Boca Raton Police Services Department Communications Section PDF

BOCA RATON POLICE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Departmental Standards Directive 81.100 COMMUNICATIONS SECTION Revised: November 27, 2018 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this directive is to provide information to employees of the Boca Raton Police Services Department concerning the operation of the Communicati...

BOCA RATON POLICE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Departmental Standards Directive 81.100 COMMUNICATIONS SECTION Revised: November 27, 2018 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this directive is to provide information to employees of the Boca Raton Police Services Department concerning the operation of the Communications Section and the responsibilities of employees assigned to the Communications Center. II. POLICY: It is the policy of the Department to provide the most effective communications system possible to enable rapid and efficient Police and Fire Rescue response. The major functions of the Boca Raton Police/Fire Communications Section (hereafter referred to as the Communications Section) include call taking, call dispatching, radio communications, radio repairs, Teletype, and automated data communications. III. DEFINITIONS: Recording: Any recordable media capable of replaying an audible sound file or recording. IV. PROCEDURE: A. COMMUNICATIONS EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. COMMAND STRUCTURE: a. The Communications Section falls under the command of the Police Services Department. b. See Appendix A Communications Section Organizational Chart for a detailed view of the Section’s chain of command. 2. EMPLOYEE TELEPHONE NUMBERS: a. All public safety call takers, public safety dispatchers, and public safety dispatch supervisors (PSCT/PSD/PSDS) have access to an up-to-date electronic listing of all Department employees' work and personal telephone numbers in the Computer Aided Dispatch Phone Directory. b. Employees' personal telephone numbers are for official use only and shall not be released, except in an official capacity. Effective: January 1, 1989 Revised: November 27, 2018 Communications Section Directive No. 81.100 Page 1 of 6 c. If a call is received into the Center requesting an employee’s phone number due to an emergency situation, the PSCT/PSD/PSDS will take a message with the caller's name and number, attempt to contact the employee, and ask the employee to call the requesting party. d. PSDSs will use prudent discretion in releasing personal telephone numbers to other Police and Fire Rescue Services employees. 3. POLICE SERVICE CALLS: a. All calls for police service will be received and recorded using the computer aided dispatch terminal, if available, or using available manual systems. 17.07 b. All calls for police service will be given an incident number and/or event number. c. A request for police service will be documented with a minimum of the following information: 17.07 i. Date and time of request ii. Name and address of complainant, if possible iii. Type of incident reported iv. Location of incident reported v. Name of employees assigned as primary and backup vi. Time of dispatch, employee(s) arrival, time of completion vii. Disposition of reported incident d. If the computer aided dispatch system is not operational, a complaint card will be completed with the above information documented. 4. DISPATCHING A CALL: a. When dispatching a call, the PSD will broadcast the following: i. Employee(s) assigned with the primary log unit first, and wait for acknowledgment Effective: January 1, 1989 Revised: November 27, 2018 ii. Address/location of call iii. Nature of call/action to be taken iv. Dispatch time. Communications Section Directive No. 81.100 Page 2 of 6 b. 5. The information will be repeated and updated if necessary. RESPONSE TO A CALL: a. Each employee assigned to a call will acknowledge and advise his/her current location. This assists the PSDs in evaluating which employees are the closest, to maximize response efficiency. b. Any employees that respond to a call without being dispatched are required to advise the PSD. 25.09 6. MAINTAINING EMPLOYEE STATUS: a. It is the responsibility of the PSD assigned to the police radio control consoles to maintain accurate employee status, using the CAD terminal. b. All information entered for an employee’s status (location, etc.) must be clearly understandable for Communications Section records and for any other PSD who may have to take over the CAD terminal and radio control console. 7. FAILURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE CALLS: 25.09 a. All in-service employees are required to monitor their radios and acknowledge calls or messages given to them. i. If an employee fails to acknowledge a radio call, the PSD is required to recall that employee at short intervals. ii. If the employee has not acknowledged after the second recall, the PSD will multi-select over the Main, Info, and Car-to-Car channels, initiate an alert tone, and recall the employee for the third time. iii. If unable to satisfactorily raise the employee, the employee’s supervisor will then coordinate the radio call. 8. DOCUMENTATION OF TOWED VEHICLES: a. Communications Section employees will track all tow requests in the Computer Aided Dispatch system and which wrecker company responded for the tow. B. COMMUNICATIONS CENTER: 1. GENERAL: a. The Communications Center houses all the communications equipment. b. The Communications Center receives emergency calls on the 911 system and non-emergency administrative calls on standard phone lines 24 hours a day. Effective: January 1, 1989 Revised: November 27, 2018 Communications Section Directive No. 81.100 Page 3 of 6 c. All calls