Straford
Police Force
September
27, 2003
00. Index
01.
02. Ranks
i.
Chief of Police
ii.
Captain
iii.
Lieutenant
iv.
Sergeant
v.
Detective
vi.
Patrolman, Patrolwoman, Officer
03. Recruitment/Hiring
04. Equipment
05. Rates of Pay
06. Procedures
i.
Arrests
ii.
Visitation
iii.
Undercover Investigations
iv.
Incident Report
v.
Corruption Report
vi.
Warrants
vii.
Charges
viii.
Evidence
ix.
Probation
x.
Escape
07. Officer Divisions
i.
Crime Scene
ii.
Internal Affairs
08. Department Complex
i.
Cell Block – Minimal Security
ii.
Cell Block – High Security
iii.
Visitation Lounge – Secure
iv.
Visitation Lounge – Insecure
v.
Crime Laboratory
vi.
Interrogation Room
vii.
Interrogation Monitoring Room
viii.
Evidence Locker
ix.
Guard Station
x.
Infirmary
09. Specialty Jobs
i.
Medic
ii.
Attorney
10. Attorneys
00. Index
See above.
01.
The Straford
Police Department, commissioned by the Prime Minister of the
02. Ranks
i.
Chief of Police
The Chief of Police shall be
appointed directly by the Prime Minister of the
ii.
Captain
The position of captain is
responsible for the conduct of the officers below him, starting with any
lieutenants. The duties of the captain include being the public relations
spokesman of the department. The captain is also responsible for filing charges
with the Straford County Court against a suspect when
sufficient evidence is available. The captain reports directly to the chief of
police.
iii.
Lieutenant
The position of lieutenant is
responsible for the conduct of the officers below him, starting with any
sergeants. The duties of the lieutenant also include training new recruits and
monitoring police reports to ensure proper procedures are followed in all
arrests. The lieutenant is the lowest position that may file requests at the Straford County Courthouse for warrants of any kind. The
lieutenant reports directly to the captain and chief of police.
iv.
Sergeant
The position of sergeant is
directly responsible for the patrolmen, patrolwomen, or officers of the
department. It is his responsibility to advise and set good examples for lower
officers. The sergeant reports directly to the lieutenant.
v.
Detective
The position of detective is
not within the normal rank structure. The detective reports directly to the
head of the Crime Scene Division. The duties of a detective are to investigate
any and all charges assigned through the use of training, skills, and proper
equipment.
vi.
Patrolman, Patrolwoman, Officer
The positions of patrolman, patrolwoman, or officer
are responsible for policing areas of the city routinely to spot possible
criminal behavior and conduct on-spot investigations, preventions, or, if
required, detainments. The position reports to the sergeant.
03. Recruitment/Hiring
All recruitments or hirings must be conducted in accordance to the wishes of
the Chief of Police. All new recruits must be subjected to a complete background
check before consideration and must obtain all necessary equipment prior to
beginning duties.
04. Equipment
All members of the Straford Police Force, barring specialty jobs, are required
to possess the following equipment before beginning any duties. Items must be
on their person at all on-duty times:
1. Department-approved firearm
Firearms which have not been
approved by a ranking officer, lieutenant or higher, must not be carried on an
officer’s person while on-duty. Loaner firearms may be available for new
recruits and a $
2. Department-issued handcuffs
3. Department-issued badge
and/or identification
4. Department-issued radio
05. Rates of Pay
There are several levels of
pay for officers of the Straford Police Force. All
rates are the bare minimum for ‘satisfactory’ duty of that rank. Additional
pay, if funds permit, may be awarded for exemplary service.
Chief of
Police: $
Captain: $
Lieutenant: $
Sergeant: $
Detective: $
Other: $
06. Procedures
i.
Arrest
If evidence supports an
arrest, an officer must first alert all other officers by radioing a general announcement
of his intention. Next, the officer must introduce himself as an officer by
presenting a badge. Thirdly, he must inform the suspect that he is being placed
under arrest and of the charges.
The officer should then radio
a second time to indicate that the rights have been read. Next, the officer
should inform the suspect to place his hands behind his back and the officer
should take out his department-issued handcuffs. Once the handcuffs are secured
on the suspect, the officer should radio a fourth time indicating the fact.
