US Park Police working without a paycheck

Thousands of federal workers are still on the job - putting in the hours without being paid.

Those workers include U.S. Park Police workers who guard the monuments and patrol the roads.

Hundreds of these park police officers have already missed one paycheck, and they are worried about the next - not knowing when that check will arrive is causing stress on the job.

Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Michael Shalton says some officers have gone to pawn shops to get cash, and an idea now being floated is allowing officers to take home their cruisers to cut down on commuting costs.

"They are coming to work everyday as they should be. There is a point where pride doesn't pay the mortgage--at the end of the day we still have bills--we are devoted folks, we still come to work, but this has taken a severe impact on my membership," Shalton said.

Shalton says 80 percent of the officers he represents are living paycheck to paycheck, and some of them are calling their creditors, asking for relief, letting them know that they are not being paid and it's unclear when the paychecks will resume.

Shalton says there has been an uptick in the number of officers calling out sick, and he has filed a grievance with the Department of the Interior demanding double damages for each week his officers do not get paid.

U.S. Park Police have jurisdiction throughout the Washington area and patrol several major roads.

With no end in sight to the government shutdown, stressing over money is deeply concerning.

"We are starting to get into tensions are a little high, people are on edge, their lively hood is being impacted and naturally they are on edge," Shalton said.