Written Directives
Policy text
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Source file: 4.08 Written Directives.pdf. Policy dates appear on the original cover. Page links use the PDF's page order.
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Policy & Procedures No. 4.08
Subject:
Written Directives
Issuing Authority: Effective Date: Review Date:
Chief of Police 09/01/2013 11/10/23
Review Date:
Review
Revision 11/20/16
Reissued 11/12/18
Dates: 03/26/20
01/10/22
CALEA STANDARDS: 11.1.0 11.4.2 12.1.3 12.2.1 12.2.2
ACTION ITEMS: 08 DIR-01
Purpose The Chief of Police has established written directives that include policies and
procedures and rules/regulations for the government, discipline, and supervision
of the Police Department. The above may also include specific personnel or
special orders, as well as, various memorandum and electronic mail. These may
be altered, amended, added to or revoked by the Chief of Police.
These policies will be updated as required by POST and will be used to help
obtain and maintain the department’s certification through POST. DIR-01;
Action Item 8
Mission
It is the primary mission of the Canton Police Department to deliver professional
police services to the residents and business owners of Canton, as well as those
that visit our community regardless of race, religion, ethnic origin or sexual
orientation. The mission statement can be located on every desk-top in the Police
Department. 11.1.0; 12.2.1
Organizational
Values
The values of the Canton Police Department are: 11.1.0; 12.2.1
• Maintenance of the highest standards of integrity and ethics;
• Excellence and teamwork in the performance of duty;
• The protection of Constitutional Rights;
• Continuous improvement and problem solving;
• Performing public service and law enforcement tasks so as to provide;
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• Leadership to the police profession
Discussion
Guidelines are a necessity in any organization. To this end, the Chief of Police is
designated in accordance with the Town of Canton Charter and the Town
Manager as having the authority and responsibility for the management, direction,
and control of the operation and administration of the Police Department.
12.2.1 (1)
This is particularly true in a police department where the reputation of the
organization is fundamentally dependent upon the personal conduct of its
individual officers.
The functional policies and procedures and rules/regulations are especially
directed to the officers of the Canton Police Department. It is expected that all
sworn members will adhere to, and be guided by, all of the aforementioned
established directives, which are consistent with the positions they hold and their
duties and functions within the Department.
It is not expected that the contents of the manual will cover all situations or
emergencies that may arise. By the very nature of police work, police officers in
the field must perform their duties independently and with a minimum of direct
supervision. Their own intelligence, practical experience, prudent discretion, and
common sense will often be their only available guidelines in carrying out their
responsibilities.
All previous directives, policies, procedures, rules/regulations, and orders
inconsistent herewith, are hereby revoked. If any part of these are rendered
inoperable or declared illegal by any court or governmental agency of competent
jurisdiction, the balance of the entire manual will remain in full force and effect.
Policy The Chief of Police is designated to provide administrative direction and control
to all members of the Department. He/she will have the final authority to issue,
modify, or approve agency written directives. 12.2.1 (3A)
As addressed in MPI’s Rules and Regulations, Section 8.0 Orders, a written
directive requires all department employees are to obey any lawful order of a
superior, including any order relayed from a superior by an employee of the same
or lesser rank. An employee who receives a conflicting or unlawful order is to
follow the order of the highest-ranking officer. If the conflict needs to be further
addressed, the employee can submit a letter to the Deputy Chief requesting
clarification. 12.1.3 (1,2)
One of the Department’s responsibilities is to ensure these written directives are
carefully organized in an easily accessible manner that will provide guidance to
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its members. This is achieved through a system of internal directives. This system
is comprised of five (5) primary types of notices: The Department Manual,
General Orders, Special Orders, Personnel Orders, and Memoranda. 12.2.1 (4)
Definitions The following terms and definitions are to be used as part of the Department’s
internal directive system. For consistency purposes, the numbering system for
those designated below will be followed: 12.2.1 (6,8)
Department Manual: A loose leaf book that contains the official policies and
procedures and rules/regulations of the Canton Police Department. The manual is
updated regularly throughout the year, with hard copies of all new and revised
general orders issued during that period. 12.2.1
Policy: A written directive that is a broad statement of agency principles. Policy
statements do not establish fixed rules or set procedures for conduct of a
particular activity, but rather provide a framework for development of procedures,
rules and regulations.