When you arrive at the
station, you may then process the suspect (ARREST <person> - this removes
all their objects and puts them in Cell A). Finally, the officer should escort
the suspect to the most appropriate cell from Cell A (where the processing
takes them), block the door, and remove the handcuffs. Once the officer is
safely out of the cell and the cell has been secured, the officer should once
again radio to inform fellow officers of the completion of the arrest.
The last stage of the arrest
is to file the report. For the current method of filing, the officer should see
the board in the station lounge.
If a fellow officer reports
via the radio waves of an arrest in progress, all other officers, on-duty or
not, should pay close attention to the process. If the required follow-up
messages do not arrive in the appropriate time, officers are required to check
up on the process.
(If an
ii.
Visitations
Visitations are allowed to
all inmates between the hours indicated at the front desk. All visitors must
submit to a police search and surrender any inappropriate objects to an officer
on-duty. Following that, the visitor should be escorted to the insecure side of
the visitation lounge and locked inside.
An officer should then
carefully escort the inmate to the corresponding booth of the secure side of
the visitation lounge and should be locked inside. No inmate should be left
in the visitation lounge unless a guard is stationed on the inside at the door
unless a ranking officer, lieutenant or higher, approves the process.
When the visitation is over,
the inmate must first be escorted back to his cell and secured before the
visitor is to be escorted out. Both doors on each side of the lounge must be
shut and locked. When the visitor is released, all possessions confiscated should
be returned, assuming he had legal right to carry them.
An inmate may be refused
visitations if his conduct does not permit it, if an emergency requires the
on-duty desk officer, if all visitation booths are occupied, or if the
visitor’s conduct is inappropriate. A lawyer may not be refused unless the
inmate is not his client, the lawyer’s conduct is inappropriate, or the lawyer
is another inmate.
All visitations are limited
to
iii.
Undercover Investigations
Undercover investigations may
not be conducted without the express authorization of the chief of police.
Undercover agents must report to their assigned officer at the assigned
intervals. No undercover investigation is to extend longer than two months
without approval from the chief of police. No felony activity may be conducted
by an undercover officer. No department-issued equipment may be possessed by
the undercover officer.
iv.
Incident Report
Incident reports, involving
all noteworthy action conducted by any individual within
An incident should be defined
as any near, suspected, or obviously illegal activity conducted in the presence
of a witness in which an arrest was not made.
v.
Corruption Report
Corruption within the ranks
of the Straford Police Force must be immediately
reported, evidence or not, to the first available ranking officer who is not
the suspect of corruption.
Upon hearing a report of
possible corruption an officer is required to pass the message upward along
through the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and chief of police,
bypassing only those ranks that are below the officer or who is the subject of
suspicion.
The chief of police is the
only officer allowed under any circumstances to assign an investigation into
the possible corruption of an officer.
Corruption should be defined
as illegal activities or inappropriate procedures carried out by an officer of
the law or department employee with relation to their duties with the
department.
vi.
Warrants
Warrants come in several forms.
An arrest warrant is needed
to enter any private establishment in which permission cannot be obtained by
the rightful owner to enter unless the suspect is seen, by an officer of the
law, entering the establishment. The purpose of the warrant is to secure the
arrest of the suspect named in the warrant or any accomplices.
A search warrant is needed to
enter any private establishment in which permission cannot be obtained by the
rightful owner to enter. The purpose of the warrant is to located specific
items or evidence of criminal activities.
A bench warrant is issued by
a judge against a suspect for failure to present himself at an official court
proceeding. The purpose of the warrant is to provide the police with the
authorization to place the suspect under arrest without any additional charges
in order to assure his appearance at rescheduled proceedings.
A warrant must be issued by
judge with an official witness. Warrant requests must first pass by the court
commissioner if available. Additional restrictions or rights may be assigned to
the warrant by the issuing judge, if it is deemed appropriate.
vii.
Charges
Filing charges against
another person is a tricky subject. There are two types of charges which may be
filed.
The first type is for
personal claims. These come from a citizen to an officer of the law. The claims
are investigated by the department before any arrests are made. If the victims
do not desire to press charges, the case must be dropped.
The second type is for legal
violations in which no individual is considered the victim. An example of this
type is for violations of city ordinances, court orders, et cetera. These
offenses may only be dropped by the chief of police or by another officer with
permission from the chief of police.
