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ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE GENERAL ORDER Effective Date: August 26, 2025  Amends - GO 6.2.17 ( June 5, 2019 ) Number : 6.2.17 Distribution: All Personnel Review Month: February Reviewing Authority: CSCD / Criminal Process Fugitive Subject: Prisoner Transportation from a Facility This order consists of the following: 1. Purpose 2. Policy 3. Procedures 1. Purpose It is the purpose of this policy to provide safe transportation for arrested subjects and confirm safety for personnel involved. 2. Policy It is the policy of the agency that agency personnel shall handle all prisoners in a safe, secure, and expedient manner. All persons in custody will be handled so as to prevent escape or receipt of contraband, from a facility . 3. Procedures A. Prisoner Transp ortation 1. Security of prisoners will be the responsibility of transporting employees until such time as prisoners are accepted by receiving facilities or other destinations. It will not be assumed by any employee that someone else has completed a search. When accepting a prisoner, transporting employees shall thoroughly search prisoners. The search will consist of, but is not limited to: a. A complete pat down of the person. b. An inspection of all footwear, both inside and out. 2. Vehicles used for transporting prisoners will be examined at the beginning of each shift, and before and after each transport of prisoners. The examination will consist of, but will not be limited to: a. The area in which a person in custody will be confined will be searched for contraban d or weapons. All movable objects such as seats should be lifted out or up so as to expose and permit inspection of the cavity under the seat. b. Fluid levels and tires should be checked to confirm they are filled and in good working order. c. All assigned equipment necessary for vehicle operation, i.e., spare tires, road flares, tire jack, lug wrench, and any other equipment assigned to the vehicle should be located and inspected. NOTE : Missing equipment or other discrepancies should be noted and corrected in a timely manner. 6.2.17, Page 2 of 9 d. Each employee is responsible for maintaining the vehicle's safe operating condition and confirming it is appropriately equipped. e. All locking devices on the vehicle will be checked for proper working order and security. If lock ing devices are not secure or otherwise not in working order, they will be repaired or replaced in a timely manner before transporting prisoners. 3. Strip searches will be conducted in accordance with GO 7.1.1. 4. Prisoners will be searched for weapons, articles that could be used as weapons, evidence and other contraband prior to transporting , in accordance with GO 7.1.1 . 5. Inmate property will be transported in a secure manner . 6. Transporting employees shall maintain visual observation of prisoners during the transport operation. 7. Under ordinary circumsta nces, employees are not responsible for providing prisoners with the use of toilet facilities. However, during lengthy transport operations, care must be taken when allowing priso ners to use toilet facilities. Employees shall accompany prisoners into toil et facilities. In extreme emergencies when employees cannot accompany prisoners into toilet facilities, and after confirming there are no escape routes or objects available which might pose a threat to the prisoner or to employees, the employee shall rema in in the immediate area of the stall and shall resume physical control of prisoners as soon as practical. 8. Placement of prisoners in transport vehicles will depend upon the number of prisoners to be transported and the number of escort employees to be use d. a. When possible, prisoners will be transported in vehicles equipped with a prisoner partition system in order to minimize the potential for escape and to provide maximum safety and security for employees. b. When prisoners are to be transported in vehicles not equipped with a prisoner partition system and only one escort employee (driver) is available, prisoners will be placed in the front passenger seat and secured by handcuffs to the rear and the seat belt locked in place. Waist chains and other agency approved restraining devices are acceptable alt ernative and are preferred for long transports. c. When prisoners are to be transported in vehicles not equipped with a prisoner partition system and two or three escort employees are available, prisoners will be placed in the front passenger seat and the second employee shall sit in the rear behind the prisoner. 9. Prisoners of the opposite gender , or gender identity, will be transported according t o the following guidelines: a. Male and female prisoners may be transported in the same vehicle after being arrested as participants in the same offense. b. Male and female prisoners may be transported in the same vehicle 6.2.17, Page 3 of 9 following an arrest incident if they are related. c. Male and female prisoners who have been arrested in separate incidents will be transported in separate vehicles unless specifically approved by a supervisor. d. Male and female prisoners may be transported in the same vehicle if the vehicle is equipped with separate prisoner compartments. e. When male and female prisoners are transported from one secured facility to another in a vehicle equipped with a prisoner partition system , the male prisoner will be lodged in the rear of the vehicle and the fe male, properly secured with handcuffs to the rear or cuffed with waist chains, may be