Policy Text
Effective Date:
DEPARTMENTAL GENERAL ORDER B-7 30 Dec 05
Index as: Appearance Requests
Approval/Delays
Community Meetings Meetings Public Appearances Public Appearance Report
Page 1 of 4
PUBLIC APPEARANCES
The purpose of this order is to set fort h Departmental policy and procedures for
providing and authorizing qualif ied personnel to make public appearances, to set forth
policy on public appearance tracking responsibility and to provide a centralized file for
public appearance information. I. DEFINITIONS
A. Public Appearance - Any on-duty attendance at a community meeting or
event where Departmental personnel are representing the Department. Community meetings, speaking engage ments, and special projects are
examples of public appearances. Public appearances do not include private meetings with City officials or ci tizens, or attendance at regularly
scheduled meetings where routine De partmental or C ity business is
conducted.
B. Community Meeting - A gathering of public or private people living
and/or working in a particular co mmunity or neighborhood. Community
meetings can be hosted by the Depart ment or community. Examples of
community meetings are: Nei ghborhood Crime Prevention Council
(NCPC) meetings, Town Hall meeti ngs, Community Leadership Summit,
merchant meetings, Home Alert me etings, Neighborhood Watch meetings
and meetings held by othe r community organizations.
C. Appearance Request - A written, electronic (e-m ail) or verbal request
from any individual or group asking for a member or employee to speak
on a specific police-related subject or attend a community meeting.
Appearance requests include media app earances, informati onal talks, and
guided tours of police facilities.
DEPARTMENTAL GENERAL ORDER B-7 Effective Date:
30 Dec 05 OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT
D. Special Project - Any display related to poli ce activities or demonstrations
before the public. Examples are canine demonstrations , safety fairs, crime
prevention displays, child fingerprinting, etc.
II. POLICY
A. Appearance requests for Department al personnel to make a public
appearance shall be processe d pursuant to this order.
B. Personnel shall receive all appearance requests that address a specific
concern regarding police personnel or police practices, when made by representatives of established organiza tions that are active in the City of
Oakland, community groups, and church groups. All such requests shall,
if feasible, be accommodated within 60 days of receipt of the request.
C. Members and employees representin g the Department at a public
appearance, including comm unity meetings, shall have prior approval
from their supervisor/commander.
D. The Public Appearance Report [(PAR ) (TF-3225)] (Appendix A) shall be
completed and processed for all re quests for and attendance at public
appearances pursuant to this order.
III. PROCEDURE
A. Receiving Requests
1. Any personnel receiving an appearance request shall complete Part I of the PAR, and forwar d the PAR to the appropriate
commander/manager for processing.
2. If the person receiving the appearance request cannot determine the appropriate unit or commander, th e PAR shall be forwarded to the
BFO Administrative Unit. The BFO Administrative Unit shall
identify the most appropriate unit to meet the needs of the request
and forward the PAR to the appr opriate unit comma nder/manager.
B. Processing Requests
1. Commanders/managers or their designee shall review all PAR requests within 10 busine ss days of receipt;
AND:
Page 2 of 4
DEPARTMENTAL GENERAL ORDER B-7 Effective Date:
30 Dec 05 OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT
a. Determine whether there is a qualified member or
employee, within their co mmand, to attend the public
appearance. The attendee shall address routine
division/section/un it functions only.
b. Determine whether attendance is feasible within 60 days of
the receipt date on the PAR request, utilizing factors to
include, but not limited to , staffing and competing
appearance requests.
c. Notify and forward the orig inal PAR to the assigned
attendee for completion and submission.
d. Notify their bureau commander when the request for an attendee is unusual, excep tional, or the topic is
controversial.
2. If a qualified speaker or attendee ca nnot be provided or is unable to
attend, the PAR shall be forwar ded to the BFO Administrative
Unit advising of the circumstances.
C. Appearance Delays
If a request for an appearance canno t be accommodated within 60 days,
the commander/manager who delays the appearance shall:
1. Notify the requestor of the reason( s) and provide an alternative
date; and
2. Notify the bureau commander of the requested speaker of any
delay past 60 days.
D. Reporting
1. Personnel receiving an appearance re quest shall complete Part I
(Request Information) of the PAR and forward the PAR to the appropriate commander.
2. Immediately upon completing the public appearance, the NSC (for NCPC meetings) or in his/he r absence, the primary OPD
speaker/attendee, shal l complete and forwar d the PAR to the BFO
Page 3 of 4
DEPARTMENTAL GENERAL ORDER B-7 Effective Date:
30 Dec 05 OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Administrative Unit through the chain-of-command of the person
completing the PAR.
3. When there is more than one attendee, multiple PARs may be completed and forwarded. Howeve r, multiple attendees may be
listed in Part III of the PAR.
4. The commander of the B