THE STUDY BEGAN WITH AN INFORMATION SEARCH TO BETTER DEFINE THE CONTEXT IN WHICH OVERTIME IS USED, TO LEARN WHAT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES RELATING TO OVERTIME ARE IN EFFECT IN BERKELEY, AND TO FIND OUT ABOUT CHANGES INSTITUTED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS. INTERVIEWS AND DISCUSSIONS WERE CONDUCTED WITH BERKELEY POLICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL, FREMONT POLICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL, AND BERKELEY/ALBANY MUNICIPAL COURT PERSONNEL. AN AUDIT OF POLICE PAID OVERTIME AND COMPENSATORY TIME RECORDS WAS MADE FOR 4 SAMPLE PAY PERIODS WHICH INCLUDED APPROXIMATELY 1,100 PAYROLL RECORDS. THE STUDY SHOWED THAT POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS HAVE GRAPPLED WITH OVERTIME COSTS AND HAVE DEVELOPED APPROACHES TO REDUCE COSTS AND TO IMPROVE DEPARTMENT FUNCTIONING. RECOMMENDED POLICY CHANGES ARE TO MOVE FROM THE CURRENT STATIC SHIFT TO MORE FLEXIBLE ROTATIONAL SCHEDULING, TO INSTITUTE A TIME OFF POLICY TO MAKE UP FOR HOURS WORKED OVER SHIFT, AND TO END THE PRACTICE OF USING PAID LEAVE TO CONSTITUTE THE 40 HOURS NEEDED TO QUALIFY FOR OVERTIME. THESE POLICY CHANGES WOULD REDUCE CURRENT OVERTIME COSTS BY MORE THAN $100,000. TO ASSIST THE ADMINISTRATION IN IMPLEMENTING THE POLICY CHANGES, BETTER PROCEDURAL CONTROLS SHOULD BE INSTITUTED WITH REGARD TO COURT APPEARANCES, RECORD KEEPING AND PAYROLL ACCOUNTING. DIAGRAMS, TABLES, AND SAMPLE POLICE FORMS ARE PROVIDED.