Sleep and Job Performance in Law Enforcement: Measuring Differences Between Highway Patrol, Sheriff, and Municipal Police Officers

Prior research on the correlation between sleep and accidents on-the-job leaves little doubt about the potential for injury and death. The fatigue literature aptly includes the study of justice administration within the socially and legally relevant contexts of fatigue-impaired police discretion. In this study, the correlation between sleep measurements, fatigue, and police work are examined among three types of law enforcement agencies in a single western jurisdiction. Independent samples of municipal police (N=25), sheriff's deputies (N=25), and highway patrol (N=25) officers are selected to identify mean differences for sleep, age and sleep, law enforcement experience and sleep, second jobs, hours worked, police accidents and other variables. The findings unequivocally support the notion that law enforcement officers do not get enough recommended sleep, according to the PSQ Index and officer self reports. Other findings indicate that municipal police, compared to sheriff deputies or highway patrol officers are more careful about excessive work hours, work fewer second jobs, and get more sleep. Highway patrol officers consistently placed second to municipal police among these variables while the sample of county sheriff's was the most overworked as well as the most under slept. Conclusions and recommendations follow.