Policy Text
Policy
1021Fremont Police Department
Psychological Services
1021.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
It will be the policy of the Fremont Police Department to continually strive to meet the industry
standard of care regarding the mental health and emotional well being of its employees.To assist
employees in coping with the stress inherent in the public safety profession, the Department has
established standard procedures related to critical incidents and other traumatic events and to
provide employees with professional assistance in dealing with severe stress.
1021.2 CRITICAL INCIDENTS
(a)Whenever an employee's actions on duty result in death or critical injury to another
person, whether or not a shooting was involved:
1.Police reports will be completed by Crimes Against Persons.
2.The employee(s) involved shall be placed on mandatory administrative leave,
with pay, by the Watch Commander, immediately following the incident. The
employee(s) shall not be returned to patrol duty prior to 24 hours after the
incident.
3.The Watch Commander, as soon as possible after the incident, shall contact the
designated mental health professional and request that he/she respond to the
involved employee's location.
4.As soon as possible after the incident, at the request of the Watch Commander,
the mental health professional will contact the involved employee(s) for
counseling and assessment regarding the emotional/psychological impact of the
incident on the employee(s). This contact will take place whether or not the
employee has been injured; however, contact will be delayed if an employee is
seriously injured.
5.The mental health professional will, following this initial contact, recommend to
the Chief of Police the extent of administrative leave which appears, at that time,
to be necessary for each involved employee.
6.The Chief of Police, Deputy Chief, or Division Commander will determine
the appropriateness and duration of extended mandatory administrative leave,
based upon the findings of the preliminary criminal investigation and the
recommendation of the mental health professional regarding the employee's
readiness for field assignment, generally the length of administrative leave
shall not exceed the time remaining in the employee's current scheduled work
week. An employee may request additional administrative leave time subject to
approval of the Chief of Police, Deputy Chief, or Division Commander based
upon information provided to establish the need to grant the request.
7.The employee(s), upon being placed on administrative leave, will automatically
be temporarily assigned to the Personnel Sergeant for the duration of
administrative leave. During this time, the employee(s) shall maintain regular
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/05/28, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Fremont Police DepartmentPsychological Services - 1
Fremont Police Department
Psychological Services
contact with the Personnel Sergeant, and may, on a voluntary basis, participate
in follow-up contacts with the mental health professional.
8.Mandatory administrative leave and contacts with the mental health professional
are intended for the benefit of the employee, and shall be no indication of fault
or responsibility, and shall in no way be related to the criminal investigation of
the incident which may be conducted. All contact between the employee and
psychologist will be confidential.
(b)Whenever an on-duty employee's life has been in critical danger, whether or not injury
was sustained; an employee has, in the performance of his/her duty, witnessed an
unusually traumatic injury or accident; or an on-duty employee experiences a traumatic
incident that is significant enough that the Watch Commander deems it appropriate:
1.The employee's immediate supervisor shall meet with the employee immediately
following the incident and together assess the need for counseling and/or other
appropriate action.
2.The supervisor may then take any of the following courses of action:
(a)Conclude that the employee is not in need of any assistance or support.
(b)Counsel the employee(s) informally. No further action.
(c)Counsel the employee(s) informally and refer to the designated mental
health professional for further counseling.
(d)Counsel the employee(s) informally and recommend to the Watch
Commander that the officer be placed on administrative leave and formally
referred for further counseling.
1021.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
To provide employees and their immediate families with counseling services to assist them in
resolving personal and job related problems, the Department shall have available psychological
services for all categories of referral or need.
(a)Voluntary Referral - Any employee or immediate family member may initiate contact
with the organization providing psychological services by calling the central intake
number and requesting an appointment.
(b)Counseling is available to address issues in the following categories:
1.Marital conflict
2.Family conflict (childhood, adolescent problems)
3.Financial problems
4.Emotional/psychological problems
5.Alcohol/drug dependency
6.Occupational/career conflicts
7.Other problems identified by the officer, professional employee or a member of
his/her family
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/05/28, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Fremont Police DepartmentPsychological Services - 2
Fremont Police Department
Psychological Services
(c)Sessions and Procedures:
1.Up to five counseling sessions shall be provided at no cost to the employee.
2.Any such contact initiated by the employee or a member of his/her family shall
be considered private and completely confidential and the Department or City
of Fremont shall have no need to know that contact was made or the nature of
the individual contact.
3.Any supervisor may, in the context of a supervisory counseling contact with a
subordinate about a performance discrepancy or personal problem affecting the
job, recommend that the subordinate contact a counselor.
4.Such a supervisory referral shall be considered voluntary and follow-up contact
with a counselor