Oviedo Police Department General Order PDF

OVIEDO POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER EFFECTIVE DATE: 07-12-2021 SUBJECT: Written Directive System RESCINDS: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. PURPOSE GENERAL DEFINITIONS ISSUING AUTHORITY OBJECTIVES FORMAT COMPOSITION AND SEARCHING REVIEW OF WRITTEN DIRECTIVES APPROVAL PROCESS DISSEMINA...

OVIEDO POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER EFFECTIVE DATE: 07-12-2021 SUBJECT: Written Directive System RESCINDS: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. PURPOSE GENERAL DEFINITIONS ISSUING AUTHORITY OBJECTIVES FORMAT COMPOSITION AND SEARCHING REVIEW OF WRITTEN DIRECTIVES APPROVAL PROCESS DISSEMINATION AND MAINTENANCE ARCHIVAL AND STORAGE I. PURPOSE APPROVAL: NUMBER: Dale Coleman Chief of Police GO 1-1.0 REFERENCE: CFA Chapter 3 NUMBER OF PAGES: 7 The purpose of this order is to describe the Oviedo Police Department’s written directive system. This order will define the written directive system and its components, establish format, and provide procedures for the proper maintenance and dissemination of written directives. II. GENERAL Written directives must be as precise, thorough, and as consistent as possible. They must inspire member confidence by providing a clear understanding of constraints and expectations placed upon them by virtue of their employment. They must also provide guidance in the dayto-day performance of duty, rules and regulations, procedures for carrying out police department activities, and statements of department policy. Oviedo Police Department GO-1-1.0 Written Directive System III. Page 2 of 7 A. Members are to be thoroughly familiar with and obey the provisions of all orders, procedures, and memoranda that specifically or generally address their duties, rank, grade, or position. Supervisors are responsible for informing their subordinates of the applicability of written directives, and are required to monitor their compliance. B. The language of a written directive provides guidance for member compliance. Words such as “shall” or “will” require mandatory compliance; “may” means permissible; “should” indicates that it would be in the best interest of the member and the police department if it were followed. C. When a written directive is issued, it becomes effective according to the date noted in the heading. D. Any statement in a written directive found to be invalid, incorrect, or inapplicable shall not affect the validity of the written directive’s remaining contents. E. Any written directive which rescinds, supersedes, or amends another written directive, which was not self-canceling, shall contain a reference to the affected written directive(s). F. Any discovered conflicts within written directives shall be reported to the Accreditation Manager via the member’s chain of command. G. New or revised written directives shall be issued as needed in accordance with this general order. DEFINITIONS A. Member: Any person, sworn or non-sworn, employed or formally volunteering with the Oviedo Police Department. B. Written Directive: Any written communication that is of a directing nature and requires compliance by all affected members. A written directive is utilized to guide or affect the performance and conduct of members. GO 1-1.0 Written Directive System Oviedo Police Department GO-1-1.0 Written Directive System C. IV. Page 3 of 7 Written Directive System: An organized set of written directive components, each with its own function, which provides members with a clear understanding of the expectations and restraints relating to the performance of their duties. The written directive system serves as a foundation on which members can base their judgement and discretion in carrying out their duties. It is not intended to cover every situation which may arise in the performance of members’ duties. The primary components of the written directive system are as follows: 1. General Orders: Written directives which establish policy, procedures, rules, and regulations for all members, both sworn and non-sworn, of the Oviedo Police Department. 2. Memorandum: A written document that contains information, instructions, advisories, or announcements of a general or specific interest. 3. Instructional Materials/Bulletins: Written directives containing Training Bulletins or Legal Bulletins that are designed to instruct members on changes in law or operational procedures. D. Accreditation: General Orders and any written directives containing procedures must comply with accreditation standards as defined by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation. E. General Orders Review Committee: Select police department personnel charged with the review of the department’s current written directives. Written directives requiring General Orders Review Committee approval will not be issued prior to that approval process unless authorized by the Chief of Police. ISSUING AUTHORITY A. General Orders will be promulgated by the Chief of Police. B. Revisions to existing general orders shall be issued by the Chief of Police or the Accreditation Manager. C. Instructional materials and bulletins may be issued by any supervisor with the approval of the division Deputy Chief. GO 1-1.0 Written Directive System Oviedo Police Department GO-1-1.0 Written Directive System V. Page 4 of 7 OBJECTIVES The primary objectives of written directives are to accomplish the following: VI. A. Standardize procedures for recurrent, predictable situations; B. Clarify accepted methods of operation; C. Provide all requirements, rules, regulations, and general guidelines for tasks which personnel are responsible for accomplishing; and D. Provide a consistent standard of work. FORMAT A. General Orders Format: 1. General Orders are grouped together sequentially by category in chapters. The general order number will be assigned when the written directive is issued. Whenever a written directive is revised, the original number will remain the same. The revision number will increase by one each time a new revision is issued (example: 1-1.0 would become 1-1.1 when revised). 