Consolidated City of Jacksonville OFFICE OF THE SHERIFF OPERATIONAL ORDER

Transcription

1 Consolidated City of Jacksonville OFFICE OF THE SHERIFF OPERATIONAL ORDER SUBJECT: RESCINDS: ( ) SCOPE: PS/3 EFFECTIVE DATE: The purpose of this order is to establish the function and procedures for those civilian personnel assigned as Community Service Officers, hereafter referred to as CSOs. This order supports the Sheriff s Office Core Values of Community Focused and Always Improving. This order consists of the following numbered articles: I. Goals of Community Service Officers II. Qualifications and Training III. Community Service Officer Activities IV. Community Service Officer Limitations V. Community Service Officer Call Diversion VI. Community Service Officer Chain of Command VII. Uniforms and Equipment VIII. Secondary Employment Eligibility Requirements I. Goals of the Community Service Officer Program A. Community Service Officers will be civilian personnel assigned to serve as force multipliers for the Patrol Division. They shall NOT carry firearms or other weapons or have arrest authority. B. The Community Service Officer Program will serve as a feeder program for police and corrections. CSOs will be observed for competency, character, integrity, and work ethic prior to being accepted into any training programs for other divisions within the agency. C. Community Service Officers are required to meet the qualifications necessary for transfer into the police or corrections field within the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. CSOs have 5 years from their date of hire to meet this goal. CSOs must maintain a scheduled class load that will allow them to complete the required credits within that time limit. II. Qualifications and Training A. Individuals selected to serve as Community Service Officers must meet the following minimum requirements: 1. Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age; 2. Must be able to read and write English; 3. Must possess a valid Florida Driver s License;

2 4. Must be able to lift fifty (50) pounds or more; 5. Must pass a thorough background investigation that includes a polygraph; 6. Upon employment, must successfully complete the Community Service Officer Program at the Northeast Florida Criminal Justice Training Center. This training shall include instruction through the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) as approved by the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission; and 7. Must successfully complete a 9-week Field Training Program. III. Community Service Officers are considered special purpose employees and serve at the pleasure of the Sheriff. Community Service Officer Activities Community Service Officers will be allocated to meet the objectives of the Sheriff s Office and the community. With an emphasis on traffic related duties, CSOs will be deployed to geographical areas where their impact will be most beneficial. Specifically, CSOs are authorized to perform the following duties: A. CSOs are authorized by F.S.S (3)b to investigate traffic crashes and issue traffic citations at that scene if he believes that a person involved in the crash has committed an offense under the provisions of this chapter, Chapters 319, 320, or 322 in connection with the crash. This paragraph does NOT permit the carrying of firearms or other weapons, nor do such officers have arrest authority. B. Prepare and issue Uniform Traffic Citations for non-criminal violations. If a criminal citation must be issued, the CSO will call for a police officer to respond and issue the citation. C. Respond to and handle hit-and-run crashes in which no suspect information is available. If a CSO responds to a hit and run crash and it is determined that any suspect information exists, the CSO will call for an officer to respond and write the report. Community Service Officer Vehicles, if needed, shall be positioned to offer protection and visibility. Whenever a CSO vehicle is used to offer protection and visibility, the emergency lights shall be in operation. D. Respond to and handle abandoned vehicles. E. Assist and transport stranded motorists. F. Perform traffic related duties at the direction of the Zone Commander. Community Service Officers do not have the authority and are not authorized to conduct traffic stops. However, they may issue citations at the direction of a patrol officer who has conducted a traffic stop. 2

3 Reflective Traffic Safety Vests will be worn by CSOs at all times while conducting traffic control duties. G. Respond to illegally parked cars. CSOs are authorized by F.S.S (3)c,1,2, and 3 to enforce all state, county, and municipal laws and ordinances governing parking within the boundaries of the municipality employing the specialist, by appropriate state, county or municipal traffic citation. A parking enforcement specialist employed pursuant to this subsection may NOT carry firearms or other weapons or have arrest authority. CSOs will act in accordance with Operational Order 15.13, (Parking Enforcement). CSOs should be cognizant that they are to educate as well as enforce the illegal parking statutes and ordinances. Sound judgment and common sense must be utilized when dealing with citizens who park illegally. H. CSOs are authorized to handle substation duties at the direction of the Zone Commander. I. CSOs are authorized to act as Crossing Guards. J. Respond to found bicycle calls. CSOs are authorized to write such reports and transport bicycles to the Property Room for submission. Body Armor must be worn at all times by CSOs while in uniform unless approved by a Division Chief or higher. K. Assist in the search of missing persons at the direction of a patrol sergeant. L. CSOs may be called upon to handle special events where large crowds and traffic issues may cause a problem. Examples include Jaguar football games, parades, etc. IV. Community Service Officer Limitations A. CSOs will not be used to supplement the Patrol Division in any situation where there is a potential for violence. B. CSOs are prohibited from engaging in a motor vehicle pursuit. This includes following a potential criminal suspect. C. CSOs may only be utilized on the perimeter of a crime scene if no potential for violence exists and it is at the direction of a patrol lieutenant or higher authority. D. CSOs may not issue a criminal traffic citation. E. CSOs may not run X to any call for service. F. The CSO vehicle lights may only be activated once a CSO arrives on a scene for better visibility. Exceptions to this rule will be at the direction of a patrol lieutenant or higher authority. An example includes a CSO activating lights for improved visibility while driving in the median to reach the scene of a crash. 3

