Policy Text
Page 1 of 7 General Order 01 -21 (08/29/ 2025)
CONDUC TED ENE RGY WEAPONS
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
Subject: CONDUCT ED ENERGY WEAPONS
Chapter
1 Number
21 Pages
7
References :
CALEA Standards: 1.2.2, 4.1.4, 4.1.5 , 4.2.1b -c,
4.3.1 a, c-e, 4.3.2, 4.3.3, 4.3.4 , 17.5.2
Related Orders:
01-05, 01 -07, 01 -08, 0 1-20,
04-04, 07-22
Effective Date : 08/29/2025
Revised By: PD-132
Prv. Rev. Date: 10/25/2024
If any provision of this General Order conflicts with any collective bargaining article,
the collective bargaining agreement shall govern.
Chief of Police:
I. PURP OSE
The purpose of this directive is t o establ ish the policy and procedure for the training,
issuanc e, carry, use and maintenance of Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs) issued to
Officers of the Richmond Police Department.
[CALEA 1.2.2, & 4.1.4 ]
II. SUMMARY OF CHANGE
This revisi on removes VI. PROCEDURE C.1.(e) and replaces it with VI. PROCEDURE
C.2. This revision also adds VI. PROCEDURE A.2. to comply with CALEA standard 4.3.1
bullet e. All changes are in bold and it alicize d throughout the document .
III. POLICY
It is the policy of the Richmond Police Department to en sure that O fficers are properly
trained and equipped for the appropriate use of CEWs.
IV. ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT
All employees are expected to fully comply with the guidelines and timelines se t forth in this
general order. Responsibility rests with the Division Commander t o ensure that any
violations of policy are investigated and appropriate training, counseling and/or disciplinary
action is initiated.
This dir ective is for internal use only and does not enlarge an employee’s civil liability in any
way. I t should not be construed as the cre ation of a higher standard of safety or car e in an
evidentiary sense, with respect to third party claims. Violation of this direc tive, if proven,
can only form the basis of a complaint by this Department, and then only in a non- judicial
administrative setting.
Page 2 of 7 General Order 01 -21 (08/29/2025)
CONDUC TED ENE RGY WEAPONS
V. DEFINITION S
A. CONDUCTED ENERGY WEAPON (CEW) – An electroshock weapon that delivers
an ener gy current via two probes or e lectrod es to disrupt voluntar y control of the
muscles causing temporary neuromuscular incapaci tation.
B. CONDUCT ED ENER GY WEAPON (CEW) COORDINATOR – Employee designated
by the Chief of Police to manage the Conducted Energy Weapon program .
C. NEUROMUSCULAR INCAPACITATI ON (NMI) – A physical s tate that occurs when
a CEW is able to cause involuntary stimulation of both t he sensory nerves and the
motor nerves to render an attacker temporarily unable to control muscle movement.
D. FUNCTION T EST – A test that should be per formed prior to the start of e ach shift to
ensure proper function of the core electronics of the CEW. C ommo nly ref erred to as a
“spark test”.
E. DRIVE STUN – A pain compliance technique in which NMI is not achieved.
F. CARTRIDGE – A detachable contai ner, which houses a pair of electrode probes and
propellant for a single deployment of the CEW.
G. ELECTRODE – Energy cont act on th e CEW used to deliver a shock with the drive stun
technique.
H. PROBE – Projectile fired from a cart ridge by a CEW.
VI. PROCEDURE
A. Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) : [CALEA 4.1.4]
1. Prior to Officer s receiving the CEW, the qualified weapon instruc tor(s) shall
inspect the weapon prior to issuance. The CEW C oordinator or designee shall also
maintain the tra cking system through and .
[CAL EA 4.3.1c, 4.3.3a, 17.5.2]
2. The CEW Coor dinator shall maintain a list of all CEW s the Department owns,
including serial numb er, condition, and the name and employee number of the
sworn officer a CEW is assigned to. [CALEA 4.3.1e]
3. The Department has a uthorized the for u se. No other CEW is author ized
for use by Department personnel. [CALEA 4.3.1 a]
4. The CEW shall be as signed to select Officer s withi n the Department , to include
all uniformed personnel the rank of Sergeant and bel ow who serve within patrol
operatio ns, and/or any speci alized units as designated by the Chief of Police.