Once an offense is
established as a charge, it must be filed with the courts by delivering a copy
of the charges to the court commissioner with the desire to press charges
clearly indicated. All reports pertaining to the charges must then be handed
over to the suspect’s attorney, the district attorney’s office, and the court
commissioner. Under no condition is the district attorney’s office to receive a
copy of official charges before they are filed with the courts.
Charges must be filed per incident.
Charges cannot be combined with charges from another incident. These must be
filed separately. Once filed with the courts, the Straford
Police Department is unable to affect the charges. If additional charges come
up from the same incident, the reports should be presented to the district
attorney’s office.
viii.
Evidence
All evidence gathered in
relation to any criminal investigation must be immediately logged with the
evidence locker in the station, unless the evidence is needed by the assigned
officer to the investigation. No evidence item may remain unlogged
for more than one day without approval from the captain or chief of police.
ix.
Probation
It is not the Straford Police Department’s duty to assign probation
officers to any individual. The department is, however, required to be aware of
the probation restrictions on any individual and be able to report violations
to the court commissioner. Unless the violation is considered imminently
dangerous, such as illegal weapons possession, fleeing the country, or another
crime, the Straford Police Department should merely
note the incident and report it accordingly.
x.
Escape
Any escape attempt,
regardless of its likelihood for success, should result in a complete lockdown
of the station. In the event of a reported escape attempt, all officers should
immediately seal off the security door or main entrance in order to block the
inmate inside the station. The possibility of escape should be immediately
radioed to all department employees.
Once someone is positioned at
the exits, the department should be searched room for room starting from a
central spot, the door outside the station lounge. Officers should block any
direction before proceeding that way, effectively sealing off any escape for
anyone in the next area. Peering ahead is advised (PEER
<direction/door>). Upon locating the prisoner, the officer should radio
again for back-up and attempt to hold the prisoner at that location or follow
any movements until back-up arrives. If the officer is the sole available
officer, he should conduct the arrest procedure cautiously, excluding the badge
presentation, charges, and rights reading steps.
If the inmate has already
exited the building, a full-scale search should be conducted with every
officer, on-duty or not, immediately called in. Officers should be placed at
all major exit points of the city, such as the train station and airport.
Officers should patrol all streets and the public must be immediately informed
for their own safety. This should keep up until the suspect is found. Arrest
warrants for all establishments they are known to visit or possess should be
sought, regardless of the potential for successfully obtaining them. The
warrants should be served immediately with as many officers as possible.
Once the inmate is found, the
arrest procedure should be repeated as described above.
Under no circumstances should
an officer aid an inmate to escape, despite the consequences, without approval
from a ranking officer, lieutenant or above. A complete incident report is
required by the chief of police for any escape attempt, regardless of any other
ranking officer’s decision. All ranking officers must file individual reports.
07. Officer Divisions
i.
Crime Scene
The Crime Scene Division is composed
of all the detectives and any additional officers, technicians, or hired hands
needed to properly investigate all obvious crimes of a more than trivial
nature. The division is lead by an appointment of chief of police, the Lead or
Head Detective.
The Lead or Head Detective is
responsible for the quality of investigations and for all evidence within the
division. All members of the division must be appointed by the captain or the
chief of police.
ii.
Internal Affairs
The internal affairs division
is responsible for investigations within the department of any officer or
department employee thought to have committed an incident of corruption or
misconduct. The internal affairs division is lead directly by the chief of
police and under no circumstances may be affected by any other ranking officer.
Appointments within the internal affairs division may be made without notice to
any other ranking officer.
Internal
affairs has
the ability to sequester the testimony, equipment, or possessions of any
department employee. It also possesses the right to suspend or detain any
department employee. Additionally, internal affairs may sequester the service
of any department employee to carry out its responsibilities.
08. Department Complex
The Straford
Police Department possesses a secure, well-equipped station. Briefly explained
below are its contents.
Note:
Any barred door must be blocked before it is unlocked and opened until it is
closed and locked again. This goes for the security door as well, and the
secure visitation lounge.
i.
Cell Block – Minimal Security
The minimal security cell
block is located, from the front desk, one step north, through the security
door, another step north, and to the east. These cells house prisoners who are
not considered to be a severe risk. At present, three cells exist of this
nature.
All cells require
department-issued keys and keycodes. These codes may
not be given to any individual, regardless of their affiliation with the
department.
ii.
Cell Block – High Security
The high security cell block
is located at the east end of the minimal security block and to the north. The
door is heavily reinforced and possesses an intercom to the inmates inside. Unless absolutely necessary, access to this wing should be
restricted.
