A police department’s policies and procedures provide important guidance to its officers on every aspect of their jobs.
The policies and procedures must be
continuously reviewed and updated. Together with training, quality staff, and
departmental culture, the policies and procedures of a department set a tone and provide a structure for personnel to follow.
The policies and procedures offer an opportunity to reinforce the department’s key values, including the principles of Procedural Justice, Sanctity of Life and the Guardian mindset.
Body Worn Camera System (14-02)
Committee Recomendations
Clarify Section IV, Training to say that all first responding officers will be trained in, issued, and authorized to use body cameras.
(revised 08/2021)
Clarify the language in section IV, Use, #6 to say that an officer “shall verbally announce when the camera is activated and in event mode.
(revised 08/2021)
Clarify the policy to state that the default shall be to activate the camera.
(under legal review)
Under section “Use,” #7 DELETE the following two sentences, “There will be various situations where it will be deemed appropriate for camera activation. Many circumstances of activation will be solely at the discretion of the reporting officer.”
(revised 08/2021)
Change the language in #7 to, “It is not the intent of this policy to describe EVERY possible circumstance of camera activation. There will be many various situations where it will be deemed inappropriate for camera activation as outlined in number 4 and 5.
(revised 08/2021)
Add language to the policy stating that an interested party may obtain a copy of body worn camera video under and subject to the provisions of the FOIL Process.
(pre-existed)
Add language to policy stating that Officers who report misconduct should be shielded from harassment and retaliation
(revised 08/2021)
Strip Search and Body Cavity Searches (99-01)
Committee Recomendations
Clarify the language in section IV A (1), second bullet point, to remove the words “appearance and demeanor” and replace with, “The arrestee’s behavior or actions that may indicate concealment of contraband or weapons
(revised 08/2021)
Response to Resistance (89-01)
Committee Recomendations
Amend second paragraph of the introduction to the policy to add that violations of the Response to Resistance policy shall result in disciplinary action up to and including termination, referral for State and federal civil rights violations, and/or criminal prosecution. (revised 08/2021)
List Title 18 ( Civil Rights Act of 1968) Under “References” in the policy footnotes.
(revised 08/2021)
Remove the definition of “Objectively Reasonable” from the policy. The standard should be, “Officers must avoid the use of excessive force and use force only when it is appropriate and reasonable” (proposed new language underlined)
(under legal review)
Remove the reference to “objectively reasonable” in the Duty to Intervene paragraph of the policy. Change the language to, “Any member present and observing another member using excessive force shall, when in a position to do so, safely intercede to prevent the use of such excessive force” (proposed new language underlined)
(under legal review)
In the Duty to intervene paragraph, change the last sentence, “Members shall promptly report these observations to a supervisor” to “Members shall comply with the reporting requirements in this policy” (proposed new language underlined).
(under legal review)
Update the “Investigation” Paragraph to say, “Investigations involving injury/death incidents by police officers will be in conjunction with the District Attorney’s office or Office of the New York State Attorney General, as outlined in section 70-b of the Executive Law”
(revised 08/2021)
Add language to the policy which further emphasizes that de-escalation tactics should be utilized whenever possible before the use of force.
(revised 08/2021)
Add language to the policy emphasizing that officers should make every effort to identify themselves and give appropriate warning before the use of physical force.
(revised 08/2021)
Add language to the policy that further emphasizes the utilization of force should be proportionate to the situation and actions taken by other subjects involved in an incident.
(under legal review)
Add language to policy stating that Officers who report misconduct should be shielded from harassment and retaliation
(revised 08/2021)
Unbiased Policing (17-02)
Committee Recomendations
Strengthen the language related to officer intervention in biased policing incidents.
(revised 08/2021)
Add Language to section IV B (3)-Procedures to read: “In situations where a complaint cannot be resolved effectively and appropriately by supervisory personnel, the complainant shall be provided with a personnel complaint form, and such form, once completed, shall be forwarded to the Office of Professional Standards and the Chief of Police. A complaint form must be filled out if a complaint is determined to be potentially serious in nature” (proposed new language underlined)
(revised 08/2021)
Add language to policy stating that Officers who report misconduct should be shielded from harassment and retaliation
(revised 08/2021)
Field Stops (PR-121)
Amend paragraph 12100 (General) to emphasize that the officer should explain the reason for the stop as soon as it is practical and safe.
(revised 05/2021)
Remove paragraph 2(b) from section 12102 (forcible Stop) because the standard for forcible stops is limited to when an officer has reasonable suspicion that a person has committed, is committing or is about to commit a crime.
(revised 05/2021)
Add a #6 to section 12102, current subparagraph(c), to read, “Observations based on police officer training and experience” (proposed new language Underlined).
(revised 05/2021)
Remove the sentence, “All violent felons (those using weapons or force) can be frisked.” From paragraph 2 of section 12103 (Law Regarding Frisk) A frisk is permitted only if a person is armed and dangerous. This section should read, “Not all stops lead to frisk!!
(revised 05/2021)
Section 12103, Paragraph 3 should clearly explain that searching a bag or container is not automatically permitted.
(revised 05/2021)
