Lehighton will review whether or not it will keep its full-time police officers on 12-hour shifts.

Borough police Chief Joe Sparich brought the matter up for discussion at Monday’s borough council meeting.

In December, borough council approved an amendment to the FOP contract to allow for full-time officers’ hours to go to 12-hour shifts.

That went into effect for Lehighton Police Department at the start of this year.

It was noted that it’s in the contract that the union and borough could do a one-year trial period of 12-hour shifts.

Sparich said that next year’s schedule per the Bargaining Agreement has to be completed, and that both sides have to say yes for it to continue.

Lehighton’s police department isn’t the only one in the area to agree to such a concept.

Neighboring Palmerton Borough Council in April added language to an existing agreement concerning its police department.

After a lengthy executive session, Palmerton Borough Council on a 6-1 vote approved a change in the memo of the agreement with the police department.

The motion was to add language clarifying the parties as the Palmerton Borough Council and the Palmerton Police Benevolent Association.

Councilman Andrew Hollywood cast the lone vote in opposition, and said at that time he believed it was a matter that should be dealt with at contract negotiation time.

After the meeting, borough Manager Autumn Canfield said, “this was done to clarify some ambiguous language in the original agreement. The agreement still stands, and officers are still working 12-hour shifts.”

On a 6-0 vote, Palmerton Borough Council at a special meeting in February approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the borough and the Palmerton Police Department.

Per the agreement, police officers will work 12-hour shifts for a six-month trial period, effective March 5 through the end of the trial period on Sept. 2.