Procedure: A written directive that is a guideline for carrying out agency
policies. Procedures may allow some latitude and discretion in carrying out an
activity.
Rules & Regulations: A specific guideline to which all members must adhere. It
is a stand-alone document but placed in the same manual as the directives.
12.2.1 (5)
General Order: A notice of a new or amended policy, rule or procedure that will
eventually become a part of the Department Manual, signed by the Chief of
Police. It remains in effect until further notice or until an insert in the manual is
issued for that subject. General Orders will be numbered sequentially, preceded
by a two-digit number indicating year of issue (i.e., G.O.12-1)
Memoranda: Information of use to members. The subject matter of these
bulletins reflects the originating unit, such as Inter-Departmental, Intra-
Departmental, Training Bulletin, Detective Bulletin, Commendation Bulletin, and
Safety Bulletin. Bulletins will be numbered sequentially, preceded by a two-digit
number-indicating year of issue (i.e.; M12-1).
Special Orders: Short-term directive signed by the Chief of Police, or designee,
outlining instructions covering particular situations. Special Orders are cancelled
when their objective is achieved, or the event is self-canceling in nature. Special
Orders will be numbered sequentially, preceded by a two-digit number indicating
year of issue, (i.e. S.O.12-13).
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Personnel Orders: Directive pertaining to shifts in assignments or duties, signed
by the Chief of Police or his/her designee. Personnel Orders will be numbered
sequentially preceded by a two-digit number indicating year of issue, (i.e. P.O.12-
13).
Procedures The following procedural guidelines will be adhered to by all members of the
Canton Police Department.
Distribution 12.2.1; 12.2.2
All current members of the department will be required to review and
acknowledge familiarization with all directives listed in the Department Manual,
either through the use of a hard copy or the IMC system. New members/hires of
the department will be required to review and acknowledge familiarization with
all departmental directives before completion of their suggested three (3) month
field training assessment.
New policies, rules, procedures, and directives will be authorized by the Chief of
Police, issued, distributed and uploaded into the IMC system with the approval of
the Accreditation Manager’s office. 12.2.1 (9)
Any new or revised General Order, Directive or Policy will be uploaded into the
Electronic-folder, ‘Bulletin Board’, located on each desk top. It is to be read at
roll calls for (3) three consecutive days.
Members will initial the applicable distribution sheet as acknowledgement of
receipt of these manual changes or orders. The distribution sheet shall be filed in
the Office of the Accreditation Manager. 12.2.1 (10)
Any General Orders or Directives issued by the Chief of Police are to be
considered in full force and effect.
General Orders will normally be incorporated into the Department Manual by
hardcopy and uploaded into the IMC system within 180 days after issuance.
General Orders will be cross-referenced to the section of the manual, which is
affected by the notice.
Orders and Directives shall be posted on the electronic roll call clip-board and
Policies or orders that have been amended shall follow the same procedure as if
they were a new policy or order (see page 7 of this policy).
Department Manuals will be disseminated and placed in several specified
accessible locations for reference by all personnel affected.