4 V. Community Service Officer Call Diversion A. Criminal Mischief Calls 1. Criminal Mischief calls will be dispatched to a CSO when the call does not meet the scope of online reporting and the citizen refused to have the call handled by Tele-Serv. 2. Community Service Officer (CSO) procedures for reporting criminal mischief are as follows: a. CSOs will complete a General Offense/Incident Report of criminal mischief only when there is no suspect or physical evidence of evidentiary value at the scene (example: The victim reports the incident from a location different than the original crime scene and/or does not require a neighborhood canvass). b. If the suspect is known to the victim, but not at the scene, and solvability factors exist, then the incident shall be classified as an M.C.I. Category A offense. The responding CSO will treat the case as an M.C.I. Office follow up case in accordance with Operational Order 11.1 (Patrol Investigations). The initiating CSO will provide a State Attorney card to the victim, explain its usage and suspend the case. c. CSOs who respond to the scene of a criminal mischief call that develops into an incident that requires the presence of a sworn officer will immediately notify the zone dispatcher to assign a sworn officer to the call (example: suspect arrives or is located, scene becomes violent, the safety of the CSO is threatened, etc). If while handling an incident, the safety of the CSO is compromised, the CSO shall immediately leave the scene, explain the situation to the zone dispatcher and request a sworn officer be dispatched. 3. Community Service Officer Limitations for criminal mischief calls: a. In-progress criminal mischief calls will only be handled by sworn personnel and a CSO will not be dispatched. b. Criminal mischief calls where the suspect s identity is unknown, but solvability factors exist that require further investigative follow up will be handled by sworn personnel as an M.C.I. case. c. Felony criminal mischief calls will only be handled by sworn personnel. If a responding CSO determines that the criminal mischief call is a felony, they shall request the presence of a sworn officer to investigate the incident. 4

5 d. CSOs will not respond to criminal mischief calls where the suspect is present or when there is a reasonable belief that the suspect could be present. Anytime a CSO is unsure how to handle a report writing call they shall consult with an on-duty sworn supervisor. B. Found Property Calls Community Service Officer (CSO) procedures for reporting found property is as follows: a. CSOs will complete a General Offense/Incident Report for found property when the property does not consist of firearms, ammunition, currency, narcotics, or narcotic paraphernalia. The listed exception items will be handled by a sworn police officer. b. CSOs will transport found property to the JSO Property Room for disposition. c. When transporting large found property items, CSOs will ensure that the item is safely secured prior to being transported to the Property/Evidence Unit (example: using a bicycle rack or situating the item in a manner where it is more compact). Transporting large items protruding from a CSO vehicle is prohibited. d. All bicycles being reported as found property will be documented and picked up by a CSO who will transport the item(s) to the JSO Property Room. After hours calls of found bicycles will be held until an on-duty CSO is available to respond to the scene. C. Obscene/Lewd Phone Calls 1. Obscene/Lewd Phone calls will be dispatched to a CSO when a citizen refuses to have the call handled by Tele-Serv. 2. CSOs will complete a General Offense/Incident Report for misdemeanor obscene or lewd phone calls as defined in F.S.S The below procedures are to be followed when handling these cases: a. If the suspect is known to the victim and solvability factors exist, then the incident shall be classified as an M.C.I. Category A offense. The responding CSO will treat the case as an M.C.I. Office follow up case in accordance with Operational Order 11.1 (Patrol Investigations). The initiating CSO will provide a State Attorney card to the victim, explain its usage and suspend the case; 5

