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\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER TITLE ACCREDITATION Official and Emergency Notifications CALEA 11.3.3, 55.2.6 PRIOR REVISIONS 08/11/2009, 04/13/2020 PROPONENT UNIT Patrol Operations ATTACHMENT: None NUMBER ISSUE DATE REVISION DATE TOTAL PAGES 40.11 7/1/1998 09/16/2024 9 I. PURPOSE: This Order provides members with procedures for when and how to make notifications to Department, City and other governmental workers regarding work-related incidents. This Order also provides members with procedures for next-of-kin notifications for seriously ill and/or injured persons, as well as notification requests initiated by other law enforcement agencies. II. POLICY: To effectively relay information and to enable the appropriate response, the Department shall develop a set of procedures for when and how to make notifications. III. PROCEDURE: A. Major Incidents: 1. The Command Staff (Chief, Assistant Chiefs, Major and Captains) and/or applicable outside agencies shall be immediately notified of major incidents, to include but not be limited to the following: i. Natural disasters requiring extensive police involvement (e.g., hurricane, tornado); ii. Instances of civil unrest (e.g., rioting, protesting) requiring a police response; iii. Major transportation incidents (e.g., hazardous material spills, a plane crash); iv. Incidents requiring the establishment of a command post (e.g., hostage incidents, major fires, chemical/gas leaks); v. Shooting incidents involving Department members (except the destruction of animals); (also refer to GO 1.5 Use-of-Force regarding Incident Review Procedures- FDLE etc) vi. Incidents in which a Department member is severely injured or killed;\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT vii. Any event determined to be a major incident by a commanding officer. 2. The current list of officials to be contacted and current means for making the notifications shall be maintained by the Combined Communications Center. 3. The on-scene supervisor shall ensure that notification is made to the GPD Command Staff by the Combined Communications Center via the approved messaging method, and/or the shift commander shall make notification, via telephone, as directed by their Chain of Command, for the above-listed major incidents and for the following significant incidents: • Special Response Team (SWAT, NRT, EST) call-outs; • Death, or serious injury to GPD employee involving transport to a hospital or medical follow-up; • Airplane crashes within Alachua County; • Any LEA-involved shooting within Alachua County; • Any incident involving a person being shot within City limits; • Escape of a GPD prisoner; • Confirmed explosive device or significant bomb threat within City limits; • Homicide or unusual death within the City limits; • Armed Robbery; • Business Robbery; • Hostage/Barricaded subject; • Level 3 Hazmat incidents within the City Limits; • Missing child 12 YOA or younger; • Riots/Civil Unrest; • Search and Rescue Operation within the City; • Serious injury/death to citizen by a GPD employee; • On duty or department vehicle involved crash where a GPD employee or citizen is injured; 2\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT • Traffic crash with fatalities within Alachua County, especially involving youth or special circumstances; • Train derailments; • In-custody deaths; • Aggravated Assault with shots fired or resulting in death/serious injury; • Sexual battery in which the victim and offender are strangers; • Pediatric injuries resulting in death/serious injuries; • Major incident involving a school, especially if a lockdown or shelter-in-place occurs; • Arson or fire resulting in death or serious bodily injury; • Life threatening injury or death of one or more students (primary, secondary or post-secondary) under any circumstance; • Accidental discharge of a firearm by a GPD employee, on or off duty; • An arrest of any GPD employee, regardless of the jurisdiction of arrest; • Any incident in which federal, state or local agency request GPD to comply with an immigration detainer and/or engage in federal immigration enforcement. • Any serious incident generating significant media interest which may be important for Command Staff to be aware of; e.g. school bus collisions, incidents involving prominent persons, etc. • Any incident not specifically listed for which, in the judgement of the shift commander or on scene supervisor, Command Staff should be notified. If the need for notification is in question, the preferred course of action is to make the notification. 4. In addition to the above notifications, the on-scene supervisor or shift commander shall personally make notifications (by telephone or otherwise) as directed by their chain of command. 5. The State Attorney’s Office shall be notified of significant events to include: • Any LEA-involved shooting within Alachua County; • Any incident involving a person being shot within City limits; 3\n\n--- Page 4 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT • Homicide or unusual death within the City limits; • In-custody deaths; • Aggravated Assault with shots fired or resulting in death/serious injury; • Arson or fire resulting in death or serious bodily injury. B. Firearms Discharge: To initiate an immediate investigation of a firearms discharge by a GPD member (see GO 1.5), the shift commander shall promptly notify the Investigations Bureau Commander or Commander-On-Call, who will make a determination regarding the following notifications: 1. Chief of Police, 2. Assistant Chiefs of Police, 3. Commander of Internal Affairs and Major, 4. Division Commander of the involved member(s), 5. Public Information Officer, 6. Department's Legal Advisor, 7. State Attorney's Office, in the event of injury, 8. Other individuals deemed appropriate. C. Detective Notifications Regarding Criminal / Major Incidents: To ensure accurate notifications, the Investigations Bureau (IB) shall furnish an on-call list to all Department bureaus, as well as to the Combined Communications Center. 1. Cases: The IB commander or on-call IB (CID/SID) member (after normal working hours) shall be notified regarding: i. Homicides, except vehicular; ii. Business robberies, excluding retail theft; iii. Personal robberies and aggravated batteries with life-threatening injury; iv. Arsons involving death or personal injury to a citizen, or fires initiated to disguise another crime; v. Unattended deaths, except those resulting from natural causes or traffic fatalities; 4\n\n--- Page 5 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT vi. Major burglaries in which a substantial loss is sustained; vii. Home invasion robberies; viii. Car-Jacking; ix. Kidnapping and hostage situations; x. Confirmed sexual batteries, or felony sex crimes against minors; xi. Situations in which a Department member is a victim of firearms discharge; xii. Arrests associated with any of the aforementioned situations; xiii. Other situations not described above in which an incident commander feels the contact should be made. 2. Method: Whenever possible, the on-scene Patrol supervisor or original investigating member, with supervisor approval, should notify detectives. If this is not practical, the pertinent information shall be relayed to the shift commander / designee, who shall make the notification or request that the notification be made by the Combined Communications Center supervisor / designee. 3. Forensic Crime Unit: After-hours requests for Forensic Crime Unit personnel shall be handled by the IB member on-call. D. City Risk Management: The City’s Risk Manager needs to be aware of incidents that involve the City's interests. The investigating or supervising GPD member shall ensure that notification occurs as follows: 1. Risk Management shall be notified immediately should any of the following situations occur: i. Fatality or severe injury involving City employee(s); ii. Catastrophic or multiple injury incident involving City em