Policy Text
Policy
418Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/05/24, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentCriminal Organizations - 1Criminal Organizations
418.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the Garden Grove Police Department appropriately
utilizes criminal intelligence systems and temporary information files to support investigations of
criminal organizations and enterprises.
418.1.1 DEFINITIONS
Definitions related to this policy include:
Criminal intelligence system - Any record system that receives, stores, exchanges or
disseminates information that has been evaluated and determined to be relevant to the
identification of a criminal organization or enterprise, its members or affiliates. This does not
include temporary information files.
418.2 POLICY
The Garden Grove Police Department recognizes that certain criminal activities, including but not
limited to gang crimes and drug trafficking, often involve some degree of regular coordination and
may involve a large number of participants over a broad geographical area.
It is the policy of this department to collect and share relevant information while respecting the
privacy and legal rights of the public.
418.3 CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS
No department member may create, submit to or obtain information from a criminal intelligence
system unless the Chief of Police has approved the system for department use.
Any criminal intelligence system approved for department use should meet or exceed the
standards of 28 CFR 23.20.
A designated supervisor will be responsible for maintaining each criminal intelligence system that
has been approved for department use. The supervisor or the authorized designee should ensure
the following:
(a)Members using any such system are appropriately selected and trained.
(b)Use of every criminal intelligence system is appropriately reviewed and audited.
(c)Any system security issues are reasonably addressed.
418.3.1 SYSTEM ENTRIES
It is the designated supervisor’s responsibility to approve the entry of any information from a
report, field interview (FI), photo or other relevant document into an authorized criminal intelligence
system. If entries are made based upon information that is not on file with this department, such as
open or public source documents or documents that are on file at another agency, the designated
supervisor should ensure copies of those documents are retained by the Records Division. Any
Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Criminal Organizations
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/05/24, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentCriminal Organizations - 2supporting documentation for an entry shall be retained by the Records Division in accordance
with the established records retention schedule and for at least as long as the entry is maintained
in the system.
The designated supervisor should ensure that any documents retained by the Records Division
are appropriately marked as intelligence information. The Records Manager may not purge such
documents without the approval of the designated supervisor.
418.4 TEMPORARY INFORMATION FILE
No member may create or keep files on individuals that are separate from the approved criminal
intelligence system. However, members may maintain temporary information that is necessary to
actively investigate whether a person or group qualifies for entry into the department-approved
criminal intelligence system only as provided in this section. Once information qualifies for
inclusion, it should be submitted to the supervisor responsible for consideration of criminal
intelligence system entries.
418.4.1 FILE CONTENTS
A temporary information file may only contain information and documents that, within one year, will
have a reasonable likelihood to meet the criteria for entry into an authorized criminal intelligence
system.
Information and documents contained in a temporary information file:
(a)Must only be included upon documented authorization of the responsible department
supervisor.
(b)Should not be originals that would ordinarily be retained by the Records Division
or Property and Evidence Unit, but should be copies of, or references to, retained
documents such as copies of reports, FI forms, Communications records or booking
forms.
(c)Shall not include opinions. No person, organization or enterprise shall be labeled as
being involved in crime beyond what is already in the document or information.
(d)May include information collected from publicly available sources or references to
documents on file with another government agency. Attribution identifying the source
should be retained with the information.
418.4.2 FILE REVIEW AND PURGING
The contents of a temporary information file shall not be retained longer than one year. At the end
of one year, the contents must be purged.
The designated supervisor shall periodically review the temporary information files to verify that
the contents meet the criteria for retention. Validation and purging of files is the responsibility of
the supervisor.
Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Criminal Organizations
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/05/24, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentCriminal Organizations - 3418.5 INFORMATION RECOGNITION
Department members should document facts that suggest an individual, organization or enterprise
is involved in criminal activity and should forward that information appropriately. Examples include,
but are not limited to:
(a)Gang indicia associated with a person or residence.
(b)Information related to a drug-trafficking operation.
(c)Vandalism indicating an animus for a particular group.
(d)Information related to an illegal gambling operation.
Department supervisors who utilize an authorized criminal intelligence system should work with
the Training Manager to train members to identify information that may be particularly relevant
for inclusion.
418.6 RELEASE OF INFORMATION
Department members shall comply with the rules of an authorized criminal intelligence system
regarding inquiries and release of information.
Information from a temporary information file may only be furnished to department members
and other law enforcement agencies on a need-to-know basis and consistent with the Records
Maintenance