Policy Text
Policy
1011Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/11/08, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentDisciplinary Process - 1Disciplinary Process
1011.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines and procedures for the establishment of an
effective and fair system of discipline for all department personnel.
All disciplinary action shall be administered for the purpose of insuring that the offense will not
recur, and that the best interests of the city and the police department will be paramount. Discipline
may be imposed as a counseling and educational process to assist an employee in meeting the
minimum standards set by the department.
1011.2 GROUNDS FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
The tenure of every employee shall be based on reasonable standards of personal conduct and job
performance. Failure to meet such standards shall be grounds for appropriate disciplinary action,
which shall be commensurate with the seriousness of the offense and with due consideration
of the employee's prior performance and disciplinary record. All disciplinary action against any
employee shall be based on and controlled by the provisions herein.
1011.3 AUTHORIZED FORMS OF DISCIPLINE - INFORMAL OR POSITIVE DISCIPLINE
The forms of discipline outlined below are considered informal or positive forms of discipline.
These forms of discipline may be considered when evaluating a subsequent similar violation
provided that such informal disciplinary action was recorded in writing at the time of the offense and
the employee was afforded an opportunity to submit a written response thereto. Positive discipline
may be reported to the Chief of Police at the option of the supervisor issuing the discipline or the
employee receiving the discipline.
1011.3.1 CERTIFICATION FOR RETRAINING
Certification for retraining is when a violation was caused primarily by the employee being
incompetent or inadequately prepared for his/her responsibilities, and it is in the best interest of the
department that the employee undergoes additional training. The specific nature and procedure
for a given retraining shall be determined by the Chief of Police and/or the employee's division
commander/manager.
1011.4 COUNSELING
Counseling is when an employee is verbally made aware of his or her violation by a supervisor, but
there are circumstances that impair the employee's ability to comply with the provisions contained
herein, and action is taken by the supervisor to work with the employee in an attempt to correct
the problem rather than take other disciplinary measures against the employee. The counseling
may be documented on an "Employee Performance Log" form.
When a performance log is used to document the counseling, the supervisor shall not make
reference to any potential future disciplinary action based upon the actions(s) or behavior of
the employee discussed in the counseling session. For example, the concluding statement
Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Disciplinary Process
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/11/08, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentDisciplinary Process - 2in a documented counseling on a performance log should simply read something like," this
performance log shall serve as documentation of this counseling session. "Note: A counseling
performance log does not entitle the employee to any type of appeal process, however, as with
any Divisional performance issue, the employee may discuss the counseling performance log with
the next highest level in the chain of command. The performance log is placed in the employee's
Division File for six months from the date of incident..
1011.4.1 DIVISION DISCIPLINE
Division discipline is any corrective action approved by the division commander not amounting to
formal disciplinary action. The corrective action shall not be of a nature that would embarrass or
degrade the employee. An employee receiving division discipline may request and may receive
formal discipline in its place.
1011.4.2 ORAL REPRIMAND
An Oral reprimand is when an employee is made aware of his or her violation verbally by a
supervisor and is informed that he or she is in violation of a specific section contained herein and
is instructed to comply in the future. The supervisor may make reference or comments on how
similar action(s), behavior or policy violations may result in future potential punitive discipline.
The oral reprimand will be documented on a Garden Grove Police Department Intra-departmental
Memorandum; however, a City of Garden Grove Personnel Action Form (PAF) is not completed.
The Oral Reprimand is retained in the employee's Division File for one year from the date received.
In the event an Oral Reprimand is used to document a specific section contained herein, the
employee may make an appeal to the next higher-level supervisor in the employee's chain of
command.
The employee receiving the Oral Reprimand has four days in which to write a memorandum to
the next highest level of supervision in the employee's chain of command, requesting a meeting
on the matter. The finding by the supervisor is binding, and no further appeal process is allowed.
1011.5 AUTHORIZED FORMS OF DISCIPLINE - FORMAL OR NEGATIVE DISCIPLINE
The forms of discipline outlined below are considered formal or negative forms of discipline and
shall be considered as previous offenses when considering subsequent violations. A record of all
negative discipline by an employee shall be maintained in the employee's permanent personnel
file.
1011.5.1 WRITTEN REPRIMAND
A written reprimand is a formal intra-departmental memorandum reprimand by a supervisor and
approved by the Chief of Police, or his designee, finding a subordinate in violation of a specific
section(s) contained in