Signature: Signed by GNT Date Signed: 1/23/2014

Transcription

1 Atlanta Police Department Policy Manual Standard Operating Procedure Effective Date January 30, 2014 Applicable To: All employees Approval Authority: Chief George N. Turner Signature: Signed by GNT Date Signed: 1/23/2014 Table of Content 1. PURPOSE 1 2. POLICY 1 3. RESPONSIBILITIES 1 4. ACTION Search and Rescue Operation Enrollment into the Bi-Monthly Visits Client Closeout Training 5 5 DEFINITIONS 5 6. CANCELLATIONS 5 7. REFERENCES 5 1. PURPOSE This directive establishes guidelines for the management of the / Project Lifesaver International and its equipment. 2. POLICY The Atlanta Police Department will initiate the tracking and rescue capabilities of Project Lifesaver Atlanta for all missing persons who are active and registered participants in the Project Lifesaver Program. 3. RESPONSIBILITIES 3.1 The Communications Section is responsible for maintaining the addresses of all persons registered with in the Computer Aided Dispatch System (CADS). 3.2 The Major Crimes Section commander is responsible for monitoring and reviewing all after action reports. 3.3 The Homicide Unit commander is responsible for the maintenance and storage of all equipment and necessary paperwork associated with. The Homicide Unit commander will also be the overall commander of all rescue searches, and responsible for overseeing the training of personnel to be certified to use the equipment. The Homicide Unit commander will ensure that an adequate number of sworn employees have been trained and are available for rescue operations at all times. Form APD-700, revised 7/9/10

2 3.4 The Homicide Unit watch commander is responsible for supervising all rescue searches related to and ensuring all documents and forms are properly completed and maintained. The watch commander will appoint an Adult Missing Persons investigator who has been certified in the use of Project Lifesaver equipment as the search incident commander for the rescue search. 3.5 The Project Lifesaver investigator is responsible for conducting prospective client interviews, overseeing the client s bi-monthly equipment check, responding to all missing person calls involving a client, performing rescue searches for missing persons registered with, and completing necessary paperwork. 3.6 The search incident commander is responsible for coordinating and monitoring the rescue search operation and ensuring that the Homicide Unit supervisor is informed on the progress of the rescue search. 4. ACTION Note: Appropriately ensuring that a consistently high level of service is provided to all community members, including those who may be suffering from (or are suspected of suffering from) mental illness or persons with diminished capacities, is imperative. The federal laws that prohibit discrimination based on disability are the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of Both Title II of ADA and Section 504 require that first responders provide victims of crime who have a disability with an equal opportunity to benefit from and participate in all programs, services, and activities of the law. (See APD.SOP.3082, Mentally Ill, Section 4.4) 4.1 Search and Rescue Operation If the CADS indicate that a person registered with resides at the address given for the missing person, the call-taker will determine if the missing person is registered with. Upon being notified that the missing person is registered with Project Lifesaver Atlanta and is wearing a transmitter bracelet, Communications will immediately dispatch a uniformed officer and notify a Homicide Unit supervisor The first person to arrive on scene will obtain all information available about the missing person, provide that information to Communications to broadcast a lookout, and ensure that an Adult Missing Persons or Project Lifesaver investigator has been notified and is en route. Information to be obtained should include at a minimum: name, description of missing person, type of clothing being worn, time, and place last seen, and the direction of travel, if known Upon being notified that a person outfitted with a transmitter is being reported missing, the Homicide Unit supervisor will appoint a search incident commander. The search incident commander should be a trained Project Lifesaver operator. The Helicopter Unit may be requested to the missing person s last known location to participate in the search The search incident commander will obtain the missing client s portfolio (see section 4.2) and photograph, complete a Missing Person Form (APD Form 1PL) with the client s photographed attached to it, and distribute this Missing Person Form, to include at a minimum: the Zone in which the client was reported, all persons participating in the rescue search, and the Helicopter Unit. The incident commander will also issue a Mattie s Call. Page 2 of 6

3 4.1.5 The search incident commander will issue the equipment to participants in the rescue search. Only sworn employees who have been trained and certified in the use of the equipment (PLI5000) will be allowed to operate the equipment. In any incident: 1. A minimum of two PLI-5000 receivers and operators will be dispatched to the rescue search. 2. The responding helicopter should be equipped with equipment and a trained operator, if one is available A search rescue operator equipped with a PLI-5000 receiver will respond to the missing person s last known location to begin the search, relaying information to the search incident commander. All other search rescue operators will respond to the area as directed by the search incident commander If the missing person has not been located within one hour of searching with the Project Lifesaver Atlanta equipment, additional units will be called into the area to assist in the search and the search incident commander will issue a Mattie s Call. (See APD.SOP.3085, Missing Persons, section and 4.12) Upon locating the missing person, the rescue search and the Mattie s Call will be cancelled. The missing person will be placed in the custody of the caregiver The search incident commander will complete a After Action Report (APD Form 2PL) within 24 hours of the conclusion of the search. A copy of this report will be placed in the client s file, and copies forwarded up the chain of command. The search incident commander will also complete and submit a Project Lifesaver International after action report, located at Enrollment into the All persons contacting the Atlanta Police Department about enrolling a person in Project Lifesaver Atlanta will be referred to the Homicide Unit. A Project Lifesaver Investigator will conduct an interview with the caregiver and the prospective client should be scheduled for as soon as possible to determine if the prospective client meets the Program s criteria. The caregiver should be a direct family member or someone appointed by the family to represent them in affairs regarding the client A client enrolling into the Project Life Saver must fulfill the following criteria: 1. The client must have a caregiver responsible for their affairs living with them; 2. The client must live within the city of Atlanta; 3. The client must have been diagnosed with Alzheimer s and Dementia or other cognitive conditions; 4. The client must have been diagnosed with condition and at the wondering stage (usually have a history of wondering away from home); 5. Complete an interview/application process; and Page 3 of 6

