Policy 2.01 Austin Independent School District Police Department Policy and Procedure Manual Organizational Structure I. Policy (TPCAF 1.01.1; 8.10.1) It is the policy of the AISD Police Department to have organized components that best promote and further the community oriented policing philosophy, provides exceptional customer service to our citizens and employees, and promote the efficient and effective allocation of resources that will assist in successful accomplishment of the AISD Police Department s mission. II. Chain of Command Procedure A. The AISD Police Department will utilize a chain of command for communication, command, and direction of agency personnel. The following chain of command has been established to facilitate the decision-making processes within the AISD Police Department: 1. Superintendent 2. Chief of Police. 3. Captain of Police (Assistant Police Chief) 4. Lieutenant/Bureau Manager. 5. Sergeant/Supervisor 6. Detective/Corporal (Limited decision making/supervisory decisions) 7. Officer/Non-Sworn Employee. B. Commensurate Authority. Commensurate authority will accompany each level of responsibility. Commensurate authority is the authority given to an individual in a particular position or assignment enabling them to make decisions necessary for the effective execution of their responsibilities. C. Delegation. Employees shall be accountable for the use of delegated authority, as well as for the failure to use delegated authority. D. Each organizational component is under the direct command of only one supervisor. E. Each employee is responsible to one (1) supervisor as outlined in the AISD Police Department s organization chart. F. Span of Control. Generally supervisors, both sworn and civilian, will oversee those assigned to their area of control.
II. Chain of Command Procedure F. (continued) 1. Captain of Police and Bureau Commanders/Managers are not considered as having day-to-day supervisory responsibility to all personnel assigned to the Bureau, but delegate authority to their subordinate supervisors. 2. Captain of Police and Bureau Commanders/Managers will ensure that adequate and proper supervision is provided to all personnel assigned to their areas. G. Superior ranking officers shall not assume command outside of their own area of the organization structure except when failure to do so would seriously endanger the community or the AISD Police Department. H. In situations involving two or more organizational components, the highest ranking supervisor of the component actively involved in the event will assume command responsibility until such time as that component s participation has been completed or turned over to a specialty unit, i.e., Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU), Uniform Services Bureau (USB), etc. The Chief of Police shall have final authority to designate command authority. I. In the absence of the Chief of Police, the Captain of Police will assume executive command of the AISD Police Department, unless otherwise designated. J. In the absence of the Chief of Police and the Captain of Police, a Bureau Lieutenant will assume executive command of the AISD Police Department, unless otherwise designated. III. AISD Police Department Organization (1.01.1) The AISD Police Department is organized with an Office of the Chief of Police and Five Bureaus as described below. Office of the Chief of Police A. The AISD Police Department is under the direction of the Chief of Police who reports directly to the Superintendent of the Austin Independent School District. B. Executive Authority. The Chief s executive authority for the AISD Police Department is established in Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code. 1. The Chief of Police will have the ultimate responsibility for: a. The protection of life and property, b. Preservation of law and order, c. Investigation and suppression of all crimes (including organized crime and vice), and d. The enforcement of State laws, City ordinances, and District Policies. 2
e. Management of the District s Life/Safety Systems, and Emergency Management functions. 2. In addition, the Chief of Police is responsible for direction and/or management of all AISD Police Department personnel, equipment, and resources. III. AISD Police Department Organization C. The functional units within the AISD Police Department are described as follows: 1. Bureau: The largest organized unit within the AISD Police Department. A Bureau has a department wide function either for general police service or for specialized activity. A Bureau is led by a lieutenant or manager, i.e., Uniform Services Bureau (USB), Special Operations Services Bureau (SOB), Life/Safety Systems Bureau (LSS) etc. 2. Section: A functional unit within a Bureau. The duties of some Bureaus call for additional specialization and therefore personnel must be further classified according to their duties, i.e., the K-9 Services Section of the Uniform Services Bureau, the Criminal Investigations Section of the Special Operations Bureau, etc. A Section is led by the sergeant/supervisor rank. 3. Unit: When further specialization is needed, a section can be divided into units. The term unit can also be used as a synonym for any organizational subdivision; however, units are used to describe an organizational subdivision that is too small in size to be given any other status and generally applies to subdivisions that carry out specialized duties, i.e., Joint Juvenile Gang Intervention Unit (JJGIU). A Lead Police Officer (LPO) generally leads a Unit. IV. AISD Police Department Administration A. The AISD Police Department is organized into five (5) major components: Administrative Services Bureau Information Services Data Services Records Personnel Court Liaison Budget Payroll Purchasing Special Operations Bureau Specialized Response Tactical Support Special Events Special Duty Training Fleet Control Courier Services 3
Criminal Investigations Special Investigations IV. AISD Police Department Administration Special Operations Bureau Criminal Investigations (continued) Internal Affairs Evidence Custodian Forensics Intelligence Emergency Management Bureau Facility Safety Management Safety Plan Training District Safety Team facilitator Coordinate Homeland Security related activities for the Department (8.10.1) Communications Uniform Services Bureau Uniform Law Enforcement Operations North Uniform Law Enforcement Operations Central Uniform Law Enforcement Operations South Life/Safety Systems Bureau Fire Alarm Intrusion Alarm Fire Suppression CCTV Electronic Access The organizational chart located in AISD Police Headquarters represents the normal authority and accountability relationships among the positions in the Department. A copy of the Organization Chart is made available to all Department employees. It also provides a limited description of position functions. Personnel in the positions shall perform and interact in a way which best contribute to the long-range goals of the AISD Police Department. AISD Police Department 4
Policy: 2.01 Organizational Structure Original Issue Date: January 1, 2009 Last Revision Date: August 14, 2014 Next Review Date: December 5, 2018 Office of Primary Responsibility: COP Editor: GB Reviewed By: CE APPROVED: Eric Mendez Chief of Police 5