Policy Text
\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nI. PURPOSE: This Order establishes guidelines and procedures for delivering emergency
messages and for conducting attempts to contact and well-being checks.
II. POLICY: The Gainesville Police Department may deliver notifications and messages when
doing so serves the public interest and does not unduly impede the Department’s primary
function. Department members will do everything possible to ensure that requests are
legitimate, will respond to requests when possible, and will only provide feedback to the
requestor when information is verified / verifiable concerning his/her identity.
III. PROCEDURE: To better safeguard the citizens of Gainesville, the Department may deliver
notifications, conduct attempts to contact, and perform well-being checks within its jurisdiction
under the following guidelines.
A. Verifying the Complainant’s Identity: Due to the potential for persons with hidden
motives to use ‘false emergencies’ in order to have Department members verify a
person’s address or present location (such as in the case of domestic violence, stalking,
or other potentially dangerous situation), and to avoid unknowingly providing information
to private or insurance investigators, debt collectors, repossession agencies, and the
like, Department members and Communications personnel receiving requests shall do
everything possible to ensure that requests are legitimate.
The Department or Communications member receiving the request shall inform the
citizen that he/she must contact and identify him/herself (normally through picture ID) to
his/her local law enforcement agency (both in- and out-of-county requests), so that
agency’s personnel can verify his/her identity and confirm the request via teletype to the
Alachua County Combined Communications Center, prior to any information provided to
the caller. This does not preclude the dispatch of an officer to conduct a wellbeing check.
[CALEA 81.2.10]
1. Emergencies: Advise the caller that potentially life-threatening emergencies will
be addressed; but that feedback will not be provided until his/her identity has
been verified.
2. Local Requests: The call-taker should ascertain the status of the caller,
including why he / she is contacting law enforcement for an in-county request. If a
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Scope: Sworn, PSTs, Tele-Serve, and All Supervisors\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nlocal complainant has the means to check on the person, he/she should conduct
the check absent exigent circumstances.
B. Providing Feedback to the Complainant: For security reasons, members shall not
provide feedback on a contact request until the person making the request has verified
his/her identity through his/her law local enforcement agency, and, when applicable, the
follow-up teletype request has been received from the complainant’s jurisdictional law
enforcement agency.
C. Processing Requests: If a citizen contacts the Department (or the Communications
Center), the receiving member shall, regarding all requests, note the complainant’s
personal information (name, address, phone number, relationship to the person about
whom the contact is requested, etc.) the person and location where contact is being
requested, and the reason for the emergency request or the nature of the message to be
delivered.
1. Entering Calls in CAD: Calls entered into CAD will be prioritized and dispatched
accordingly. Notations will be included to identify that citizens have been directed
to process their requests through their local law enforcement agencies.
2. Field Personnel / Delivering Emergency Messages: Due to the sensitive
nature of delivering emergency messages, members shall take extra care to
accurately note all pertinent information relating to the call. Emergency messages
may include death notifications, accidents, illness, etc. Field personnel may
deliver emergency messages under the following conditions: [CALEA
81.2.10]
i. The message cannot be delivered by any other means.
ii. Notifications to contact other law enforcement agencies.
iii. Death notifications.
iv. Check the welfare of individuals who have been unreachable by others
3. Emergency Well-Being Checks / Attempts to Contact: Department personnel
will perform emergency well-being checks as soon as possible upon request
when circumstances warrant (the person is reportedly in medical or other
imminent jeopardy). [CALEA 81.2.10]
4. Death Notifications: Citizens from other jurisdictions must make requests for the
delivery of death notifications through their local law enforcement agencies so the
requests can be relayed to Alachua County’s Combined Communications Center.
[CALEA 81.2.10]
The Alachua County Crisis Care Team or EMS personnel should be notified to
stand by for assistance, depending upon the status of the message recipient
(age, medical condition, relationship to the deceased, etc.).
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Scope: Sworn, PSTs, Tele-Serve, and All Supervisors\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\n5. Requests for Call-Back (Phone) Messages: When a complainant requests that
we contact a person and have that person call the complainant regarding a
death, serious injury, or serious illness, the assigned Department member shall
only deliver the message to call the complainant; the exact nature of the
emergency shall be relayed only by the complainant. [CALEA 81.2.10]
6. Non-Delivery of Messages: Members unable to make contact may leave a
message for the intended recipient to call the officer, so the message may be
relayed at a later time.
If the message was not delivered, the assigned officer shall notify
Communications, which personnel shall then contact the initiating citizen or
agency to advise that the message was not delivered and why.
D. Exceptions: Exceptions should be rare, but when needed, must be reviewed and
cleared by a supervisor, and fully noted in the call comments section of the CAD system.
[CALEA 81.2.10]
Exceptions may be considered, for example, when a person is disabled, and cannot get
to his/her local law enforcement agency. Verification of his/her circumstances should still
occur by reasonable and available means. E. Follow-Up:
1. Verified Emergencies / Deaths: When a medical, other emergency or a death is
verified, the responding members shall follow protocol pertinent to the discovered
circumstances.
2. Fraudulent Reporting: If, at any time, it is discovered that a complainant refused
to verify his/her identity in order to file a request with malicious or fraudulent
intent, or to use law enforcement to discover or verify a person’s whereabouts, an
appropriate report shall be filed and investigation initiated.
________________________ By
Order of
Signed Original on File in the Accreditation
Unit
________________________
Tony R. Jones
Chief of Police
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Scope: Sworn, PSTs, Tele-Serve, and All Supervisors