PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT DIRECTIVE 7.16 Issued Date: 10-04-13 Effective Date: 10-04-13 Updated Date: 07-09-15 SUBJECT: DEPARTMENT DIRECTIVES PROGRAM 1. BACKGROUND A. The mission of the Philadelphia Police Department is to work in partnership with the community and others to fight crime and the fear of crime, including terrorism; enforce laws while safeguarding constitutional rights of all people; provide quality service to all of our residents and visitors; and create a work environment in which we recruit, train and develop an exceptional team of employees. (PLEAC 1.4.3 a) B. This mission should be reflected in every facet of Department operations, to include the written Department Directives System, which is comprised of Department Directives, Police Commissioner s Memorandums, Training Bulletins, Special/Operational Orders, Standard Operating Procedures, Assist Officer Bulletins, Disciplinary Code, and all department-issued training materials both written and electronic. 2. POLICY A. The policy of the Philadelphia Police Department is to develop a written directive system that reflects the mission and values of the Department, while providing the policy and procedural guidance members need to professionally perform their duties. The written directives system and all of its contents are the means to document and communicate policies, rules, regulations, and procedures, and are necessary to establish clear limits to the broad discretionary authority of sworn personnel. *1 B. Only the Police Commissioner is authorized to issue, modify, and grant final approval of all official Departmental Directives and other policy statements governing policy, conduct and controlling police activity in the Philadelphia Police Department. (PLEAC 1.4.3 b-c) *1 1. While the Police Commissioner is the final authority on the issuance, modification and approval of directives, any Deputy Commissioner, the Research and Planning Unit, the Accreditation Manager, or any person designated by the Police Commissioner may submit new directives or modifications for approval through the chain of command. (PLEAC 1.4.3 b-c) DIRECTIVE 7.16-1
C. Although available on the PPD Intranet, the official Department Directives are the hard copy publications that contain the signature of the Police Commissioner. When there is a difference in text between the hard copy directive and the electronic version found on the PPD Intranet, the hard copy directive signed by the Police Commissioner is the official version. All information contained in the hard copy of the directive that is signed by the Police Commissioner supersedes conflicting information found in the electronic version. Research and Planning will be responsible to update the electronic version with all information from the official, signed version. D. A complete and current set of all Departmental Directives, Training Bulletins, the Disciplinary Code, and Police Commissioner s Memorandums, will be issued to all sworn personnel during their initial recruit training at the Police Academy. Updates and modifications will be forwarded to District/Unit Training Coordinator for distribution as the changes take effect. Additionally, a complete and current set of the above mentioned documents will be maintained in the Operations Room of all police district/units throughout the department. These documents are also available through the police intranet on the Homepage located on departmental computers and MDT s. (PLEAC 1.4.4 d) E. All personnel affected by any changes or revisions to Directives or policies related to an Accreditation standard will be trained by the Training Bureau, in coordination with the Accreditation Unit. (PLEAC 1.4.3 f) F. Civilian personnel will receive copies of any/all departmental directives, policies and Disciplinary Code which impact their daily performance and work responsibilities. 3. PROCEDURES FOR RECOMMENDING AMENDMENTS TO DIRECTIVES A. When conflicting procedures are found in Departmental Directives, personnel shall attempt to resolve them in the following order: 1. Submit a directive change to amend, rescind, or replace the conflicting/incorrect information by preparing a memorandum addressed to the Commanding Officer, Research and Planning Unit (R&P), and submit through their respective chain of command. a. The memorandum shall explain the reason(s) for the request. b. As applicable, a draft of the proposed revision shall be attached in hard copy and electronic format (email). *1 2. The Research and Planning Unit will initiate a focus group consisting of officers and supervisors at the patrol level to seek their input on the clarity and comprehensibility of any recommendation to update or change all or part of the Use of Force Directives. DIRECTIVE 7.16-2
B. Supervisory personnel shall review the submission to ensure that the information is properly prepared and forward the completed package through their respective chain of command. C. Commanding Officer, Research and Planning Unit, shall: 1. Review all requests to ensure that the requests/suggestions are justified. 2. Contact the Accreditation Unit (PPD2020) to ensure requests/suggestions are consistent with accreditation standards. 3. Notify submitting employee by memorandum if the issue is already addressed by a previously existing directive. 4. Ensure Directives/Memorandums are prepared by Research and Planning Unit personnel following the procedural steps outlined in the Research and Planning Unit s Standard Operating Procedures. D. Once approved and signed by the Police Commissioner, Research and Planning Unit will: 1. Issue a teletype amending the new/updated information in the directive. 2. Ensure the appropriate changes or updates are made to the official hard copy publication and the electronic version available on the intranet. 3. Forward the new/updated information to Graphic Arts for printing and Departmentwide distribution, when necessary. 4. DIRECTIVES AND ORDERS A. The following definitions explain the different policies and procedures of the Philadelphia Police Department which is intended to provide officer s with written guidance in their performance of their duties. 1. Department Directives the primary codified rules, regulations, and procedures of the Philadelphia Police Department that are mandated under the authority of the Police Commissioner. They are comprised of all operational and standard policies of the Department. DIRECTIVE 7.16-3
2. Commissioner s Memorandums Commissioner s Memorandums are mandated under the authority of the Police Commissioner. They are secondary codified regulations and procedures of the Philadelphia Police Department that address topics of concern to police operations in which the full dedication of a Departmental Directive is not required. Commissioner s Memorandums do not contain the level of detailed or specific information that are contained within a Directive. 3. Assist Officer Bulletins Documents which highlight and identify possible threats to officer safety. 4. Training Bulletins Documents which focus on specific law enforcement related topics. 5. Special/Operational Orders- a formalized strategic plan for a specific event or incident. These plans can be utilized for incidents and events requiring squad, district, department-wide, or multi-jurisdictional involvement or response. 6. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP s) are a set of written instructions that document a routine or repetitive activity within a particular district or unit. a. Current copies of district or unit SOP s will be readily accessible for reference in the work area of those individuals actually performing the work either in hard copy or electronic format. b. District/Unit Commanding Officer s are responsible for the development, implementation and accuracy of all Unit SOP s. c. SOP s shall be systematically reviewed on a periodic basis to ensure the policies and procedures remain current and in keeping with the mission of a specific unit. d. Each District/Unit SOP s shall be individually numbered and address a specific topic. District/Unit SOP s must be reviewed and approved through the chainof-command to their respective Deputy Commissioner before becoming an official unit policy. e. The Research and Planning Unit will maintain an updated set of all district/unit SOP s and will be advised when any updates or deletions occur. 7. Disciplinary Code is the Code of Conduct for all department personnel. It is intended to instill and support the core values of the Philadelphia Police Department by establishing fair and consistent penalties for violations of Philadelphia Police Department rules, policies, and principles. DIRECTIVE 7.16-4
5. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES A. All sworn departmental personnel, and specifically identified civilian personnel, will be supplied with, responsible to maintain, and have knowledge of, the contents of all Departmental Directives, Commissioner s Memorandums, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP s), Disciplinary Code, Assist Officer Bulletins, and Training Bulletins. Additionally, Commanders may require members to sign for and read all SOP s pertaining to their specific command. B. Identified personnel are responsible to: 1. Maintain their own set of Directives and Bulletins and keep them updated. 2. Sign for and read all Departmental Directives, Commissioner s Memorandums, Assist Officer Bulletins, and Training Bulletins. 3. Immediately inquire of their immediate supervisor if clarification is needed on any Departmental Directive or other form of policy, or portion of a Directive or policy. 4. Be familiar with the content of all Departmental Directives, the Disciplinary Code, and Commissioner s Memorandums, particularly the rules, regulations, and procedural guidelines that impact their work. 5. Comply with all Departmental Directives, Commissioner s Memorandums, Assist Officer Bulletins, Training Bulletins, Special and General Orders, the Disciplinary Code and Standard Operating Procedures. *1 C. District/Unit Training Coordinators 1. A supervisor will be designated by the Commanding Officer as the District/Unit Training Coordinator. The District/Unit Training Coordinator is responsible for: a. Coordinating with all district/unit designated Platoon Training Supervisors to ensure updates and modifications are forwarded to subordinate personnel as the changes take effect. The Platoon Training Supervisors will ensure all documents are disseminated and signed for on the Training Material Receipt/Record (75-578). b. Forwarding the yearly collection of all signed Training Material Receipt/Records (75-578) to the Advanced Training Unit (ATU) by April 30 th for the preceding year. DIRECTIVE 7.16-5
1) The District/Unit Training Coordinators will conduct periodic audits, to ensure all training records are signed by district/unit personnel and forwarded to the Training and Education Services Bureau (TESB) quarterly. c. Maintaining a current hard copy set of all Departmental Directives, Police Commissioner s Memorandums, Assist Officer Bulletins, the Disciplinary Code and Training Bulletins. These must be available to all personnel under their command, until revised or rescinded, in accordance with Directive 4.17, District/Unit Reference Material Requirements. NOTE: All reference materials are NOT the property of the district/unit Commanding Officer or any other individual department employee and will remain in each district/units Operations Room at all times. *1 D. Platoon Training Supervisors shall: 1. Be designated by the Platoon Lieutenant and will be responsible for: a. Upon receipt of new and/or updated departmental policies or training material, coordinate with the district/unit Training Coordinator to ensure all documents are disseminated to subordinate personnel and the Training Material Receipt/Record (75-578) is signed by all personnel in their platoon. b. Ensure amendments to Directives and all new Directives are reviewed with their platoon personnel. c. Provide referral or training when any personnel raise a concern regarding any particular procedure in a Directive or any other Departmental policy and/or demonstrates a lack of understanding of any provisions within a Directive or Departmental policy. *1 E. District/Unit Commanding Officers shall: 1. Designate a supervisor as the District/Unit Training Coordinator. 2. Ensure the written receipt of Departmental Directives and other pertinent Department policies by requiring all personnel under their command to sign for newly issued or revised Directives and policies on the Training Material Receipt/Record (75-578). 3. Maintain a current hard copy set of all Departmental Directives, Police Commissioner s Memorandums, Assist Officer Bulletins, the Disciplinary Code and Training Bulletins that can be accessed by all members in the command, until revised or rescinded. (PLEAC 1.4.4) DIRECTIVE 7.16-6
