VOLUME 3 - CHAPTER 1 POLICY AND ETHICS ... - …

1 VOLUME 3 - CHAPTER 1 POLICY AND ETHICS 3-01 POLICY AND ETHICS The function of this Department involves the responsibility for the protection of life and property and enforcement of the law. Toward this end, all employees have an obligation to the public we serve to develop and maintain the highest ethical standards in both personal and official conduct. Honesty and integrity are at the forefront of the Department s ethical standards. These high standards for all Department members, both sworn and professional staff, are in accordance with our affirmative duty to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and the California state constitution. The POLICY and ETHICS CHAPTER outlines the Department's policies in these matters. All employees shall conform to the provisions contained herein. 3-01 PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT All Department members shall be held accountable for their utterances, writings, conduct, and visual representations, including electronic and web-based communications, when they conflict with our Core Values, our Mission, or our Creed and personnel can reasonably be identified as Department members.

2 Personnel who cause undue embarrassment or damage the reputation of and/or erode the public s confidence in the Department shall be deemed to have violated this POLICY and shall be subject to counseling and/or discipline up to and including discharge. Unit commanders shall ensure copies of our Mission, our Core Values, and our Creed are clearly and prominently displayed and maintained in the public lobbies of all Sheriff s Department facilities. Unit commanders shall ensure copies of our Mission, our Core Values, and our Creed are clearly and prominently displayed and maintained within a high-traffic work area in all Sheriff s Department s facilities ( , briefing room) for viewing by assigned personnel. Unit commanders shall routinely express to the members of their staff their expectations of honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, and acceptable conduct, including the tenets of the Core Values.

3 The message that shall be conveyed to each employee is, You are part of something greater than yourself. Don t dishonor it! 3-01 PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT - CORE VALUES Members shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Department s Core Values. Members shall not ignore nor contradict the Department s Core Values. Examples of conduct inconsistent with the Department s Core Values include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Conduct or behavior resulting from a situational outburst of emotion including, but not limited to, the use of profanity and/or other inappropriate, inconsiderate, and/or insensitive language, phrases, or terms of speech; 2. Conduct or behavior that demonstrates a bias, prejudice, and/or intolerance, or demonstrates a trend or pattern of undesirable and/or unprofessional behavior; and/or, 3.

4 Conduct or behavior so egregious that it constitutes a severe and immediate threat to the integrity of the Department and/or jeopardizes the health, safety, and/or welfare of the public including, but not limited to, criminal misconduct of members, and/or the misuse of Department assets, resources, or intellectual property. 3-01 ETHICS AWARENESS ENHANCEMENT Each unit commander/director shall be responsible for integrity and ETHICS awareness enhancement at his or her unit. Awareness enhancement efforts shall cover the consequences of dishonesty, and shall involve all unit personnel. The ETHICS awareness enhancement shall include training, briefings, and/or discussion groups emphasizing honesty and integrity as required of all Department members. Each unit's continuous efforts and accomplishments in this area shall be a subject of review during the annual inspection.

5 3-01 ELECTRONIC AND WEB-BASED COMMUNICATIONS Electronic and web-based communications include any medium used to deliver information electronically or digitally. Examples of electronic and web-based communications include, but are not limited to, websites, smart phone technologies, text messaging, Nixle, electronic mail (email) and social media sites such Facebook, Myspace, Pinterest, and Twitter; photo sharing websites such as Flickr; video sharing websites such as YouTube; and/or any other similar electronic or digital delivery system. Social media includes any electronic medium where users may create, share, and view user-generated content, including uploading or downloading videos or still photographs, blogs, video blogs, podcasts, or instant messages, or online social networking content. 3-01 ACCOUNTABILITY All Department members shall be held accountable to the Sheriff through the defined chain of command.

6 Accountability is the absolute obligation that all members be personally answerable for their individual actions. It is the responsibility of all members to meet the standards of performance established for their positions. Accountability is also a commitment to the Department and the public we serve; all members will be evaluated on their compliance with the Department s Manual of POLICY and Procedures, all Division Directives in support of the Manual, statutory and case law, Our Mission Statement, Our Core Values statement and the Law Enforcement Code of ETHICS ; and supervisors, managers, Directors, and executives, both sworn and professional staff, will be held accountable for and evaluated on enforcement of the aforementioned areas as well as the procedures outlined in the Los Angeles County Fiscal Manual and the Los Angeles County Purchasing POLICY Manual.

7 Failure to adhere may subject violators to discipline. 3-01 RESPONSIBILITY FOR DOCUMENTATION In those incidents where a member is present at an event and the circumstances require the submission of a report, memorandum, or other documentation, it shall be the responsibility of the member to ensure that his/her observations and actions are fully and accurately recorded, or to take sufficiently detailed notes to enable the member to accurately relate his/her observations and actions of the incident at a later time. 3-01 ADMINISTRATIVE PRINCIPLES 3-01 DELEGATION OF FUNCTIONS Departmental functions which are similar or related in purpose, process method or clientele are, when possible, grouped together in one or more Units under the control of a Division Chief or Director. 3-01 DELINEATION OF FUNCTIONS Lines of demarcation between the Divisions are clearly drawn by a precise definition of duties which are made known to all members so that responsibility is accurately placed.

8 3-01 ORGANIZATION FOR COMMAND Lines of control are established in conformity with the official organization of the Department to: permit delegation of authority; place responsibility; provide for supervision of operations; and provide for coordination of effort. 3-01 CHAIN OF COMMAND The chain of command shall be respected in all matters. Information and communications shall move up and down through channels, or horizontally with prior approval. It shall be the responsibility of each level to forward information and communications to the next higher or lower level together with approval, disapproval, recommendation or action taken. 3-01 UNITY OF COMMAND Each individual, Unit and situation is under the immediate control of one person. The principle of command responsibility is in effect ( , each executive and supervisor is responsible for the acts of his subordinates).

9 3-01 EXECUTIVES The major executives of the Department are the Sheriff, the Undersheriff, the Assistant Sheriff(s) and the Division Chiefs. In the absence of the Sheriff, the Undersheriff or designated Assistant Sheriff shall assume command of the Department. In the absence of the Sheriff, Undersheriff, and designated Assistant Sheriff, the Assistant Sheriff(s), followed by the Patrol Division Chiefs, will assume command and responsibility for Department operations. Command authority for the Assistant Sheriff(s) and Patrol Division Chiefs shall be by seniority in grade. 3-01 RANK Sworn personnel are distinguished by rank, which is assigned in terms of level of responsibility within the chain of command. The descending order of rank in the Department is as follows: Sheriff Undersheriff Assistant Sheriff Division Chief Area Commander Captain Lieutenant Sergeant Deputy Sheriff Sworn members of the Department have the duty and responsibility to take appropriate law enforcement action when situations dictate.

10 This duty does not mandate that deputies immediately intervene in situations that call for a tactically coordinated response. Where multiple Deputies are involved in an action, the following principles of command apply. Except as provided below, Deputy in charge shall be the member having the highest rank who is on duty or at the scene. When the highest rank is shared by two or more members the member having seniority in rank shall be in command. A Deputy in Command has the responsibility and duty to determine the appropriate response to the issue at hand, the prerogative to select between available response strategies, and the ability to provide tasking to assisting personnel. Deputies remain subject to supervision in the performance of these duties. Command responsibility is specifically assigned as follows: Designated Handling Units - In routine calls-for-service, the Handling Unit is responsible for performing the functions of command.