Policy Text
Page 1 of 6 GENER AL ORD ER 9-3 – (07/25/2024 )
DIFFERENTIAL POLI CE RESPONSE (DPR)
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
Subject: DIFFERENTIAL POLICE RESPONSE (DPR)
Chapter
9 Number
3 Pages
6
References:
CALEA Standards: 81.2.1, 82.2.5
Related Orders: 7-18 Effective Date: 07/25/2024
Revised By: Review
Prv. Rev. Dat e: 04/05/2 019
Chief of Police:
If any provision of this General Order conflicts with any collective bargaining article, the collective bargaining
agreement shall govern.
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this directive is to establish the guidelines for the Diffe rential P olice
Response (DPR). DPR is designed to enhance the delivery of police service s to the
community through a method in which calls f or service are dispatched, deferred, or cleared.
The goal is to reduce the number of calls for service that require a physic al police response.
Any time saved through the use of DPR s ervice will be utilized by the sector units to engage
in problem -solving and proact ive crime prevention measures. [CALEA 82.2.5]
II. SUMMARY OF CHANGE
The general order was due for review . All changes made are in bold with italics.
III. POLICY
A. It is the policy of the Richmond Police Department (RPD) to provide 24 -hour
telephone access to the public for emergenc y calls for service. The Department is
committed to providing its citizens with improv ed communications, acceptable
response t imes to emergency calls and crimes -in-progress , and effective crime -
fighting methods to help improve the overall quality of life. The prima ry
responsibility of DPR personnel is to: [CALEA 82.2.5]
1. Compile Inc ident Based Reports (IBR);
2. Field questio ns from complainants and give advice; and,
3. Assist callers requiring referrals to other agencies.
B. The primary objective of DPR se rvices is t o expedite report ed calls for service on
incidents that have already been c ommitted or having o ccurred during an
undetermined timeframe, while at the same time allowing a sector unit to remain in
service for higher priority calls and proactive e nforcement measures . Any incident
that has “just occurred” where there exists the poss ibility of imminent danger of any
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DIFFERENTIAL POLI CE RESPONSE (DPR) kind t o life or property or community disorder shall require a police response. Each
Precinct’s Commander or designee is responsible f or guarante eing that this policy is
enforced.
IV. ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT
All empl oyees are expected to fully comply with the guidelines and timelines set forth in
this General Order. Failure to comply will result in appropriate co rrective action.
Responsibili ty rests with the Division Commander to ensure that any violations of policy are
investigated and appropriate traini ng, counseling and/or disciplinary action is initiated.
This directive is for internal use only and does not enlarge an employee’s civil li ability in
any way. It should not be construed as the creation of a higher s tandard of safety or case in
an evident iary sense, with respect to third party claims. Violation of this directive, if
proven, can only form the bas is of a complaint by this Depa rtment, and then only in a non -
judicial administrative setting.
V. DEFINITIONS
A. DEPARTMENT OF EMERGE NCY COMMUNICATIONS , PREPAREDNESS
AND RESPONSE (DEC PR) – The Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the
E-911 telephone system in the City of Richmond , charge d with the appropriate
routing of E -911 calls received and the coordination o f all emergency radio and
telephone com munications .
B. RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ( ) – The Department ’s
database into which information is entered , stored , and retrieve d for investigative
purposes.
C. INCIDENT – An event that contains one or more o ffenses involving one or more
victims a nd/or suspects.
D. INCIDENT BASED REPORT (IBR) – The forma t for recording of incident
information which describes the incident, offense, victim , suspect, vehicles, and
property , as well as a detailed narrati ve. Each Incident Based Report must contain ,
at a m inimum, an offense, victim, suspect and narrative section. Depending on the
circumstances of each offense, other supplemental reports may b e required.
VI. PROCEDURE
A. DEC Procedures for directing calls for service to DPR personnel :
1. Emergency Communications Officers will evaluate each request for service
to determine the appropriate police response. Supervisors in DEC will assist,
as necessary, in the classification and prioritization of requests to ensure the
most efficie nt police response.
2. Calls whi ch do not require an immediate response will be prioritized based
on urgency and police unit availability. When a delay in response is
anticipated, Emergency Communications Officers will a dvise the caller and
provide an estimat e of how long the delay may be.
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DIFFER