Policy Text
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MJ/RCCC
OPERATIONS ORDER
Transportation of Prisoners
The purpose of this Order is to standardize procedures for the transport of prisoners by
staff assigned to the Main Jail and the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center (RCCC).
I. Policy
Custody staff assigned to the transportation of prisoners shall transport prisoners in a
manner that will provide the highest levels of safety and secur ity available to both the
prisoners and transport staff. Cus tody staff shall operate She riff Department vehicles in
accordance with the Gener al Orders and state law.
II. Transportation Staff Duties
A. Sworn staff assigned to the correctional facilities may be r esponsible for
transporting prisoners. Prisoner transport may occur for a var iety of
reasons and may be scheduled or unscheduled. Most scheduled transports are conducted by the Lon g Haul Transportation Unit, the
Medical Transportation Units, an d the RCCC Facility Transportat ion Bus
Details; however, it may become necessary for the individual sh ifts to
assign staff for transportation duties.
B. Situations where individual s hifts may be responsible for su pplying
transportation staff may include:
1. Unscheduled emergency medi cal transports “Med Runs”.
2. Transportations to the Sacram ento County Mental Health Cente r
(SCMHC).
3. Late notice scheduled m edical appointments.
4. Warrant pickups from other agencies. 5. Inter-facility transfers (FATRNS).
C. Medical Transport Units (“Med Transport”) operate out of the Main Jail
and RCCC . Each facility has designated personnel that are responsible
for transporting prisoners to and from scheduled appointments.
1. At the Main Jail this unit is generally supervised by the Intelligence
Unit supervisor or the on-duty supervisor.
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MJ/RCCC 2. At RCCC , staff assigned to medical transport duties is supervised
by the individual shifts.
D. The Long Haul Transportati on Unit operates out of the Main Jail Division
and is supervised by the Intelligence Unit Supervisor.
1. The Long Haul Transportation Un it is responsible for transpo rting
prisoners to various places withi n the State of California. Th e unit
is minimally responsible for tr ansporting the following prisone rs:
a. All newly committed state pr isoners to state facilities.
b. Prisoners returning from state and county facilities back to
Sacramento County per court order.
c. