Event Deconfliction Policy

Policy & Procedures                 No. 7.06
                                  Subject:
                Event Deconfliction Policy
                                  Issuing Authority:                                       Effective Date:   Review Date:
                     Chief of Police                       09/01/2022
                                                                                 References:

 Review
 Revision
 Reissued
 Dates:

6th EDITION STANDARDS: 46.2.8   Our agency has been operating under NORPAC
agreement for years which requires event deconflictions in their policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure appropriate use of an event deconfliction pointer system.
Event deconfliction, along with the sharing of event and investigative information with other law
enforcement agencies, and proper case activation procedures enhance officer safety and the
efficiency of criminal investigations. As such, the following policy will be adhered to when
executing a planned operation or conducting a high-risk criminal investigation.

Definition of Event Deconfliction

Event deconfliction is the process of determining when law enforcement personnel are
conducting events in close proximity to one another at the same time. By notifying a central
location of a planned event prior to its execution, officers will not unknowingly target or conflict
with another law enforcement officer or compromise another investigation. This is particularly
important for agencies in concurrent or contiguous jurisdictions that are involved in high risk
activities such as undercover operations, surveillances, execution of search warrants, or fugitive
apprehensions.
When certain elements (e.g. location, date and time) are matched between two or more
events/operations, a conflict (or hit) results. Immediate notification is then made by the
deconfliction system to the involved agency personnel. The event deconfliction process is a
pointer system, alerting officers that they may be operating near one another.
When a conflict exists, both agencies are notified in order for them to determine the nature of the
conflict and individually decide the extent to which they wish to share case details.
Policy
It is the policy of the Canton Police Department to engage in event deconfliction in an attempt to
avoid dangerous confrontations and/or unintentional consequences for law enforcement
personnel and our citizens by entering qualifying events into the New England High-Intensity

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Drug Trafficking Area (NEHIDTA) Support Center's Watch Center system (NEHIDTA.org).
Contact number : business hours (978) 451-3900, after hours (508) 962-8350. 46.2.8 (1)
All information entered is considered confidential and law enforcement sensitive.
The following activities/events shall be entered into the event deconfliction system: 46.2.8
(2A,D)
    1. The service of search warrants;
    2. The service of arrest warrants;
    3. The planned arrest of a person immediately after he or she has delivered or received, or
       attempted to deliver or receive, contraband to or from an officer or informant (buy-busts,
       reverse sting operations, controlled drug deliveries, stolen or burglarized property, etc.);
    4.  Taking delivery of any contraband from a suspect who is not arrested, but permitted to
       leave pending further investigation (“buy-walk”);
    5.  Informant or officer face-to-face meetings with suspects for the purpose of receiving,
        delivering, or negotiating the receipt or delivery of any contraband;
    6.  Approaching a person at his or her place of domicile and requesting permission to search
        for any contraband (“knock and talk”); especially in anticipation of activities involving a
       felony crime or drug related crime;
    7.  Predetermined surveillances, whether stationary or mobile, including those occurring in
       our agency’s jurisdiction or the jurisdiction of a non-participating law enforcement
       agency;
    8.  Covert activity by officers, or by informants acting under the direction of officers, that
       could initiate a response from citizens or local police who may reasonably believe that a
       crime is in progress;
    9.  Fugitive operations which are operational (roundups);
    10. Long term covert operations (storefronts);
    11. Any other high-risk or specialized law enforcement activities that would benefit from
       event deconfliction.
Personnel conducting field operations as described above shall ensure that these operations are
entered into the event deconfliction system either online or by telephoning NEHIDTA. All
operations requiring entry into the event deconfliction system shall be made as soon as
information is available, but at least two hours prior to the event taking place, if possible.
Information entered into the deconfliction system shall include: 46.2.8 (B,D)
    1.  Date and time of planned operation;
    2. Type of operation;
    3.  Location of the operation, including any staging areas;
    4.  Information about the suspect(s), including full names, aliases or monikers, date of birth,
       vehicle information, phone numbers, contraband to be purchased and amount of money
       involved;
    5.  Lead and participating agency names;
    6. Name and agency of the person entering the operation, including cellular telephone
      number, along with a secondary point of contact for the operation.
    7.  Specify the radius of deconfliction (if not preset by the deconfliction system).

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If a conflict with other law enforcement activity is identified both of the contact personnel will
be notified by the event deconfliction system or watch center personnel. Each affected law
enforcement entity is responsible for contacting one another and resolving the conflict before
taking further action. Investigating personnel must refrain from executing any operations until
identified conflicts have been resolved.
Unresolved operational conflicts will be immediately referred to command/supervisory level
personnel.

Any exemption or deviation from this procedure shall be considered on a case-by-case basis and
approved only by a command/supervisory level officer.

Training and Access   46.2.8 (C)

All personnel with assignments that may require them to perform event deconfliction shall
receive training enabling them to obtain appropriate security access and to navigate through the
event deconfliction system. Training is available through the New England High-Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area (NEHIDTA) Support Center's Watch Center system (NEHIDTA.org).

Target and Investigative Information Deconfliction

Event deconfliction applies to geographical conflicts that occur at the same time and in the same
proximity. Target and investigative activity deconfliction applies to subjects, gangs, locations,
telephone numbers, vehicles, and other investigative information about criminal activity.

Upon opening an investigation on any crime, information shall be queried and/or stored through
available national, regional, or local systems to determine whether another agency has an
ongoing investigation with common investigative information, to reduce parallel investigations
and to promote investigative collaboration.  If a conflict is discovered in either target or
investigative activity, contact shall be made with the other agency to resolve and coordinate
issues and information.

Compliance

Event deconfliction enhances officer safety, reduces risk and liability, safeguards the community,
promotes case integrity, enhances criminal investigations, and encourages the effective use of
critical resources.

Information pertaining to any deconfliction event, etc. is sensitive in nature and requires internal
security (ex. Operational plans to be locked in the investigator's file cabinet) with limited
distribution of deconfliction information by officers to only law enforcement personnel.  46.2.8
(E)

Event deconfliction is a key component of officer safety during planned police operations and
high-risk investigations. Consequently, failure to comply with this policy may result in
disciplinary action.

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