Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout63B - Escort and Relay Services - 2019 Policy & Procedure Page 1 of 5 Lexington Police Department Subject: Escort and Relay Services Policy Number: 63B Accreditation Standards: Reference: 61.3.3 Effective Date: 1/1/12  New  Revised Revision Dates: 1/24/19 By Order of: Mark J. Corr, Chief of Police This policy is an edited version of an established policy of the Woburn Massachusetts Police Department titled “Police Escort Services,” (Policy and Procedure No. 68). GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND GUIDELINES Police agencies are in a unique position to help expedite the transportation of people, services and items through the community in a swift and efficient manner. They not only escort people and objects within Lexington, but also may deliver to a neighboring agency in order to get the people and or objects to destinations in a safe and direct manner. It is the policy of the Lexington Police Department to make every effort to honor legitimate and reasonable requests for police escort, transport or relay services to ensure the safe, orderly, and efficient movement of special traffic or to expedite delivery of critical cargo. PROCEDURES A. Routine Escort Services 1. All routine police escort/relay services are initiated with permission from the Commanding Officer of the shift. These escorts/relays may include, but are not limited to Public Officials, Dignitaries, Emergency Vehicles, Funerals, Oversized Vehicles; and Hazardous or unusual cargo. [61.3.3(a)] a. Public Officials; i. Requests for police escort services for town officials and public officials from other governmental units shall be submitted in writing to the Chief of Police for his review and approval, when time allows. ii. When time does not allow for written submission to the Chief, the Commanding Officer is authorized to take whatever steps are reasonable and necessary to assist with the escort request. 63B Escort and Relay Services Policy & Procedure Page 2 of 5 b. Dignitaries and Motorcades i. When time and security considerations allow, requests for escort or relay services for dignitaries and/or motorcades shall be submitted in writing to the Chief of Police for his review and approval. These requests must specify the needs of the escort to include: (a) The number of officers and vehicles needed; (b) Specific locations for posting other Lexington Police Officers; (c) Known security risks; (d) Any other information that may be necessary to assist in the safe passage of the dignitary and/or motorcade while in town; (e) A list of other outside agencies involved in the escort/relay; and (f) Any specific protocol to be followed (e.g. need to salute, stand at attention etc.). ii. For both Public Officials and or Dignitaries, the escorting officer(s) will not mention the names of those being escorted over the police radio. iii. The escorting officer(s) will not discuss the potential route over the radio so as to prevent any person(s) with the intent of disturbing the escort from planning or otherwise causing an unsafe situation prior to the escort occurring. c. Funerals i. The Commanding Officer of the shift shall authorize requests for funeral escorts to the extent practical and consistent with the demands for more urgent police services at the time of the request. ii. Officers assigned to conduct a funeral escort should not leave the Town of Lexington unless specifically authorized by the Commanding Officer of the shift or the Patrol Supervisor. iii. Depending on the number of vehicles involved in the procession, the escorting officer may require additional assistance from other officers working the shift. iv. If there is a Patrol Supervisor working this shift, the Patrol Supervisor shall organize the event and place additional officers where they are needed. d. Oversized Vehicles; and Hazardous or unusual cargo. i. Requests for police escort services for oversized vehicles, vehicles transporting hazardous materials, or unusual cargo shall be submitted in writing to the Chief of Police for his review and approval. 63B Escort and Relay Services Policy & Procedure Page 3 of 5 ii. When the Department is notified that an oversized vehicle or vehicles transporting hazardous materials or unusual cargo will be traveling through the town with a private escort service, the Chief of Police or his designee shall ensure that both the carrier and private escort service have a certificate of insurance showing that they are insured for liability. iii. Information about the hazardous materials to be transported shall be given to the dispatch center to record into a journal note. iv. If available, this information will include the four-digit HAZMAT code or other information commonly seen on the HAZMAT diamond shaped placards. v. The dispatch center will convey this information to the proper fire department personnel to keep them advised of the current on goings. vi. If time allows, the C.O., Road Supervisor and Dispatchers should review and discuss possible emergency protocols to follow prior to the start of the escort. e. If an officer comes across an oversized vehicle or vehicle carrying hazardous or unusual cargo in town with no prior knowledge of its passing, the officer shall attempt to obtain the four-digit HAZMAT code or other information commonly seen on the HAZMAT diamond shaped placards or contents of the oversized load and convey that to the dispatch center. The dispatch center will convey this information to the proper fire department personnel to keep them advised of the current on goings. B. Emergency Escort Services 1. Emergency police escort/relay services include but are not limited to protection of life, medical personnel, other law enforcement agencies, and vital cargo that may include blood, blood by-products, lifesaving medications and or human organs and tissues. a. Officers shall not escort emergency vehicles, particularly ambulances, except under specific circumstances approved by the Commanding Officer of the shift. b. Officers shall not escort civilian vehicles in emergency circumstances, unless authorized by the Commanding Officer of the shift. [61.3.3(b)] i. The driver of the civilian vehicle requesting the escort shall be informed he/she should remain at their present location while an ambulance is summonsed to complete the transport; or ii. The driver should be instructed to proceed to the emergency medical facility at normal speed in compliance with all traffic regulations. 63B Escort and Relay Services Policy & Procedure Page 4 of 5 c. If in the officer’s opinion, delay or transfer would jeopardize a person’s life, the officer may, with the approval of the Commanding Officer of the shift, escort the vehicle to the nearest emergency medical facility. i. All emergency equipment must be operated in accordance with M.G.L. c. 89 s. 7, 7A, and 7B. ii. If possible, an ambulance shall be dispatched to intercept the escort and take over the transportation of the person in need. C. Safety Escorts 1. An officer may, with the approval of the Commanding Officer of the shift provide a person with a safe ride within the Town of Lexington. 2. No safety escorts shall proceed outside of the Town of Lexington without the prior authority of the Commanding Officer of the shift. D. Money Escorts 1. The Commanding Officer of the shift may authorize officer(s) to provide money escorts to local businesses to the extent practical and consistent with the demands for more urgent police services at the time of the request. When providing money escorts: a. Officers shall not assist with the loading, unloading, or carrying the money to be escorted. b. Officers shall not ride in any vehicle other than a Lexington Police Department vehicle. c. The escort shall take the most direct route from the business to the bank or depository. d. Walking escorts may be provided if circumstances warrant. E. Reporting, Recording and Communication 1. Officers taking part in or otherwise providing an escort or relay shall notify the dispatch center via cruiser radio or portable radio of the start and the end of the escort or relay for emergency, safety, and funerals escorts. Other escorts such as dignitary, money and certain hazardous materials escorts shall be relayed off the public airwaves, or in a manner that does not reveal the location of the person or item being escorted. 2. Starting and ending mileage, accompanied by a time check, shall be reported by the officer conducting the escort to the dispatch center for money escorts as well as any safety escort where the person being escorted is of the opposite sex than the escorting officer. 3. The dispatcher shall create a log/journal note that contains the appropriate information concerning the escort or relay in the Department’s central computer system. 63B Escort and Relay Services Policy & Procedure Page 5 of 5 F. North Eastern Municipal Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) Request 1. As a member of NEMLEC, a request for escort services may be submitted to the Motor Unit. Requests with 30+ days’ notice are deemed non-emergency requests. 2. The Captain of Operations should be informed of any request to NEMLEC and will be responsible for submitting the proper request and documentation to NEMLEC.