Boca Raton Police Services Department Employee Early Warning System PDF

BOCA RATON POLICE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Departmental Standards Directive 35.115 EMPLOYEE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM Revised: December 11, 2019 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this directive is to establish guidelines for the Employee Early Warning System (EEWS) that will assist the Boca Raton Police Services...

BOCA RATON POLICE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Departmental Standards Directive 35.115 EMPLOYEE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM Revised: December 11, 2019 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this directive is to establish guidelines for the Employee Early Warning System (EEWS) that will assist the Boca Raton Police Services Department in providing a timely and systematic review of specific, significant, targeted incidents involving Department employees. II. POLICY: It is the policy of the Department to use the Employee Early Warning System to identify potential concerns regarding conduct and possible training issues among its employees. 10.04 The EEWS is designed to evaluate, identify, and assist employees who exhibit signs of work performance deficiencies and/or stress related issues. 10.04 III. PROCEDURE: A. ADMINISTRATION: 1. The Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) commander will administer the EEWS. 2. The program will provide a systematic review of events and send out an alert when an employee has exceeded the thresholds listed below. 3. The systematic review highlights trends that might otherwise be overlooked by supervisors and enables supervisors to take the appropriate action. 10.04 4. The notification will include the employees’ name, and a brief description of the targeted incidents in which the employee has been involved, and the disposition of all incidents cited. B. ALERT THRESHOLDS: 1. The threshold for incidents will consist of but not be limited to the following instances: a. If an employee receives two (2) complaints in six months b. If an employee is involved in two (2) preventable vehicle crashes in twelve months Effective: April 15, 2002 Revised: December 11, 2019 Employee Early Warning System Directive No. 35.115 Page 1 of 4 c. If an employee is involved in two (2) vehicle pursuits in twelve months d. If an employee is involved in six (6) use of force incidents in six months e. If an employee is involved in any combination of eight (8) of the above listed incidents in twelve (12) months C. OPERATION: 1. ALERTS AND NOTIFICATION: a. When the EEWS produces an alert, the PSB commander will be responsible for, gathering all documentation associated to the EEWS notification and he/she will submit these documents with a memo through the chain of command to the affected employee’s division commander. b. The division commander will forward the information to the affected employee’s bureau/district commander. 2. REVIEW AND ANALYSIS: a. The bureau/district commander or his/her designee shall review and analyze the information looking for individual or Department patterns or trends that could indicate training needs and/or policy modifications. b. The bureau/district commander or his/her designee shall use provided information as a resource to determine if there is a policy failure, stress related issue, or a performance deficiency exists. i. The information must be reviewed in conjunction with other criteria such as attendance, commendations, in-service injuries, traffic crashes, and observed behavior for a fair and meaningful assessment to be made. ii. The employee’s bureau/district commander or his/her designee will collect additional pertinent information as is appropriate for an assessment. iii. Sources of additional information shall include but not be limited to the following: Effective: April 15, 2002 Revised: December 11, 2019 a) Employee’s immediate supervisor b) Personnel files c) Unit files (arrest stats, FICs, etc.) d) Attendance and crash records Employee Early Warning System Directive No. 35.115 Page 2 of 4 c. The PSB will not participate in the assessment process, beyond providing documentation and background of incidents included in the specified criteria, and records of corrective interventions. d. The PSB will restrict input to job performance and will not diagnose the underlying cause of the issue. 3. RECOMMENDATIONS: a. After a review of all information, the bureau/district commander or his/her designee shall assess the information and recommend the action to be taken if any. b. Recommendation options that may be considered include, but are not limited to the following: i. Participation in the Employee Assistance Program ii. Psychological evaluation iii. Change of assignment iv. Supervised observation periods in the field v. Additional training vi. Policy modification vii. No action needed viii. Other available options at the discretion of the chief of police or his/her designee c. If any changes to policy are needed, the information will be forwarded to the chief of police for review. 4. RESPONSE: a. Within 21 calendar days of receipt of an EEWS alert, the involved bureau/district commander or his/her designee shall document their findings in a memorandum and forward through his/her chain of command to the chief of police. b. Once approved by the chief of police, the memorandum is sent to the Professional Standards Bureau. 5. FOLLOW-UP: a. Within 14 calendar days of the final approval of the bureau/district commander’s response and recommendations, the PSB commander shall follow Effective: April 15, 2002 Revised: December 11, 2019 Employee Early Warning System Directive No. 35.115 Page 3 of 4 up with the bureau/district commander to ensure that any corrective actions have been implemented or scheduled. D. ANNUAL EVALUATION: 1. The PSB commander or his/her designee shall conduct an annual evaluation of the Employee Early Warning System. Approved: Michele Miuccio Interim Chief of Police Effective: April 15, 2002 Revised: December 11, 2019 Date: Employee Early Warning System Directive No. 35.115 Page 4 of 4