4. Ensure that orders internal to their command do not conflict with any element of the Departmental Directive System. 5. Ensure the Research and Planning Unit is provided with electronic and hard copies of all district/unit SOP s and notified of any changes, revisions, or updates of the district/unit SOP s when they occur. F. The Research and Planning Unit shall: 1. Develop and maintain the Departmental Directives System and its records in both hard copy and on the departmental intranet, with the exception of Assist Officer and Training Bulletins, which are a function of the Training Bureau. This includes: a. Establishing all standards related to publications within the Directive System. b. Determining the type of publication to be used for issuance of policy. c. Maintaining a Directives System Index, in both paper form and in the Department Intranet, to be updated upon publication or deletion of a Department Directive or Police Commissioner s Memorandums. d. Reviewing and evaluating all requests for new or revised publications. e. Coordinating the development, numbering, review, revision, and indexing of all Departmental Directives and policies. *1 f. Deleting and/or purging the master directive file, adding or removing directives will only be performed under the direction of the Police Commissioner. (PLEAC 1.4.3d) g. Reviewing all Directives to ensure they are in accordance with Department policy and procedures, and that conflicting provisions are resolved in a timely manner. h. Controlling the issuance of all official publications within the Directives System. i. Maintaining an updated set of all district/unit SOP s. *1 j. Reviewing and updating all Directives. The updated date field shall reflect the last review and not be older than five (5) years. DIRECTIVE 7.16-7
k. Maintain a development folder for each Directive that includes all applicable legislation, research information, drafts, and historical publications of the Directive and related to the Directive, staffing responses, emails, and all other material collected during the development process. l. As needed, staffing out draft publications to the entire Command Staff, the Accreditation Unit, and other individuals who may be instrumental in its development, via email. Document comments returned and retain all staffing comments in the development folder. m. Coordinate with Labor Relations Unit to evaluate each new Directive or update as to its effect on negotiated work issues. n. Providing the Graphic Arts Unit with new and updated elements of the Directives System ready for department-wide distribution. o. Archiving to CDs the electronic files of published Directives to ensure the accessibility of Department Directives and Police Commissioner s Memorandums to the command staff in the event of large-scale power or computer system failure. p. Annually reviewing of all Operational Directives and Police Commissioner s Memorandums to determine which ones will be updated or rescinded. The date on the Directive or Police Commissioner s Memorandum shall be changed to reflect the date of review. G. The Accreditation Unit will: 1. Review all Directives, Police Commissioner s Memorandums, and applicable district/unit SOP s to ensure compliance with accreditation standards. 2. Coordinate with the Training Bureau to ensure all personnel affected by changes or revisions to policy related to accreditation standards receive training on the changes or revisions. (PLEAC 1.4.3 f) H. The Training Bureau shall: 1. Maintain a complete and current set of all Department Directives, Police Commissioner s Memorandums, Assist Officer Bulletins, the Disciplinary Code and Training Bulletins and distribute copies of such to all recruit officers. 2. Coordinate with the Accreditation Unit to ensure all personnel affected by changes or revisions to policy related to accreditation standards, receive training on the changes or revisions. (PLEAC 1.4.3 f) DIRECTIVE 7.16-8
3. Develop and provide training to all recruits on Department Directives as related to their roles and responsibilities. 4. Ensure copies of all Training Bulletins, which explain or reference publications in the Directives System, are provided to the Research and Planning Unit. *1 5. Receive and maintain a file of all signed Training Material Receipt/Records (75-578) from all districts/units. Training Material Receipt/Records (75-578) should be forwarded to the Advance Training Unit by April 30 th each year for the preceding years training material. I. The Personnel Unit shall: 1. Ensure all civilian personnel and new civilian hires are provided with a set of all pertinent Directives and Commissioner s Memorandums. 2. Ensure all commanders are provided with updates and changes to Directives and Commissioner s Memorandums that are pertinent to the daily performance and work responsibilities of civilian personnel in their commands. As delineated in Section 5-D-1, Commanders will ensure the written receipt of Departmental Directives and other pertinent Departmental policy by requiring members of their command to sign for and obtain newly issued Directives and policies. BY COMMAND OF THE POLICE COMMISSIONER PLEAC - Conforms to the standards according to the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission FOOTNOTE GENERAL# DATE SENT REMARKS *1 5569 07-09-15 Additions/Changes DIRECTIVE 7.16-9