There are currently two cells
of this nature, each requiring a rank and keycode.
These codes may not be given to any individual, regardless of their affiliation
with the department.
iii.
Visitation Lounge – Secure
The secure side of the
visitation lounge is located directly south of Cell A in the minimal security
cell block. The door must be blocked before it is unlocked or opened and must
be immediately closed and locked back after each use. It is not to remain open
and unlocked for any period of time in which it is not guarded closely.
When
leaving an inmate here for a visitation, an officer must be stationed by the
door, inside the lounge, the entire time unless he is given authorization to
leave by a ranking officer, lieutenant or higher.
There are three booths in the
lounge for inmates to sit at. No more than one inmate at a time may possess one
side of the booth.
iv.
Visitation Lounge – Insecure
The insecure side of the
visitation lounge is located directly east of the front desk and north. The
door must be blocked before it is unlocked or opened and must be immediately
closed and locked back after each use. It is not to remain open and unlocked
for any period of time in which it is not guarded closely.
There are three booths in the
lounge for visitors to sit at. No more than two visitors at a time may possess
one side of the booth.
v.
Crime Laboratory
The Crime Laboratory is
located west of the front desk. This location possesses superior equipment designed
specifically for analyzing evidence and should only be used by trained Crime
Scene Division members. The Lead or Head Detective is allotted office space in
this facility.
vi.
Interrogation Room
The interrogation room is
located north of the front desk, through the security door, north, and west.
The door should be blocked before it is opened or unlocked and the entire time
it is either. No more than two people, plus attorneys, may be left in this
room. No more than one person may be left in this room without police
supervision.
vii.
Interrogation Monitoring Room
The interrogation monitoring
room is located west of the interrogation room. From this location it is
possible to overhear everything that takes place in the interrogation room. No
person not belonging to the Straford Police
Department is allowed in this room without permission from the chief of police.
viii.
Evidence Locker
The evidence locker is
located north of the front desk, through the security door, north, and west
four times. Any officer may log an item (LOG <evidence bag>) into
evidence, providing they have an evidence bag. Evidence bags must be provided
by a Crime Scene Division member or ranking officer and must be labeled (LABEL
BAG) with the details of the case or crime scene, including the date of the
crime.
Only authorized individuals
are allowed to retrieve evidence from the locker. These individuals typically
include detectives, captains, and the chief of police, but may vary.
For more information, see Evidence under the Procedures heading.
ix.
Guard Station
The guard is located north of
the front desk, through the security door, north, and west four times. The
guard station allows for an officer to monitor any cell in the station. This
should not be used at any time to monitor an inmate with a court official or
his attorney. These visitations should never occur in a cell in the first
place, but in the visitation lounge.
There is a switch for each
cell in the station which can be pressed (PUSH <switch>) to toggle the surveillance
of that cell. There are monitors which will allow closed-circuit viewing of the
occupants of all cells.
No person not belonging to
the Straford Police Department is allowed in this
room without permission from the chief of police.
x.
Infirmary
The infirmary is located opposite the interrogation
room and is to be used only by department-employed medics (including doctors
hired for emergency situations) for the benefit of inmates, department
employees, or emergency situations.
Like the interrogation room, visitation lounge, and
cells, this door must be blocked before it is opened or unlocked and while it
remains in this state. All equipment inside must be properly secured and no
inmate or person who is not employed by the department may be left without
police supervision in this room.
Any doctor who tends to a department employee as a
result of an on-the-job injury, regardless of where the consultation takes
place, should bill the department and not the individual. Inmates should have
their bills recorded and presented at their court dates for payment, unless the
injuries are found to have been caused by the Straford
Police Department. Injuries sustained during the restraining of an inmate after
inappropriate conduct will not be paid by the department and will be charged to
the inmate’s bill.
09. Specialty Jobs
i.
Medic
Medics will periodically be
employed by the Straford Police Department for the
benefit of free and immediate medical service to department employees,
regardless of how the injury was sustained. If a medic is not on-duty and the
injury was sustained on-the-job, the bill of another doctor will be paid by the
department if the injury is not found to be caused by inappropriate procedure
or conduct.
Medics are permitted use of the station infirmary. Upon treating an inmate, medics should estimate the value of the equipment, medicine, and skilled labor employed during their treatment