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Distribution
Overview The table below depicts the hierarchy for all Policy and Procedure, Rules and
Regulations, Personnel Orders, Special Orders, Memorandums and corresponding
authorization for release: 12.2.1 (3B); 12.2.2
Directive Issued By Reason/Purpose Distribution
Policies and Chief, Deputy Promulgate • All Police Personnel
Procedures And Chief, • Policies, Procedures • Accreditation Manager
Rules and Lieutenant • Rules and Regulations • Roll Call Review Book
Regulations • Department Manual
• PM AM System
Personnel Order Chief, Deputy • Assignments • Department
Chief, • Transfers Administrative
Lieutenant • Appointments Assistant
• Discharges • Personnel involved
• Roll Call Review Book
• Accreditation Manager
• PM AM System
Special Order Chief, Deputy • Commendations • Personnel involved
Chief, • Uniform/Equipment • Roll Call Review Book
Lieutenant • Department Manual
• Accreditation Manager
• PM AM System
Memorandum Chief, • Inter-Departmental • Personnel Involved
AND / OR Deputy Chief, Communications • Department Involved
Electronic Mail Lieutenant, • Intra-Departmental
Sergeant Communications
The above directives will be scanned into their named folders, Policy and Procedure Folder,
Orders or Rules and Regulations), located on the Network’s I-Drive using the formatted entry
requirements. These will be backed-up with at least one hard copy printed. 12.2.2
Indexing,
Numbering
and Storage 12.2.1 (12)
General Orders, Special Orders, and Personnel Orders will be numbered in the
following manner:
•The title indicating type of order written clearly before the order number;
1. Personnel Order (PO)
2.General Order (GO)
3.Special Order followed by; (SO)
4.Memorandum (MO)
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• A two-digit number indicating the year of issue (i.e.; 05-123).
• The last digits indicate the order number.
The Accreditation Manager shall assign the code on the orders, which will
indicate the section of the Manual in which the order shall be placed.
•The first digits will indicate the Manual Section Number.
•The last series indicates the policy number within a given assigned chapter.
All written directives shall be forwarded to the Office of the Chief of Police for
approval once numbering has been completed by the Accreditation Manager.
The Accreditation Manager will maintain an index for all written directives
known as policies and procedures. 12.2.1
The Department Manual will contain all Policies and Procedures,
Rules/Regulations, and Temporary Orders issued by the Department along with a
complete index. In addition, the Department Manual and all policies will be
available through the IMC system online. All online information shall be backed
up to the Town’s I Drive. All employees have access to the I-Drive. 12.2.1 (5);
12.2.2
The Accreditation Manager will be responsible to maintain hard copies of the
Department Manual in the following areas:
• Chief’s Office;
• Accreditation Managers Office;
• Dispatch area;
Accountability
Members are responsible for checking all bulletin boards to familiarize
themselves with all directives. They are responsible for complying with each
directive which has been issued whether or not it is read at roll call. This includes
directives which may have been issued during their absence.
When necessary, members are required to attend training sessions concerning the
various General Orders prior to their implementation. Failure to attend required
training sessions will require a written report to the Office of the Chief of Police
explaining the absence.
It shall be the Shift Supervisor’s responsibility to deliver, as directed, all
information contained in the above directives and to adhere to all instructions
contained therein.
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Staff Review
Procedure 12.2.1 (26)
At supervisory staff meetings, proposed or revised policies, rules - regulations and
procedures shall be reviewed for member input. 12.2.1 (24)
Suggested changes to written directives, or the need to add new ones, are
encouraged at any time, by any officer. Such suggestions shall be in
writing/signed (not email) and should be forwarded to the Chief of Police.
Any such requests will then be forwarded to the Accreditation Office for review
and preliminary formulation, unless otherwise directed by the Chief of Police.
Once received, receipt of this request and subsequent review of same will be
documented by the Accreditation Office. A file folder will be kept documenting
the above, including dates and drafts. 11.4.2; 12.2.1 (24,25)
Drafts of such policies will be first reviewed by the Chief of Police and then
disseminated to the Union member review committee and to the Superior
Officers, as directed by the Chief of Police. 12.2.1 (24)
Review team members are encouraged to seek input on policy and procedure
development from peers and subordinates, especially those units affected by the
changes.
Review team members, peers, and subordinates will review proposed or revised
policies, rules, and regulations and forward any comments to the Accreditation
Manager. The Accreditation Manager will ensure they do not contradict with
other existing agency directives or applicable law prior to their promulgation.
12.2.1 (25)
Completed, reviewed, and approved orders will then be issued at the direction of
the Chief of Police through the Accreditation Office.
