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HomeMy WebLinkAbout53A-Line Inspections - 2019 Policy & Procedure Page 1 of 6 Lexington Police Department Subject: Line Inspections Policy Number: 53A Accreditation Standards: Reference: None Effective Date: 12/1/11  New  Revised Revision Dates: 1/24/19 By Order of: Mark J. Corr, Chief of Police GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND GUIDELINES The Chief of Police is responsible for managing, directing and controlling the daily affairs of the Lexington Police Department. Through the dissemination of policy, procedures and other written and oral directives, Department employees will receive guidance in the proper performance of their duties and responsibilities. A formalized inspection process shall also be established in order to evaluate how well the Department is accomplishing its goals and objectives. Through the inspection process, designated personnel will regularly examine every aspect of the Department. Current and timely information will be obtained on the status and condition of Department personnel, property, equipment, facilities, activities and procedures. Deficiencies will be identified and corrective action will be taken. The inspection process will also highlight the positive and successful aspects of Department activities, procedures, and programs. A line inspection is the ongoing every day process of observation and review, conducted by the first-line supervisor or others directly responsible for the particular function or activity being inspected. Line inspections are conducted by persons with the authority to require immediate corrective action. Line inspections differ from staff inspections in that a staff inspection is the process of detailed observation and analysis of Department components, procedures and practices. See Department policy 53B – Staff Inspections. It shall be the policy of the Lexington Police Department to conduct regular line inspections to ensure employees are adhering to policy, procedures, rules and regulations. • Line Inspection: The act of conducting continual daily reviews of the personnel, equipment and facilities by each supervisor for the areas under their control within the police department. 53A-Line Inspections Policy & Procedure Page 2 of 6 PROCEDURES A. Authorization for Line Inspections 1. The Chief of Police, as provided in M.G.L. Chapter 41, section 97, shall be responsible for all matters, which relate to the management, direction and supervision of the Lexington Police Department. 2. All command staff officers and supervisors shall continually inspect the personnel, equipment and Department facilities within their control. All supervisory personnel shall have the further responsibility for: a. Maintaining performance notes for each employee supervised. Once these notes have been incorporated into a performance evaluation, these notes are to be discarded. b. Regularly documenting the performance activities of each employee supervised; and c. Remaining familiar with all reporting procedures. 3. The responsibility for line inspections includes the duty to take prompt corrective action (or submitting a written report when a higher authority is necessary to take corrective action) any time the following conditions exist: a. Policies, procedures, rules and regulations are not being followed; b. Procedures are not working or are otherwise unworkable; c. Equipment is missing, damaged, or no longer functional; and d. An activity or situation is discovered which is detrimental to the welfare of the Department. 4. Corrective action may take the form of, but is not limited to, the following: a. Providing supervised employees with counseling or remedial training b. Taking, or recommending, appropriate disciplinary action; c. Making, or recommending, new procedures or revising existing procedures; and d. Identifying, repairing or replacing missing or damaged equipment. B. Uniform Inspection 1. Patrol Force a. The appearance of line personnel will be inspected daily at roll-call by the Patrol Supervisor or Commanding Officer. b. Uniforms, leather and equipment will be inspected for wear and serviceability. c. The Patrol Supervisor or Commanding Officer will take note of any uniform or item of equipment needing replacement and direct the officer to request a replacement in accordance with Department procedures. 53A-Line Inspections Policy & Procedure Page 3 of 6 d. Uniforms in need of normal maintenance will be attended to by the officer as soon as possible after roll-call. e. The Patrol Supervisor and Commanding Officer will be responsible to see that uniform corrections have been made. 2. Detectives, School Resource Officers and Crime Prevention/Safety Officers a. The Detective Commander will insure that all personnel assigned under his command are properly attired. b. Inspections will take place on a daily basis and corrective action will be taken as deemed necessary by the Detective Commander. 3. Staff Officers and Civilian Personnel a. The Captain of Administration or an immediate supervisor will inspect staff officers and civilian personnel on a daily basis. b. Corrective action will be taken as deemed necessary by the Captain of Administration or the immediate supervisor. C. Firearms Inspection 1. Firearm inspections may be announced at any time and may be conducted by the Commanding Officer, Patrol Supervisor or Firearms Instructor. See Department policy 41C-Firearms. 2. Firearm inspections should be conducted at roll-call and shall be conducted no less than every sixty days. The Chief of Police, or a designee, will be notified by memorandum of any deficiencies and corrective action taken. 3. The firearms inspection will be documented in the roster-shift assignment entry of the central computer. 4. It will be the responsibility of the Armorer, or his designee, to inspect specialized firearm equipment on a monthly basis. The Chief of Police, or a designee, will be notified by memorandum of any deficiencies and corrective action taken. D. Holding Facility 1. Daily, weekly and semi-annual inspections of the holding facility will be completed as required by Department policy, (see Department policy 72E - Holding Facility) by the day shift Commanding Officer or his designee. 