Policy Text
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Humboldt County SO Policy Manual
LAW ENFORCEMENT CODE OF ETHICS
As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard
lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or
intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights
of all to liberty, equality and justice.
I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all and will behave in a manner that does
not bring discredit to me or to my agency. I will maintain courageous calm in the face of danger,
scorn or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest
in thought and deed both in my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the law
and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is
confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in
the performance of my duty.
I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, political beliefs, aspirations,
animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime and with
relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without
fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting
gratuities.
I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be
held so long as I am true to the ethics of police service. I will never engage in acts of corruption
or bribery, nor will I condone such acts by other police officers. I will cooperate with all legally
authorized agencies and their representatives in the pursuit of justice.
I know that I alone am responsible for my own standard of professional performance and will take
every reasonable opportunity to enhance and improve my level of knowledge and competence.
I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my
chosen profession . . . law enforcement.
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Humboldt County SO Policy Manual
MISSION STATEMENT
Our Mission
To protect and serve our community and to earn the public's trust through compassion and
accountability.
Our Vision
To be the safest rural community in California where peace, justice, and freedom thrive.
Our Values
Dedication - Committed to our purpose.
Excellence - Being outstanding at everything we do.
Professionalism - More than a job, we are skilled and possess the knowledge and character to
be CALLED to protect the community.
Unity - We are one team, one family. Not one of us is more important than the other. Together
we can do mighty things.
Trust - Trust is everything. There is strength in our belief in each other and the community's belief
in us.
Integrity - Strong character is the foundation that a person and department is built on.
Engagement - Committed to build ongoing relationship with our community.
Service - We serve by putting others first and respect for the constitutional rights of others. We
give top priority to protecting the innocent and holding those accountable for breaking the law.
Our Principles
We are PREPARED to do what is necessary every day
We are trusted with the PROTECTION of our community, and hold this above all else.
We are dedicated to PREVENTION of crime and abuse of all types.
We put an emphasis on PROBLEM SOLVING, always being innovative and solution driven.
We seek trust and engagement through PARTNERSHIP with out employees and everyone in our
community.
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Humboldt County SO Policy Manual
Table of Contents
LAW ENFORCEMENT CODE OF ETHICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Mission Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 1 - Law Enforcement Role and Authority. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
100 - Law Enforcement Authority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
101 - Chief Executive Officer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
102 - Oath of Office. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
103 - Policy Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
104 - Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 2 - Organization and Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
200 - Organizational Structure and Responsibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
201 - General Orders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
202 - Emergency Management Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
203 - Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
204 - Electronic Mail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
205 - Administrative Communications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
207 - License to Carry a Firearm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
208 - Retiree Concealed Firearms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
216 - Staffing Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chapter 3 - General Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
300 - Use of Force. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
301 - Use of Force Review Boards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
302 - Handcuffing and Restraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
303 - Control Devices and Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
304 - Conducted Energy Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
305 - Officer-Involved Shootings and Deaths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
306 - Firearms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
308 - Deputy Response to Calls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
309 - Domestic Violence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
310 - Search and Seizure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
311 - Temporary Custody of Juveniles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
312 - Senior and Disability Victimization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
313 - Discriminatory Harassment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
314 - Child Abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
315 - Missing Persons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
316 - Public Alerts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
317 - Victim and Witness Assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
318 - Hate Crimes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
319 - Standards of Conduct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
320 - Disposal of Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
321 - Information Technology Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
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322 - Report Preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
323 - Media Relations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
324 - Subpoenas and Court Appearances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
325 - Reserve Deputies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
326 - Outside Agency Assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
327 - Registered Offender Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
328 - Major Incident Notification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
329 - Death Investigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
330 - Identity Theft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
331 - Private Persons Arrests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
332 - Limited English Proficiency Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
333 - Mandatory Employer Notification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
334 - Biologi