All written directives shall be reviewed at least biennially by the Accreditation
Manager and amended to coincide with the terms of current collective bargaining
agreements, changes in the law, Accreditation Standards, or any other legal
requirements. All written directives will be reviewed at the same frequency, but
will be staggered to lighten the workload. High liability policies such as Use of
Force will be reviewed more frequently. 12.2.1 (15,16)
All Policies and Procedures shall have a documented review date incorporated
into it that is no longer than two (2) years from effective date. 12.2.1 (17)
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The Accreditation Manager is responsible for ensuring these documented reviews
are completed and implementations of updates are made. The review date will be
noted on each written directive (documentation). 11.4.2; 12.2.1 (17,22)
When a written directive is updated or rescinded the Accreditation Manager shall
purge the old version from the record and archive it, as required. All copies of
any rescinded policy or written directive (both hard copy and electronic) will be
pulled from circulation and destroyed. A notation will be made on the file folder
containing the rescinded policy with the signature of who authorized it. One copy
of the rescinded policy will be scanned and stored on the I-Drive in a folder
labeled “Rescinded Policies” 11.4.2; 12.2.1 (14)
The Accreditation Manager (AM) will be responsible for all agency forms. All
forms will be stored on the I-drive and on each desk top in the folder ‘Completed
Master Forms’ in alphabetical order. The Administrative Sergeant, with the
approval of the AM will manage the creation and dissemination of all agency
forms. 11.4.2
The design of new agency forms should be approved by the Chief of Police after
consultation with the AM. New or updated agency forms should include the
accreditation standard, if applicable, and the revision date in the lower left-hand
corner of the form.
The AM will conduct an Annual Review of all agency forms to include existing
forms to confirm that the date and standard number are reflected. The annual
review will also reaffirm that the form is still needed for agency practice and
whether or not any forms need to be revised or purged. Should a form no longer
be needed, it will be removed from the ‘Completed Master Form’ folder. The
AM will keep a copy of all purged forms. 11.4.2
ORDERS An order is defined as a command or instruction, oral or written, given by one
member of the department to another member of lesser rank. 12.1.3
As addressed in MPI’s Rules and Regulations, Section 8.0 Orders, a written
directive requires all sworn employees to obey any lawful order of a superior,
including any order relayed from a superior by an employee of the same or lesser
rank.
All employees are expected to be familiar with and comply with all lawful orders,
rules and regulations, and policies and procedures issued by the Department.
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CONFLICTING
ORDERS In the event any order is given by a Superior Officer that is in conflict with any
previous departmental order, rule, regulation, policy or procedure, the employee
to whom such order is given will respectfully notify the Superior (Officer) of the
conflict. If the employee responsible for issuing said order does not change the
order to avoid such conflict, the order will be obeyed, but the employee obeying
such order shall not be held responsible for disobedience of the previous order,
rule, regulation, policy or procedure. Responsibility for the conflict shall be upon
the Superior (Officer) that issued such conflicting order. The conflict should be
reported (in writing) to the Chief, through the Chain of Command, for
clarification. The involved employee will submit a letter describing the conflict
to a Superior (Officer) not involved in the original conflict. 12.1.3 (3)
UNLAWFUL
ORDERS Obedience to an unlawful order is never a defense for an unlawful action;
therefore, no officer is required to obey any order which is contrary to any Federal
or State law. Responsibility for refusal to obey an unlawful order rests with the
officer to whom such order was given. The officer shall be strictly required to
justify such action. Officers issued what they believe to be an illegal order shall
respectfully request the issuing officer to clarify the order or to confer with a
higher-ranking officer. 12.1.3
ISSUING
UNLAWFUL
ORDERS No Superior Officer shall knowingly issue any order which is a violation of any
law.
UNJUST OR
IMPROPER
ORDERS When lawful orders which appear to be unjust or improper are given, the officer
to whom the order is given shall respectfully notify the Superior Officer issuing
such order of its impropriety. If the order is not corrected, then it is to be carried
out. After carrying out the order, the officer to whom the order was given may
file a written report to the Chief of Police through the Chain of Command,
indicating the circumstances and the reasons for questioning the order, along with
a request for clarification of departmental policy. After complying with this
Section, an officer who carries out an order found to be unjust or improper by the
Chief of Police or court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction, will not be held
responsible for carrying out such order. 12.1.3
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