Policy Text
CATEGORY DATE ADOPTED LAST REVIEW NEXT REVIEW
2 11/27/2015 04/12/2023 04/12/2025
BUENA PARK POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS
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GO 324 - Juvenile s 1 POLICY 324 JUVENILES
324.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This policy addresses the custody and detention of juveniles. The decision to place a juvenile into
custody may be based on sound and independent judgment, the totality of the circumstances,
available evidence, the best interest of the juvenile, current juvenile law , or Juvenile Court policy.
For the purposes of this policy, juvenile refers to individuals under the age of 18. See juvenile and
minor as further de scribed in section 324.1.2 .
324.1.1 ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
This policy pertains to the following CALEA Standards: 1.1.3, 1.2. 5, 44.1.1, 44.1.3, 44.2.1, 44.2.2,
44.2.3 , 71.3.1
324.1.2 DEFINITIONS
Juvenile : For the purposes of this policy , a juvenile is any individual who is under the age of 18.
Juvenile Court Jurisdiction : For juvenile s to fall under the jurisdiction of the juvenile courts, they
must be between 12 and 17 years of age inclusive whe n they commit a violation of a criminal law
or ordinance , except as noted below in Minor in Juvenile Court Jurisdiction .
Juvenile Field Contact : A field contact with a juvenile not resulting in custody.
Protective Custody : Juveniles falling under all applicable Welfare & Institutions Code (WIC) § 300
including abused, neglected, and abandoned juveniles. This includes a juvenile taken into custody
for his/her protection or for purposes of reuniting him/her with a parent, guar dian, or other
responsible person.
Non-Secure Custody : Juveniles in temporary custody who do not meet the criteria for secure
custody (WIC 207.1(d)).
Minor : A juvenile under 12 years of age at the time of contact or offense.
Minor in Juvenile Court Juri sdiction : A minor falls under the Juvenile Court jurisdiction for the
crimes of murder or forcible rape, sodomy, oral copulation , or sexual penetration. In all other
criminal contacts, they must be released to their parents or guardians .
Secure Custody : Juveniles in temporary custody held in secure detention, such as in a locked
room, physically secured to a stationary object or reasonably restrained as necessary to prevent
escape and to protect the juvenile and others from harm.
Temporary C ustody : Per Title 15 , means the juvenile is not at liberty to leave the law enforcement
facility.
CATEGORY DATE ADOPTED LAST REVIEW NEXT REVIEW
2 11/27/2015 04/12/2023 04/12/2025
BUENA PARK POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS
________________
GO 324 - Juvenile s 2
324.2 POLICY
The Buena Park Police Department is committed to keeping j uveniles safe while they are in
temporary custody . The Department is als o committed to keeping juveniles in temporary custody
only for as long as reasonably necessary for processing, transfer, or release, and to release them
as soon as reasonably practicable.
324.3 FIELD CONTACTS
When a n officer stops a juvenile in the field for interview and release s him/her at the scene, the
officer should complete a Field Interview entry into the Records Management System (RMS) , or
may choose to complete an incident report if the situation warrants.
324.3.1 FOUND MISSING PERSON / RUNAWAYS
While it is not a crime to be a runaway, the Department will make every effort to find a reasonable
resolution for the parties involved. In many cases, the Department will provide non -secured custody
for up to four hours for found juveniles who have responsible adults available locally. If the custody
period of the found juvenile will extend beyond four hours, the runaway may need to be transported
to Orangewood or another approved shelter until a parent/gu ardian can be located or given time to
respond.
324.3.2 CITATIONS
Where allowed by law, officers should issue a citation rather than take juveniles into custody. A n
officer may issue a juvenile a citation for a misdemeanor or City munici pal code violation and
release him/her at the scene. Officers may take a juvenile into protective custody if requested to
do so by a parent or legal guardian in order to transport the juvenile home or to the station to await
a parent.
324.3.3 INTERVIEWS / INTERROGATIONS
No interview or interrogation of a juvenile should occur unless the juvenile has the apparent
capacity to consent, and does consent , to an interview or interrogation.
If the juvenile is 1 7 years of age or younger , WIC 62 5.6(a) mandates the following:
a) Prior to a custodial interrogation and before the waiver of any Miranda rights, a youth 17
years of age or younger shall consult with legal counsel in person, by telephone, or by video
confere nce. The consultation may not be waived.
b) The officer responsible for conducting an interrogation of a juvenile should assure the
environment is not overly coercive. To