Policy Text
Policy
358Mountain View Police Department
Mountain View PD Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2019/12/16, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Mountain View Police
DepartmentMajor Incident Notification - 1Major Incident Notification
358.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Incidents that are of significant nature and that fall into listed criteria require notification to certain
members of this Department. It is critical that Command Staff members are informed of certain
incidents in order to apprise their superiors and properly address inquires from members of the
press.
358.2 POLICY
The Mountain View Police Department recognizes that certain incidents should be brought to the
attention of supervisors or other specified personnel of this department to facilitate the coordination
of activities and ensure that inquiries from the media and the public may be properly addressed.
358.3 MINIMUM CRITERIA FOR NOTIFICATION
Most situations where the media show a strong interest are also of interest to the Chief of Police
and the affected Division Commander. The following list of incident types is provided as a guide
for notification and is not intended to be all inclusive:
•Homicides
•Traffic accidents with fatalities
•Officer-involved shooting - on or off duty (see Officer-Involved Shooting Policy for
special notifications)
•Significant injury or death to employee - on or off duty
•Death of a prominent Mountain View official
•Arrest of a department employee or prominent Mountain View official
•Aircraft crash with major damage and/or injury or death
•In-custody deaths
358.4 WATCH COMMANDER RESPONSIBILITY
The Watch Commander is responsible for making the appropriate notifications. The Watch
Commander shall make reasonable attempts to obtain as much information on the incident as
possible before notification. The Watch Commander shall attempt to make the notifications as
soon as practicable. Notification should be made by calling the home telephone number first and
then by any other available contact numbers.
358.4.1 STAFF NOTIFICATION
In the event an incident occurs described in Policy Manual § 358.2, the Chief of Police shall be
notified along with the affected Division Commander and the Detective Lieutenant if that division
is affected.
Mountain View Police Department
Mountain View PD Policy Manual
Major Incident Notification
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2019/12/16, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Mountain View Police
DepartmentMajor Incident Notification - 2358.4.2 DETECTIVE NOTIFICATION
If the incident requires that a detective respond from home, the immediate supervisor of the
appropriate detail shall be contacted who will then contact the appropriate detective.
358.4.3 TRAFFIC BUREAU NOTIFICATION
In the event of a traffic fatality or major injury, the Traffic Sergeant shall be notified who will then
contact the appropriate accident investigator. The Traffic Sergeant will notify the Traffic Lieutenant.
358.4.4 PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER (PIO) AND SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
The Public Information Officer shall be called after members of staff have been notified that it
appears the media may have a significant interest in the incident.
Consistent with Policy 358.4.4, Major Incident Notifications, the PIO and Social Media Coordinator
shall be called along with members of staff.