Broward Sheriff's Office Standard Operating Procedures - Watch Commander (PDF)

BROWARD SHERIFF'S OFFICE DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES 13.0 WATCH COMMANDER A. General: The Watch Commander exercises on-scene command staff oversight of field operations and criti...

BROWARD SHERIFF'S OFFICE DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES 13.0 WATCH COMMANDER A. General: The Watch Commander exercises on-scene command staff oversight of field operations and critical incidents, provides command level leadership after regularly scheduled office hours, provides feedback to the DLE command staff and provides advice, support, mentoring and liaison to deputies and line supervisors during the course of their duties. The Deputy Executive Director, Department of Law Enforcement (DLE), or designee may assign additional duties. B. Authority: 1. Watch Commanders act under the authority of and report to the Deputy Executive Director, DLE, or designee. 2. Watch Commanders shall be a member of the agency command staff, selected by the Deputy Executive Director, DLE, or designee. 3. Watch Commanders will have sole authority in deploying assets to significant incidents requiring road patrol resources from multiple districts or incidents where significant BSO road patrol resources are requested by outside agencies. 4. Line supervisors generally remain in command of operations or incidents unless a Watch Commander specifically takes command of the operation or incident. A Watch Commander may take command of an operation or incident under the following circumstances: a. The scope of the operation or incident exceeds the normal span of control or experience level of the on-scene line supervisor. b. Involvement of multiple districts, divisions and/or interagency involvement. C. Duties and Responsibilities: 1. Shall monitor radio traffic and respond to the scene of major incidents to provide leadership and management presence. 2. Meet with line supervisors to provide command level support and to Reviewed: 08/07/2023 Revised: 11/20/2023 Rescinds: 07/07/2017 Effective: 12/16/2023 13.1 Page 1 of 4  BROWARD SHERIFF'S OFFICE DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES ensure compliance with agency policies, procedures, and directives. 3. Will liaison with the Communications duty officer to monitor significant incidents on a county-wide basis. 4. Maintain and identify ways to improve operational efficiency, by overseeing, evaluating, and providing feedback to supervisors, staff operating in the field, and the Deputy Executive Director, DLE, or designee. 5. Liaison with other agencies conducting operations within the Sheriff’s jurisdiction. 6. Routinely attend roll-calls to provide feedback, address questions or concerns, and provide regular updates regarding agency issues. 7. Author an end of shift summary detailing significant incidents and publish the summary via email to the Watch Commander Distribution list in outlook. D. Notifications: 1. Communications duty officers and line supervisors shall notify Watch Commanders of all significant or critical incidents. Such incidents include but are not limited to the following: a. In-custody death of a suspect. b. Any incident where any actions of a BSO employee are reasonably believed to be a contributing factor in the death or serious injury of any person. c. Discharge of a firearm by a BSO employee. d. Significant use-of-force incidents. e. Death or serious injury/hospitalization of a BSO employee. f. Major or unusual traffic crashes involving BSO vehicles. Reviewed: 08/07/2023 Revised: 11/20/2023 Rescinds: 07/07/2017 Effective: 12/16/2023 13.1 Page 2 of 4  BROWARD SHERIFF'S OFFICE DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES g. Arrest or relief from duty of a BSO employee. h. Employee misconduct necessitating an immediate Internal Affairs response. i. Arrest or significant incident involving any public official, high- profile individual or law enforcement officer. j. Vehicular pursuits. k. Homicides or suspicious deaths. l. Incidents involving severe injury to a victim. m. Kidnappings, child abductions or suspicious disappearances. n. Airplane crashes or serious boating incidents. o. Major fires, explosions, or natural disasters. p. Bomb threats. q. Hostage/barricade situations. r. SWAT call-outs. s. Quick Response Force (QRF) Requests or deployments. t. Civil disturbance / riot. u. Major highway or roadway events (i.e., roadway takeover). v. ShotSpotter activation. w. Other agencies operating within a BSO jurisdiction. x. Incidents involving multiple districts or agencies. y. Requests for significant assistance from outside law enforcement agencies. z. Pre-planned operations, such as search warrants or reverse Reviewed: 08/07/2023 Revised: 11/20/2023 Rescinds: 07/07/2017 Effective: 12/16/2023 13.1 Page 3 of 4  BROWARD SHERIFF'S OFFICE DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES stings. aa. Any incident likely to attract significant media interest. bb. Any incident at the discretion of a line supervisor or Duty Officer. 2. The Watch Commander will initiate DLE command notifications when any of the following occur: a. In-custody death of a suspect. b. Any incident where the actions of BSO employees are reasonably believed to be a contributing factor in the death or serious injury of any person. c. Discharge of a firearm by a BSO employee. d. Death or serious injury/hospitalization of a BSO employee. e. Arrest or relief from duty of a BSO employee. f. Employee misconduct necessitating an Internal Affairs response. g. Significant incident or arrest involving any public official, high- profile individual or law enforcement officer. h. Civil disturbance / riot. i. Requests for significant assistance from outside law enforcement agencies. j. Any incident at the discretion of the Watch Commander. 3. DLE command notifications will be made to the Deputy Executive Director, DLE, or designee. If the Deputy Director or designee is not available, the Watch Commander shall continue to make notifications through the chain-of command on up to the sheriff, as necessary. Reviewed: 08/07/2023 Revised: 11/20/2023 Rescinds: 07/07/2017 Effective: 12/16/2023 13.1 Page 4 of 4