4 6. Does not live in a personal care home, or other facility If the client meets the Program s criteria and is accepted, a Project Lifesaver investigator will review and explain the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the caregiver. Once the caregiver signs the MOU, the document will be notarized and filed with a completed Client Portfolio Form (APD Form 3PL). The Project Lifesaver investigator will complete the portfolio based on answers provided by the caregiver. A digital photograph of the client will be taken, and added to the portfolio After enrollment in the program, the client will be provided a Project Lifesaver Atlanta transmitter. The transmitter will be tested to ensure it is functioning properly, and then secured to the client s wrist or ankle by a plastic bracelet. A Project Lifesaver investigator will document the equipment issued and must record the actual frequency of the transmitter emission on the APD Form 3PL. The caregiver will sign the Client Equipment Sheet (APD Form 4PL) to acknowledge receipt of, and responsibility for, the equipment The caregiver will be given a Caregiver Instruction Sheet, a Daily Equipment Inspection/Test Form (APD Form 5PL), a transmitter battery tester, and a copy of the signed Memorandum of Understanding and APD Form 4PL. The Project Lifesaver investigator will explain each of the instructions to the caregiver and what is required to complete the forms Upon completion of the enrollment process, a Project Lifesaver investigator will immediately contact a Communications supervisor and provide the client s name and address. The Communications supervisor will immediately enter the information in the CADS system. The Project Lifesaver investigator will document the time, date, and name of the Communications supervisor on the client s Portfolio Sheet All paperwork associated with a client must be placed in that respective client s file and entered into the database by the Project Lifesaver investigator. All client files will be stored in the file cabinet in the Homicide Unit. 4.3 Bi-Monthly Visits Each client will be visited at their residence on a bi-monthly basis to complete a Daily and Monthly Equipment Inspection/Test Forms (APD Form 5PL) and ensure that the client and caregiver are meeting the requirements of the program. The client s demeanor and overall appearance will be recorded on the APD Form 5PL, along with any other pertinent information. A battery check will be conducted and any concerns/issues noted on the same form. The caregiver will be reminded that they are responsible for inspecting and checking the transmitter case daily with the provided Project Lifesaver battery tester The caregiver will be notified immediately of violations and informed of the consequences for repeated violations. Each caregiver violation must be noted on the APD Form 5PL, or by a memorandum explicitly detailing the infraction, including information on whom and when the caregiver was notified about the infraction The Lifesaver Atlanta transmitter will be removed from the client s wrist or ankle to be visually inspected for damage and to have the battery replaced. If any part of the Project Lifesaver equipment is damaged or not functioning properly it will be noted on the APD Form 5PL and replaced before being returned to the client The transmitter will be re-fastened to the client s wrist or ankle and a battery check will be Page 4 of 6

5 performed to ensure that the new battery is functioning properly The completed APD Form 5PL, the used battery, and the used bracelet will be returned to the Homicide Unit. The forms and other paperwork will be placed in the client s file. All issued batteries and bracelets will be recorded on the APD Form 5PL. 4.4 Client Closeout A client s participation in may be terminated by the caregiver or the Homicide Unit upon ten days written notice to the other party If a caregiver violates any of the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, or fails to abide by any of the rules listed in the Caregiver Instruction Sheet three or more times, the caregiver and client can be removed from the program. After the third violation, a Homicide Unit supervisor will determine if the client will be allowed to remain with the program. If the client is to be removed from the program, the caregiver will be given written notification at least ten days prior to the termination date Upon removing a client from the program, a Project Lifesaver investigator must notify a Communications supervisor immediately so the information can be removed from the CADS system. The notification and closeout date will be documented on the Client Portfolio Form. The Adult Missing Persons investigator completing the closeout will ensure that the transmitter case, transmitter, and battery tester are returned to the unit by the caregiver. The returned equipment will be documented on the Client Equipment Sheet. 4.5 Training In order to remain a certified operator through Project Lifesaver International each operator must use the equipment at least twice per year. This includes equipment usage for training or rescue searches Operators who lose their certification must be re-certified before using the Project Lifesaver equipment. 5 DEFINITIONS 5.1 Project Lifesaver International: Project Lifesaver is a program of proactive involvement and specialized rescue operations that respond to incidents of victims of Alzheimer s disease, and other disorders, that have been reported missing. 5.2 Alzheimer s disease: A disease occurring in middle aged or older persons that are characterized by mental deterioration of the type associated with senility and memory loss. 5.3 PLI-5000 Receiver: A receiver used by Project Lifesaver, and designed to receive to megahertz signals. The receiver and antenna are used to determine the direction and strength of the signal. 6. CANCELLATIONS, effective November 3, REFERENCES Page 5 of 6

6 APD Form 1PL, Missing Person Form APD Form 2PL, After Action Report. APD Form 3PL, Client Portfolio Form APD Form 4PL, Client Equipment Sheet APD Form 5PL, Daily and Monthly Equipment Check Form APD.SOP.3082, Mentally Ill APD.SOP.3084, Disabled Persons APD.SOP.3085, Missing Persons APD.SOP.5040, Homicide Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990(ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of Page 6 of 6