-in deputies; and positive employee satisfaction survey results.
Sheriff Mendoza and recruiters said the pilot appears to help with recruitment and retention and that deputy morale has improved. Commissioners asked about the pilot—9s end date and whether the union would be involved if the county considered making the schedule permanent. County staff said the pilot was intentionally limited (six months) but could be extended to gather more data; implementation as a permanent schedule would require discussion with the union.
Action requested: This presentation was informational. Commissioners asked staff to continue monitoring defined metrics (response times, overtime, sick leave, worker—9s comp, citizen complaints and recruitment metrics) and to return with final analysis at the end of the pilot period.
Why it matters: Early results suggest proactive field activity and reduced overtime can coincide with improved employee satisfaction and recruitment; commissioners discussed adding health-related metrics to better measure employee well-being beyond satisfaction surveys.
