NCJ Number
121410
Date Published
1989
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The recent emphasis on police manuals, policies, and procedures has resulted from the accreditation process, the increasing professionalism of law enforcement executives, and the increasing number and dollar amount of civil liability suits against police departments.
Abstract
An effective policy manual lays the foundation for provision of quality police services as it states the department's philosophy of policing, goals and objectives, rules of conduct, and pertinent policies and procedures. Well-developed manuals are effective training tools, provide information to officials and interested citizens, and have a favorable impact on the courts by demonstrating the department has defined a standard of behavior for its officers. Law enforcement management can benefit from a manual review process by applying both an industry standard and a legal standard against current policies. The manual needs to address a core of high-risk issues for liability, such as the use of force, hot pursuit, powers of arrest, search and seizure, and citizens complaints that are relevant to every agency, as well as issues specific to that department. The support by the agency's disciplinary; training; and selection, promotion, and performance evaluation system of the manual will add to its credibility. Finally, each section of the manual should be developed and reviewed by those individuals within the agency who must ultimately implement and live with the policies. 1 table, 2 references.