Policy Text
Ref: CALEA
Standard 71.1.1-7;
71.2.1; 71.3.1-3; 71.4.1
DEPARTMENTAL
GENERAL ORDER O-2 Rev.
23 Mar 00
Index as: Fugitive Unit Vehicles Guarding Prisoners Hospitalization of Adult and
Juvenile Prisoners
Juveniles, Transporting
Prisoners, Transporting and
Guarding
Responsibilities of Transporting
Officers
Transportation of Prisoners and
Persons in Custody
Vehicles for Transportation of
Prisoners
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TRANSPORTATION OF PRISONERS AND PERSONS IN CUSTODY
The purpose of this order is to set forth Departmental policy and procedure
regarding the transportation, medical care, and guarding of prisoners and persons
in custody. I. GENERAL TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS AND POLICY
A. A patrol wagon shall be the standard method of transporting prisoners and it shall contain se parate compartments for males and
females. Whenever a patrol wagon is used to transport persons in custody, the driver and the wagon o fficer shall sit in the front seats
separated from the prisoner(s) by a safety barrier that prevents the prisoner(s) from having access to the driver’s compartment. Officers shall use the seat belts when the wagon is in motion. The safety barrier between the front and rear compartments should not impair
conversation and it should promote the safety of the occupants in the front and/or rear compartments.
DEPARTMENTAL GENERAL ORDER O-2 Rev.
23 Mar 00 OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT
B. Patrol wagons shall be used to transport:
1. Adults from the point of custody to the Jail or a hospital.
2. All juveniles 12 years old and older from the point of custody
to the Youth Services Division (YSD), a hospital, or the
Juvenile Probation Department.
3. All juveniles under 12 years of age shall be transported in
standard police cars.
4. The YSD receiving officer shall be consulted before juveniles
are transported in accordance with the provisions of Departmental General Order O-3, PROCESSING JUVENILE OFFENDERS.
C. Prisoners shall be handcuffed in accordance with the provisions and techniques described in Departmental Training Bulletin III-B.4, HANDCUFFING and Special Order 4725, POSITIONAL ASPHYXIA (20 Oct 95).
D. Use Of Marked/Caged Vehicles
1. Whenever circumstances necessitate using a standard police patrol car to transport persons in custody, prior approval from a supervisory officer shall be required. He/she shall specify whether a one or two officer unit shall be assigned.
2. If two officers are in the vehicle, both officers shall sit in the front seat.
E. Use Of Uncaged Vehicles
1. A lone officer shall avoid transporting a prisoner in a vehicle
not equipped with a cage divider. If such transportation is imperative, the prisoner’s hands shall be handcuffed behind his/her back and he/she is to be seated in the front passenger seat of the vehicle with the seat belt fastened.
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DEPARTMENTAL GENERAL ORDER O-2 Rev.
23 Mar 00 OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT
2. When two officers are transporting one or two prisoners in a
vehicle not equipped with a cage divider, the second officer shall sit behind the driver with the prisoner(s) seated to his/her right, handcuffed and with the seat belt(s) fastened. Caution shall be taken to keep the second officer’s gun side
away from the prisoner. No more than two prisoners shall be
transported in a vehicle not equipped with a cage divider.
F. The Communications Division shall be responsible for the assignment of patrol wagons for th e transport of persons in custody.
1. At the request of the Jail or YSD, the Communications Division shall assign a wagon officer(s) to transport a person(s) in custody from the Jail to the hospital or from YSD to the hospital or to Juvenile Probation Department facilities, including the facility at 150
th Avenue in San Leandro.
2. Requests for use of patrol wagons beyond the scope of Part I, F, 1 of this order (e.g., prisoner transport from other jurisdictions) must be approved in advance by the Patrol Division watch commander.
G. Whenever a female is transported in a standard police car, male transporting officers shall inform the Communications Division by radio at the beginning and at the end of the trip of both their location and their vehicle's odometer reading.
H. Seat belts or safety restraint devices shall be worn by all occupants
in accordance with the provisions of Departmental General Order
J-4, EMERGENCY DRIVING, PURSUIT (CODE 3), PURSUIT
INTERVENTION & SAFETY BELT REGULATIONS.
I. Under no circumstances shall any vehicle with a prisoner be involved in a pursuit or any activity that would jeopardize the safety of the prisoner or enhance his/her chances for escape.
J. In cases where a sick, injured, or disabled prisoner is being transported, arrangements shall be made to accommodate conditions
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DEPARTMENTAL GENERAL ORDER O-2 Rev.
23 Mar 00 OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT
for their transport that dictate special care and attention. The
following are examples to consider:
1. The type of vehicle to be used when transporting non-
ambulatory prisoners or those requiring wheelchairs,
crutches, or prosthetic appliances.
Prisoners in wheelchairs shall be transported directly to Santa
Rita.
2. The transfer of medicine, insulin, and other special items for sick, injured, or