Bexar County Sheriff's Office Policy Manual PDF

BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE POLICY MANUAL Revision Date Effective Date Chapter Number March 9, 2022 April 5, 2022 One Subject Office Manual of Policy and Procedure...

BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE POLICY MANUAL Revision Date Effective Date Chapter Number March 9, 2022 April 5, 2022 One Subject Office Manual of Policy and Procedure Sheriff’s Administration References Enclosures None None Distribution Supersedes Reevaluation Date Pages All Sheriff’s Employees April 15, 2014 December 1, 2023 3 Approved by: Javier Salazar, Bexar County Sheriff 1.01 POLICY Except where otherwise expressly stated, the provisions of this Manual shall be considered as strong guidelines. It is recognized that the work of law enforcement is not always predictable, and circumstances may arise which warrant departure from these guidelines. It is the intent of this Manual to be viewed from an objective standard, taking into consideration the sound discretion entrusted to employees sworn and non-sworn of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) under the circumstances reasonably available at the time of any incident. 1.02 PURPOSE The purpose of this Manual is to standardize operations of the BCSO, provide policy, delineate procedures to be followed while employees perform their assigned duties, and improve upon the professionalism and competency of all BCSO employees. 1.03 DEFINITIONS A. ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE – Instructions given in the form of a written document used to provide plans, policy and procedural changes prior to implementation. B. GENDER – Use of the masculine gender herein or such other words as “employee” shall include and refer to both men and women. C. IMMEDIATELY – Construed to mean “now,” without hesitation. D. MAY – Indicates actions that are permitted, but are not mandatory. E. MEMORANDUM – Written document that provides information about a situation, circumstance, or event and may be in the form of an intra-office memo, bulletin, or e-mail. F. OTHER WORDS AND PHRASES – Words or phrases not specifically defined in this Manual shall be interpreted to have the same meaning and intent as established in the common usage. G. POST – A physical location or position with a specific job description, to which an employee, supervisor, or deputy is assigned to perform duties. H. POST ORDER – Written instructions required for each post which contain specific duties and specific 1  responsibilities of the employee assigned to that post. I. SHALL, WILL and/or MUST - Indicate that the action is mandatory. J. SHOULD – Indicates that the action is advised, but not mandatory. K. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE/POST ORDERS - Written document which establishes procedures or routine instructions to be carried out in a specific operation, situation, or post assignment. Contains general and specific duties and a delineation of specific responsibilities required of each employee. L. TOUR OF DUTY – That period beginning when the employee reports for duty and ending when the employee has completed the workday or is relieved from duty by a supervisor or a person in authority. 1.04 ESTABLISHMENT The Manual of the Bexar County Sheriff's Office is hereby established, approved by the Sheriff of Bexar County, Texas, and shall be referred to as the Policy Manual or the Manual. The Manual is a statement of the current policies, rules, and guidelines of this Office. All members are to conform to the provisions of this Manual. All prior and existing manuals, orders, and regulations that are in conflict with this Manual are rescinded, except to the extent that portions of existing manuals, procedures, orders, and other regulations that have not been included herein shall remain in effect, provided that they do not conflict with the provisions of this Manual. 1.05 CONFLICT The contents of this Manual shall not conflict with any existing Federal laws, State laws, rules established by the BCSO Civil Service Commission, or existing Collective Bargaining Agreements in effect. In the event that a conflict exists, as interpreted by a court of law and upheld on appeal, that portion which is in conflict with law or statute will be changed. The contents shall otherwise remain in full force and effect as written. The contents of this Manual shall take precedence over all other instructions, written or otherwise, unless a formal Directive or Memorandum is issued. 1.06 GOAL The most effective approach to improving the operations of the BCSO is through well-trained, disciplined, and informed personnel. This Manual provides the basic principles under which the BCSO operates. The goals of the Sheriff’s Manual are: A. To clearly identify the policies and procedures of the BCSO; B. To create guidelines and aids for the efficient operation of the BCSO; and C. Provide a manual for guidance on a daily basis. 2 1.07 ISSUANCE A. This Manual is available to all employees upon employment with the BCSO. Employees are responsible for reading and knowing its contents, as well as staying up to date when changes are made. B. The Manual is official property of the BCSO and provided for use by employees while employed with the BCSO. It is not to be released, loaned, or in any other manner distributed to anyone who is not an employee of the BCSO without the express written permission of the Sheriff or the Chief Deputy. 1.08 COMPLIANCE Employees are expected to follow these policies and procedures in executing their duties as outlined in the Manual. Failure to adhere to these policies and procedures may result in disciplinary action. 1.09 CHANGES The Sheriff, as the need arises, may change this Manual. All employees will be informed of pertinent changes. Updates will be posted to the BCSO Intranet website, where employees may download an electronic copy as needed. To avoid excessive expenditures, hard copies should not be printed with the exception of a single copy in a Division or Branch main office. The Sheriff or his/her designee will ensure that this Manual is periodically reviewed and updated as necessary. 1.10 AUTHORITY TO PREPARE WRITTEN DIRECTIVES, MEMORANDA, AND POST ORDERS A. Only the Sheriff, Chief Deputy, or Chief of Staff (Assistant Chief Deputy) will issue Directives or Memoranda pertaining to the BCSO as a whole and those concerning the Manual. B. The appropriate Deputy Chief, Director, or Manager may issue Directives, Memoranda, or Post Orders that pertain to their division, unit, or section. Such Directives shall not conflict with this Manual. C. Directives are generally effective for at least 90 days, until updated in Policy, SOP, or Post Orders. 1.11 RECORD KEEPING Sheriff’s Administration shall be responsible for maintaining all BCSO Written Directives and Memoranda. A. Each Deputy Chief who issues a divisional directive, memorandum, or post order will identify an office responsible for documenting and maintaining record copies. B. When a policy, directive, memorandum, or post order is superseded, a record of the old document will be kept by the appropriate office in accordance with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and/or procedures in effect by the BCSO. 3