6 b. Solvability Factors are defined as elements of information about a crime which have proven in the past to be important in the successful conclusion of a case. Examples of solvability factors include, but are not limited to the following: (1) Reliable eyewitness; (2) Suspect identified by name or is known; (3) Suspect described; (4) Suspect location known; (5) Suspect identified; (6) Suspect previously seen; (7) Suspect vehicle described or tag number provided; (8) Traceable property such as serial numbers or identifiable characteristics; (9) Usable physical evidence; and (10) Offense may be solved with reasonable additional investigative effort. c. If the call is a nuisance in nature (i.e., hang-ups, heavy breathing, children playing on the telephone, etc.), there is no pattern to the calls, and they are not repeatedly being received by the victim, a report is not required. The telephone subscriber will be instructed to contact the phone company and file a complaint. d. CSOs at the scene of a call of obscene or lewd phone call that develops into an incident that requires the presence of a sworn officer will immediately notify the zone dispatcher to assign a sworn officer to the call (example: suspect arrives or is located, scene becomes violent, the safety of the CSO is threatened, etc.). e. CSOs will reference Operational Order (Nuisance Phone Calls) when responding to misdemeanor obscene or lewd phone calls. D. Worthless Document Cases 1. CSOs will reference Operational Order (Economic Crimes Investigations) when responding to worthless document calls. 2. CSO procedures for responding to worthless document cases at businesses and financial institutions, which are civil in nature, are as follows: 6

7 a. When a complainant reports a worthless document incident and has a check or draft, which has been returned by a financial institution with stop payment, stamped on the check, the responding CSO must determine why the financial institution stopped payment; b. Cases which are civil in nature due to the check writer stopping payment, include, but are not limited to dissatisfaction with: (1) The work performed; (2) The merchandise purchased, or (3) A service received. c. In cases that are civil in nature, it is not necessary to complete a General Offense/Incident Report. The complainant shall be referred to Civil Court. d. If the check writer stopped payment with intent to defraud, the investigation shall be conducted by a sworn police officer. CSOs will not respond to worthless document calls that are in progress or that have just occurred. e. Offenses involving instruments such as money orders and lottery tickets are handled in the same manner as checks. The victim in all worthless document cases is the person, company or institution who suffers the financial loss or would have suffered the loss had the transaction been completed. 3. Procedures for responding to worthless document cases, which are criminal in nature, are as follows: a. If a financial institution returns a check or draft for one of the following reasons, the offense shall be Forgery, F.S.S : (1) The check or draft is stolen; (2) The signature on the check or draft was not written on the check or draft by the owner of the account; (3) The check or draft is counterfeit or the account never existed; (4) The account the check or draft is drawn upon is closed because the check or draft was stolen; 7

8 (5) Payment was stopped on the check or draft because the check or draft was reported as stolen or missing; (6) The amount of payee on the check has been altered or changed; or (7) The account number on the payment instrument is altered. b. If a suspect opens a checking or draft account at a financial institution with a sum of money and writes numerous checks for more that the amount in the account, the offense is Worthless Check/Fraud. In most cases, these documents will be returned by the financial institution as either Insufficient Funds or Account Closed. c. If a vehicle is obtained with a worthless document and the responding CSO determines that a fraud or forgery is involved, CSO will request that a sworn police officer respond to the scene to conduct the investigation. d. The mere offering of a forged instrument with the intent to defraud completes the crime of uttering a forged instrument. It is not necessary that the offer be accepted to complete the crime. e. If a local report was completed which included the theft of a document, in addition to the General Offense/Incident Report for the forgery, a Supplement Report to the original theft report must be written. f. When handling a fraud or forgery and the responding CSO determines that the document has been stolen locally, if no original report has been written, the CSO will write a separate General Offense/Incident Report for the theft. g. When handling a fraud or forgery case in which the suspect obtains property in exchange for the document, a description of the property (serial number, model number, etc.) shall be listed in the Property and Evidence section of the General Offense/Incident Report. h. If a determination of fraud or forgery cannot be made, the check or draft has not been stolen, and the identity of the check or draft writer is not in question, the responding CSO shall refer the victim to the State Attorney s Office, Worthless Check Section. A General Offense/Incident Report is not required under these circumstances. i. Examples of these types of cases include a check or draft, which is returned to the victim stamped: (1) NSF or INF (Not Sufficient or Insufficient Funds); or 8