for emergency service are dispatched directly from the Communications Center. d. The Department has 24-hour two-way radio capability and wireless data communication via the Mobile Communications Terminal (MCT) providing continuous communication between the Communications Section and employees on duty. 2. ACCESS TO THE COMMUNICATIONS SECTION: 25.01 a. Employees authorized entry to the Communications Center include the following: i. Public safety call takers, dispatchers, and supervisors. ii. Technical representatives who are servicing equipment and are under escort from an employee of the Communications Section. iii. b. Police and Fire staff members and employees. The Communications Center will be physically locked at all times. i. Employees will be issued keys and/or access cards. ii. Visitors to the Center shall be escorted and observed while they are within the Center. iii. Visitors will be approved in advance if they want to observe the Communications Center for more than one hour. iv. All visitors, including employees not in the Communications Section chain of command, will sign in and out on the visitors’ log. 3. COMMUNICATIONS TOWERS AND BACKUP POWER SUPPLIES: a. The Communications Center has an uninterrupted power supply for the consoles and the CAD system and a generator that starts when there is an interruption in the commercial power. b. The Municipal Services communications tower has a generator for backup electrical power. c. The western tower has battery backup. d. All communications towers and backup power supplies shall be located within secured, fenced-in areas. 25.01 e. Documented inspections and maintenance of all backup power systems shall be maintained by the City’s Municipal Services Department. Effective: January 1, 1989 Revised: November 27, 2018 Communications Section Directive No. 81.100 Page 4 of 6 C. RECORDINGS: 1. RECORDING, PLAYBACK, AND RETENTION: 25.03 a. All emergency calls on the 911 system, non-emergency administrative calls and radio transmissions shall be recorded. i. Employees are advised that private conversations, and normal telephone conversations, may be recorded when in the vicinity of any recording equipment. Because of this, employees are advised to not make or receive any personal telephone calls, have any conversations or make any oral statements of a confidential nature that they would object to having monitored or recorded. ii. All recorded conversations, business or private, are subject to being monitored and/or played back. b. Recordings shall be available to PSCT/PSD/PSDS for immediate playback. c. Recordings shall be retained for a minimum of ninety (90) days on a secured server. 2. HANDLING REQUESTS FOR RECORDINGS FROM PUBLIC: a. All requests from the public shall be handled in accordance with the procedures outlined in Departmental Standards Directive 82.100 Records Section. b. If a request is received through the Records Section, records clerks shall complete a 911/Radio Request Form for each request of a copy of a logging recording and forward the request to Property and Evidence Unit employees for processing. i. If the request is for a recording of a 911 call, the name, address, telephone number and any identifying information of the person making the call, will be deleted from the recording per Florida State Statute 365.171. ii. Two copies will be made, including one for the requesting party and another copy to be placed in evidence. iii. The copy for evidence will be unedited and submitted with the paperwork prepared by the requesting person. 3. HANDLING REQUESTS FOR RECORDINGS FROM DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES: a. Employees requesting a copy of a logged recording will complete the 911/Radio Request Form or email the Property and Evidence Unit. After-hours Effective: January 1, 1989 Revised: November 27, 2018 Communications Section Directive No. 81.100 Page 5 of 6 requests may be processed through the Communications Section through a Road Patrol supervisor. b. After copying the recording, Property and Evidence/Communications employees will forward a copy of the 911/Radio Request Form to the employee requesting the recording. c. The original 911/Radio Request Form or email will be scanned into the electronic case file in the electronic records management system. d. The records of all employees’ actions are maintained following Florida's record retention laws. 4. HANDLING REQUESTS FOR RECORDINGS FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ATTORNEY: a. The Office of the State Attorney will request copies of the logged recordings for criminal prosecution via letter or email. b. One unedited copy will be submitted to the Office of the State Attorney by electronic submission to the Office of the State Attorney Case Management System. c. A second unedited copy will be made of the recording and submitted to the Property and Evidence Unit for storage. D. TELETYPE ENTRIES AND MESSAGES: 18.13 1. It is the responsibility of the investigating employee to ensure that Teletype entries and messages are sent concerning his/her cases, with special attention to mandatory Teletypes such as missing juveniles and auto thefts. 2. Computer Request Forms shall be submitted to the Teletype operator in accordance with the following procedure: a. BOLOs that must be issued as soon as possible may be given directly to Communications Section employees, with a follow-up form submitted when available. b. LEOs shall obtain their supervisor’s approval and then complete the Teletype Request Form. c. Approved forms shall be forwarded immediately to Teletype by FAX, email, or in person. Approved: Daniel C. Alexander Chief of Police Effective: January 1, 1989 Revised: November 27, 2018 Date: Communications Section Directive No. 81.100 Page 6 of 6