The Madison Police Department introduced a new staffing model to begin Sunday. Police said it will increase officer presence on the streets during the day's busiest times and improve response times to calls.
The change was a result of a staffing survey that looked at service efficiency within the police department.
The restructuring has created two new ""power shifts"" that run from noon to 8 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., according to MPD Lt. Carl Strasburg. The power shifts were added as a supplement to the three existing shifts.
""This five-shift model will increase our number of officers on the street when we have the most calls, which is between noon and 4 a.m.,"" Strasburg said. ""So far everything is working well.""
A similar reorganization was attempted about 10 years ago, but it failed because the department lacked resources, according to Strasburg.
""Throughout the last 10 years we've gained more officers, cars and radios,"" Strasburg said. ""We now have the equipment to do the job.""