9 (2) Account Closed and the financial institution closed the account because of problems with the customer. 4. Reporting procedures for criminal cases of worthless documents are as follows: a. CSOs will complete a General Offense/Incident Report for worthless document cases when elements of the incident dictate that a report will be written. The worthless document section of the report will be completed. The document(s) in question will be turned into the Property/Evidence Unit. b. At the time the offense is reported, the only evidence available may be copies of the check(s) or other instruments. CSOs shall treat these copies just as they would an original check by listing the information in the worthless document section of the report. The check information does not need to be repeated in the property section of the report. c. CSOs responding to calls where there is more than one worthless document with the same victim and the same name on the account will complete one General Offense/Incident Report and list the documents in the Worthless Document section of the General Offense Report. d. CSOs at the scene of a worthless document call that develops into an incident that requires the presence of a sworn officer will immediately notify the zone dispatcher to assign a sworn officer to the call (example: suspect arrives or is located, scene becomes violent, the safety of the CSO is threatened, etc.). E. Auto Burglary Calls 1. Auto Burglary calls will be dispatched to a CSO when a call does not meet the scope of online reporting and the citizen refused to have the call handled by Tele-Serv. 2. CSOs will respond to Auto Burglary calls and write a General Offense/Incident Report only when there is no suspect at the scene (example: The victim reports the incident from a location different than the original crime scene and/or does not require a neighborhood canvass). 3. The responding CSO will be responsible for processing and collection of evidence related to the incident that CSOs have been trained to preserve and collect, including attempts to obtain latent prints. 4. CSOs shall refer to Operational Order (Patrol Investigations) regarding response to vehicle burglaries. 9

10 5. CSOs will not respond to auto burglary calls in progress or that have just occurred. 6. CSOs at the scene of an auto burglary that develops into an incident that requires the presence of a sworn officer will immediately notify the zone dispatcher to assign a sworn officer to the call (example: suspect arrives or is located, scene becomes violent, the safety of the CSO is threatened, etc.). 7. If the suspect information is known to the victim or is discovered as a result of identification of latent evidence, the case will be investigated by a sworn officer. VI. Community Service Officer Chain of Command A. Community Service Officers report to a Community Service Officer Supervisor (Corporal). The Corporal reports directly to a CSO Lieutenant. A patrol sergeant, as designated by the Zone Commander, will be responsible for the overall supervision of all CSOs assigned to their respective Zone. All requests for days off, training, etc. will be handled by utilizing this chain of command. In addition, Corporals are responsible for ensuring that all CSO paperwork is gathered and submitted in a timely manner. B. The management of the Community Service Officer Program will be retained by the Chief of Patrol West through the Field Training Office Lieutenant. Clarifications in policy, duties and general questions regarding CSO authority will be channeled through the FTO Office. VII. Uniforms and Equipment A. All Community Service Officers will be issued the following: 1. Shirts (5); 2. Trousers (5); 3. Patches (10); 4. CSO Collar Brass (4); 5. Tennis Shoes or Boots (1-pair); 6. Yellow Bomber Jacket (1); 7. Under belt (1); 8. Baseball Cap (1); 9. Yellow Rain Coat (1); 10. Safety Vest (1) 10

11 11. Key Ring (1); 12. Flashlight (1); 13. C Batteries (4); 14. Glove Pouch (1); Laerdal Pocket Mask (1); 16. Florida Criminal and Traffic Law Manual (1); 17. Traffic Template (1); 18. Map (10-20) Book (1); 19. Fingerprint Pad (1); 20. Legal Clipboard (1); 21. Body Armor (1); and 22. CSO Breast Badge (1). B. Additionally, CSOs assigned a vehicle and traffic assignment will be issued the following: 1. Tape Measure (1); 2. Jumper Cables (1); 3. Reflector Kit (1); 4. First Aid Kit (1); 5. Seat Belt Knife (1); 6. Rescue Blanket (2); 7. Alcohol Gel (1); 8. Hand Stapler (1); 9. Staples (1); 10. Bio-Hazard Bags (3); 11. Latex Gloves (bag); 12. Fire Extinguisher (1); and 11

12 13. Lumber Crayons (2). VIII. Secondary Employment Eligibility Requirements A. All Community Service Officers who have not currently met the college requirements (min. 60 credit hours) of the program will: 1. Be currently enrolled in college; and 2. Submit a form 4 along with a school transcript and their college schedule for the semester through their chain of command for approval (Corporal, Traffic Sergeant, Zone Lieutenant and Commander). B. The Commanding Officer of the Field Training Unit will review and approve all requests. The request will be forwarded to the Commanding Officer of the Special Events Unit, who will make the final approval. C. Community Service Officers in good standing, when approved, will only be permitted to work traffic related secondary employment (10-60) at city-owned venues or city-sponsored events. John H. Rutherford Sheriff 12