Policy Text
FLORIDA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE 12-11
Page 1 TITLE: DIRECTION -WRITTEN
DIRECTIVE S
NUMBER: 12-11
EFFECTIVE: September 15, 20 15
REVISED DATE: October 12, 2015
STANDARDS: 3.01 M, 3.02 M. 3.03 M
____________________________________
12-11.1 Written Dire ctive System
12.11.2 Dissemination and Storage of
Written Directives
PURPOSE: The written directive system gives
department employees clear rules, policies,
directives and procedures for conducting
activities with or for the City of Fl orida City.
Additionally, through this written directive
system, the Florida City Police Department will
establish operational standards to provide
departmental employees guidance and discretion
to disch arge their responsibilities The
department recognizes that these written
directives greatly affect and influence every
employee, and create an obligation for each
employee to participate in the development and
implementation. Command and supervisory
personnel will encourage participation from all
levels and are also accountable for the proper
dissemination and implementation of adopted
policies and procedures. All employees should
try to participate in future development of all
written directives.
SCOPE: All departmental personnel.
POLICY: It is the policy of this department to
adopt and utilize a written directive system to
provide guidelines for the operation of the
Florida City Police Department. These
guidelines are to be followed while conducting
activities directed toward accomplishing
departmental obj ectives.
DEFINITIONS:
Bulletins (Legal, Intelligence, or Information) :
Written documents that are not part of the
written directive system. They are informational
in nature, dealing with such topics as law
changes, crime analyses, intelligence, and polic e
department events, etc.
Division: The primary separation of
departmental elements.
Employee: Any person assigned to do services
for the department.
Functional Staff Authority: Authority
granted by the Chief of Police to control
activities of other com ponents as they relate to
specific staff responsibilities. As used in this
order, functional staff authority is limited to
those matters relating to law enforcement
accreditation process.
General Policies : A permanent directive
regarding departmental poli cy, rules, and
procedures, affecting all police department
employees.
Manual: A collection of policies, procedures,
FLORIDA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE 12-11
Page 2 rules, regulations and other written directives.
May: Suggests a permissive action based upon
the employee’s best judgment.
Memorandum (I ntra-Departmental
Correspondence): A written document that
is not part of the written directive system. It may
or may not convey an order; generally used to
clarify, inform, or ask. A memorandum may be
converted into an order; however, no
memorandum may re main in effect more than
six months without then being written into
current departmental policy.
Police Benevolent Association (PBA)
Contracts: The Collective Bargaining
Agreement between the City of Florida City and
the PBA acting or speaking for all sw orn
officers of the Florida Police Department
holding the rank of Police Sergeant, Police
Officer , and/or Detective and if a collective
bargaining agreement exists, for all sworn
officers of the Florida City Police Department
holding the rank of Police Sergeant (defunct as
of this writing).
Policy: A broad declaration of agency intent,
goals, mission, etc. Such words may
characterize policy statements as “may” or
“should” and do not usually establish fixed rules
or set procedures for conduct of a particula r
activity, but provide a framework for
development of procedures and rules and
regulations.
Procedure: A written directive that is a
guideline for carrying out departmental activities.
Procedures contain step -by-step guidelines and
requirements.
Proofs of Compliance: Verification by
documentation (accreditation files) that the
agency complies with the letter and spirit of the
accreditation standard.
Rules and Regulations: A set of specific
guidelines to which all employees must adhere.
Self-Assessment : The process that the
agency en ters to achieve compliance with
applicable standards, establish proof of
compliance, and facilitate the on -site.
Self-Assessment : In departmental
documents, the word, “shall,” indicate that the
action is mandatory.
Should: In departmental documents, the word,
“should,” indicates the preferred action, but not
mandatory.
Will: In departmental documents, the word,
“will,” indicates that the proscribed action is
mandatory.
Written Directive:
A general term encompassing other categories.
The term includes policies, procedures, rules
and regulations, general orders, special orders,
memorandums, and instructional material.
Written Directive System: An organized set
of written dir ective documents, each with its
FLORIDA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE 12-11
Page 3 own function, wh ich gi ves employees a clear
under standing of the constraints and
expectations relating to the performance of their
duties. The written directive system includes
statements of police department policy,
procedures for carrying out agency activities,
and rule s and regulations for employees. The
Florida City Police Department does not intend
the written directive system to cover every
situation that may arise in the discharge of
employees’ duties; however, employees