2. A header located on the first page will include: a. The name of the general order; b. Effective Date: the effective date of the general order and members must comply once received c. The chapter will be followed by a dash and the order number and the revision number (1-2.0, 1-3.1); d. Subject: declares the topic of the general order; e. Reference: indicates the accreditation standards, Florida state statutes, and/or additional general orders which may be applicable f. Rescinds: will signify what version the general order is replacing; g. Number of pages: lists the total number of pages within the general order. 3. The purpose of the general order explains why the written directive was created and what it is intended to address. The purpose will be brief and concise. GO 1-1.0 Written Directive System Oviedo Police Department GO-1-1.0 Written Directive System B. C. Page 5 of 7 4. A list of the major articles contained within the general order will follow the purpose of the general order. 5. The subject matter of the general order will be presented in paragraph form. 6. The page footer will contain the general order number, subject of the general order, and page number. 7. General orders will be revised as needed due to department policy or procedure changes, federal, state, county, and city law changes, or accreditation standard revisions. 8. Revisions to the General Orders Manual will be received via PowerDMS. The revisions will be italicized. The previous general order will be archived. Memoranda Format: 1. Memoranda provide information of a strictly informational nature. Routine memoranda include person-to-person, interoffice, intradepartmental, and inter-departmental correspondence. 2. Memoranda will include the following, at a minimum: a. To; b. From; c. If applicable, who the memoranda is routed to prior to getting to the directed person; d. Date; e. Subject or Reference; and f. Body of message. Instructional Materials/Bulletins: Instructional Materials and Bulletins will be written in paragraph form and labeled as appropriate (For Law Enforcement Only) when sensitive material is contained. Bulletins are labeled according to their content (Legal, Training, Intelligence, etc.). They shall include a date of issuance. D. This order in no way precludes supervisors from issuing routine written requests, general communications, commands, and/or orders directly to their members/personnel, provided such written directives are not in conflict with, in addition to, or an alteration of prevailing written directive(s). GO 1-1.0 Written Directive System Oviedo Police Department GO-1-1.0 Written Directive System VII. VIII. Page 6 of 7 COMPOSITION AND SEARCHING A. A Table of Contents lists the general orders in numerical order, gives the name of each general order, and the effective date. The Table of Contents will be updated each time a general order revision is distributed. B. The general orders contained in the General Orders Manual within PowerDMS will be organized sequentially in chapters by function. C. The General Orders Manual is available electronically on PowerDMS and in hardcopy in the Report Writing Room. General orders may be searched within PowerDMS via the “find anything” tool. REVIEW OF WRITTEN DIRECTIVES All general orders will be reviewed periodically by the Accreditation Manager and may be submitted to subject matter experts for additional review as necessary. Reviews shall be conducted in order to ensure compliance with federal and state law changes and changes in accreditation standards. IX. X. APPROVAL PROCESS A. Proposals for new or revised written directives shall be routed to the Accreditation Manager. The submitting party shall outline, in a draft directive form, the suggestion for a new or revised policy or procedure. The suggestion should be submitted through the member’s chain of command by electronic mail for review and comments. B. If accepted, the revisions shall be completed and forwarded to the Chief of Police for approval. DISSEMINATION AND MAINTENANCE A. Utilizing PowerDMS, once a directive is approved, the Accreditation Manager will ensure the new/revised directive is properly formatted and added to the department’s online General Orders Manual. B. A PowerDMS notification will be sent out automatically to all members. Members will acknowledge receipt of the written directive by electronically signing the general order within PowerDMS. Once the member has read and GO 1-1.0 Written Directive System Oviedo Police Department GO-1-1.0 Written Directive System Page 7 of 7 understands the written directive, they shall sign off and accept the written directive in PowerDMS within ten (10) work days of notification, not including approved time off (vacation, military leave, sick, FMLA, etc.) XI. C. Members will be responsible for reading and complying with the content contained within the written directive(s) after they are promulgated and added to the General Orders Manual within PowerDMS. If a written directive is not clearly understood, the member shall make an inquiry to his/her supervisor. D. Documentation of each member’s signoff, including the date and time completed, will be retained in PowerDMS. ARCHIVAL AND STORAGE Written directives, to include general orders and training bulletins are accessed, maintained, and archived on PowerDMS. /s/ DHC ___________________________________ DALE COLEMAN CHIEF OF POLICE 04-01-2021 __________________ DATE GO 1-1.0 Written Directive System