Policy Text
KISSIMMEE POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
General Order 317 – Communicating with the Hearing Impaired
Page 1 of 2 TITLE: COMMUNICATING WITH THE HEARING IMPAIRED 317
EFFECTIVE: 07/01/2015 REVISED: 10/17/2025 SCOPE : ALL EMPLOYEES
REVIEW AUTHORITY: SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION CAPTAIN
CFA STANDARDS: 25.02, 25.16
317.01 Patrol Procedures 317.03 Records
317.02 Communications Procedures 317.04 Communications Training
Policy: It is the policy of the Kissimmee Police Department to confirm hearing impaired
individuals are provided direct, equal access to emergency services in accordance to the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. [CFA 25.16]
317.01 General Procedures: Employees should be alert for indications that an individual may be
hearing impaired. Once an individual is identified as hearing impaired, the employee shall
determine the preferred method of communication by written notes or other forms of
communication. The employee requiring a qualified interpreter should contact the
Communications Center . [CFA 25.16]
317.02 Communications Procedures: [CFA 25.02, 25.16] When an employee in the field needs
a qualified interpreter , the Communications Unit shall contact the contracted qualified interpreters
that provide twenty -four ( 24) hours service to the Department.
When the Communications Center receives a call , the VIPER Telephone system should
automatically recogni ze a Text Telephone for the hearing impaired, ( TTY ) call and initiate a
messaging session. In the event the system does not automatically recognize a TTY call,
Communications personnel will manually open a session to begin communicating , and enter call
notes into the appropriate call indicating they are communicating with the caller th rough TTY.
In some cases, callers may utilize a video relay, audio relay, hearing carryover (HCO), or v oice
carryover (VCO) service to assist with the communication between them and the Department.
Communications personnel will enter call notes into the appropriate call indicating they are
communicating with the caller through a relay service.
317.03 Recor ds: The messaging session of a TTY call shall be automatically recorded and stored
in the VIPER Telephone’s Management Information System (MIS) database. All written TTY
sessions shall be maintained in MIS for at least thirty (30) days .
317.04 Communicati ons Training: Initial training on TTY and the VIPER Telephone system
will occur during the initial call -taker training phase a new employee must complete. In accordance
KISSIMMEE POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
General Order 317 – Communicating with the Hearing Impaired
Page 2 of 2 with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) , all Communications Unit personnel will
complete simulations and/or training on the VIPER Telephone’s TTY system every six (6) months.
APPROVED BY:
CHARLES BROADWAY, CHIEF OF POLICE
KISSIMMEE POLICE DEPARTMENT