2. The Captain of Administration, or a designee, will be notified by memorandum of any deficiencies and corrective action taken. 53A-Line Inspections Policy & Procedure Page 4 of 6 E. Vehicle Inspections 1. Officers assigned a Department vehicle will, prior to and immediately after use, inspect the condition of the vehicle and insure that all equipment assigned to that vehicle is present or otherwise accounted for. 2. All damage shall be reported immediately to the officer's supervisor. Missing or defective equipment should be noted on the vehicle cruiser checklist on the laptop. See Department policy 41U - Police Vehicle Operations. 3. All reports of missing equipment and damaged vehicles will be forwarded to the day shift Commanding Officer who will: a. Insure that the deficiencies are brought to the attention of the Department Mechanic; b. If necessary, inspect the vehicle to insure that the damage or defective equipment has been repaired; and c. Notify the Captain of Administration of repeated deficiencies and the actions taken to correct them by memorandum. F. Agency Owned Property 1. All Department equipment shall be inventoried as provided by Department policy 17C - Agency Property. 2. All damaged or missing equipment and supplies will be reported promptly to the Captain of Administration. G. Report Writing and Investigations 1. Officers are responsible for the timely, complete and accurate filing of reports. 2. The Captain of Operations shall be responsible for the daily inspection of all reports, and related records, to insure accuracy and timeliness. 3. Commanding Officers will: a. Monitor investigations and reports to see that investigations are completed in a timely manner; b. Insure that all information is entered correctly and completely; and c. Provide corrective training to any officer experiencing difficulties with the computerized report writing system. 4. An officer's ability to enter reports correctly, record accurate information, and complete investigations will be evaluated each year by the Commanding Officer and Patrol Supervisor. 53A-Line Inspections Policy & Procedure Page 5 of 6 H. Citations and Parking Tickets 1. Citations and parking tickets shall be filled out completely with all required information written clearly and legibly. 2. Before the end of an officer's tour of duty, all citations and parking tickets will be turned over to the Commanding Officer for review. 3. When necessary, the Commanding Officer will direct an officer to correct or amend a defective citation or parking ticket. 4. All citations and parking tickets will be secured by the Commanding Officer, in accordance with Department procedures, and submitted to the Traffic Office for processing. 5. The Traffic Bureau Supervisor shall be responsible for the daily inspection of all materials submitted by officers to the Traffic Bureau bring deficiencies to the attention of the Captain of Operations. I. Selective Enforcement and Directed Patrols 1. Officers will be assigned specific locations for selective enforcement, directed patrol, and park, lock and walk assignments (PLW). 2. The Commanding Officer and/or Patrol Supervisor will regularly inspect each officer's special assignment activities. Particular attention will be given to the officer's ability to complete the assignment in a manner consistent with Department goals and objectives. 3. Officers must advise the Patrol Supervisor or Commanding Officer whenever he/she is unable to cover a special assignment. 4. The Captain of Operations will regularly review, inspect, and revise the Department's selective enforcement and directed patrol programs. J. Department Policies, Procedures, Rules and Regulations, Training Materials 1. All personnel should routinely review and remain familiar with all Department directives, including: a. Policies and procedures; b. Rules and regulations; c. Job Descriptions; d. Formal orders such as General Orders, Special Orders and Personnel Orders; e. Instructional materials; and f. Any other materials, which may be posted on Department bulletin boards or read at roll call. 53A-Line Inspections Policy & Procedure Page 6 of 6 2. All command staff officers and supervisors will be responsible for: a. Reviewing Department directives with personnel under their command; b. Answering questions and/or clarifying information which may be unclear to Department personnel; and c. Reporting, or taking, appropriate corrective action when personnel are not adhering to Department directives. K. Reporting of Deficiencies 1. In all cases where immediate notification to the Chief of Police is not required, documentation of the deficiencies will be maintained through a personal log or notebook of the command staff officer or supervisor. 2. Whenever possible, supervisory personnel should use remedial training and informal counseling to correct inappropriate employee behavior. 3. Formal corrective action will be necessary, and shall be reported to the Chief of Police and/or Captains whenever: a. Minor violations are repeated; b. Minor or moderately serious infractions are associated with a pattern of behaviors that are contrary to Department goals; c. There is an intentional or willful violation of rules, procedures or other requirements; d. Where the nature or severity of the infraction, or the seriousness of the consequences of the infraction indicate a need for formal action; e. When in the opinion of the supervisory officer taking or recommending the action, the circumstances or context of the employee's conduct makes formal action necessary; or f. Other deficiencies exist (i.e. equipment failures, building problems, procedural conflicts) which require the attention of a superior officer. 4. See Departmental policies governing "Disciplinary Action," "Internal Affairs – Maintaining Professional Standards” and “Internal Affairs-Investigations and Forms."