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Home My WebLink About11A - Organization Policy & Procedure Page 1 of 5 Lexington Police Department Subject: Organization Policy Number: 11A Accreditation Standards: Reference: 11.1.1; 11.2.1; 11.2.2; 11.3.1; 11.3.2; 25.1.2; 41.1.1 Effective Date: 11/1/11  New  Revised Revision Dates: 1/24/19 By Order of: Mark J. Corr, Chief of Police GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND GUIDELINES The Chief of Police shall establish a formal structure through which the organizational components are arranged, defined, directed and coordinated. This structure will be both unique and dynamic, maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of Department personnel whenever possible. Consistent with this objective, the Chief shall apply basic and fundamental principles of organization, such as:  grouping similar task and functions,  unity of command,  limited spans of control,  delineation of duties and responsibilities,  Delegation of authority, and accountability. The structure of the Lexington Police Department shall be depicted on an annually updated organizational chart. This chart may be accompanied by secondary charts, which may depict functional or part-time responsibilities. In addition to these charts, this directive shall briefly describe and outline the responsibilities for each organizational component. All charts and descriptions will be distributed to all Department personnel and Manuals. 11A Organization Policy & Procedure Page 2 of 5 PROCEDURES A. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION 1. The Chief of Police: The executive head of the Department is the Chief of Police. The Chief's duties and responsibilities are described in detail within the Job Descriptions of the Department Manual. Additionally, the Chief's personal span of control shall include the responsibility for: a. Supervising the Department divisions of Administration and Operations. b. Internal affairs. c. Fiscal and budgetary affairs. d. Planning and research; including accident and crime analysis. e. Collective bargaining. Note: The Chief may delegate any task, which may assist him in the performance of his duties and responsibilities. 2. The Captain of Administration: Unless designated otherwise by the Chief, the Administration Division will be commanded by a Captain whose responsibilities and duties shall include those described in the Job Description section of the Department Manual. The Captain shall also have the following administrative responsibilities: a. Accreditation and policy development. Most of the tasks associated with this program will be delegated to the Administrative Sergeant. b. Detective Bureau and prosecution c. Personnel scheduling, training, and career development. All administrative and personnel matters which pertain to full-time and part-time personnel. d. Staff inspections. e. The holding facility. f. Building maintenance. g. Department records. h. Property management, particularly, department equipment, supplies, and purchasing. Note: The Captain may delegate any task, which may assist him in the performance of his duties and responsibilities. 3. Captain of Operations: Unless designated otherwise by the Chief, the Operations Division will be commanded by a Captain whose duties and responsibilities shall include those described in the Job Descriptions section of the Department Manual. As commander of the Operations Division, the Captain shall also be responsible for: [11.2.2] 11A Organization Policy & Procedure Page 3 of 5 a. The control, coordination, cooperation and distribution of patrol personnel. Further subdivision of the patrol division shall be done in the following manner: i. Operational patrol shifts: Day shift (0745-1600), First half (1545-2400), Last half (2345-0800) and a 1800-0200 shift to be instituted at the discretion of the Chief. ii. Patrol shift components are described in the Job Descriptions section of the Manual. Each shift should have a: (a) Commanding Officer, Lieutenant or Sergeant; (b) Patrol Supervisor, a Sergeant; (c) Patrolmen, generally not less than four; (d) Desk Officer, a Patrol Officer; (e) Civilian Dispatchers, two on the A-shift, two on the B- shift and two on the C-shift; (f) When scheduled, other auxiliary personnel such as the Parking Enforcement Officer and Animal Control. b. Line Inspections. c. Traffic. d. Fleet Maintenance. Note: The Captain may delegate any task, which may assist him in the performance of his duties and responsibilities. 4. Detective Bureau-Detective Commander: The Detective Commander will ordinarily be a Lieutenant and directly subordinate to the Captain of Administration. His duties and responsibilities shall include those outlined in the Job Descriptions section of the Department Manual. The Detective Commander shall also be responsible for: a. Evidence collection, control and protection. b. Directing and supervising the investigation of criminal offenses. c. Intelligence information and operations. d. Vice and organized crime information and operations. e. Crime prevention and safety operations. Whenever possible, these duties will be delegated to a Crime Prevention/Safety Officer. f. School Resource Officers (SRO), Family Services and Narcotics Detectives. Human rights investigations and community relations. g. Court Prosecution. Note: The Detective Commander may delegate, to a Detective or Crime Prevention/Safety Officer, any task, which may assist him in the performance of his duties and responsibilities. 5. Detective Sergeant - Prosecutor: The Prosecutor shall be directly subordinate to the Bureau Commander. Working in cooperation with the 11A Organization Policy & Procedure Page 4 of 5 local District Attorney, the Prosecutor shall be responsible for the management and prosecution of criminal cases. 6. Administrative Sergeant: The Administrative Sergeant shall be directly subordinate to the Captain of Administration. The Administrative Sergeant is a first level supervisor who will attend to assigned administrative duties. The primary duties include accreditation compliance, police detail management, event planning and other duties that may tend to pull patrol supervisors from their duties. B. PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATION 1. Unity of Command: To ensure that employees are aware of what is expected of them and to promote efficiency and responsibility, the following shall apply: a. Each employee shall be accountable to only one Supervisor at any given time. [11.2.1] b. Each organizational component shall be under the direct command of only one Supervisor. [11.2.2] c. At the scene of any crime, accident, or other police incident where supervisory responsibility is not clearly evident, the highest ranking member present shall assume command to provide the most orderly and efficient accomplishment of the police task. The determination of the highest ranking officer shall be consistent with the Department policy on Command Protocol, chapter 12-A. 2. Span of Control: In order to ensure effective direction, coordination and control throughout the Department, the Chief of Police shall place limits on the number of employees under the immediate control of a supervisor. Factors which may determine the proper span of control include: a. The personal abilities of the supervisor and subordinates. b. The complexity of the tasks to be performed by the subordinates. c. The separation by time or place of the supervisor and the immediate subordinates. d. The time required by the supervisor to perform other tasks and responsibilities. e. At no time should the span of control exceed a total of ten (10) employees. 3. Authority and Responsibility: The following guidelines shall govern the delegation of authority and responsibility throughout the chain of command: a. All delegated duties and responsibilities shall be accompanied by the commensurate authority to complete the assignments. [11.3.1(a)] 11A Organization Policy & Procedure Page 5 of 5 b. All Department members shall be accountable for the use, or failure to use, delegated authority while executing their assigned duties and responsibilities. [11.3.1(b)] c. All supervisory personnel shall be accountable for the performance of all employees within their immediate control. This shall include any instance where the supervisor has delegated to the subordinate the responsibility for performing a task or duty. [11.3.2]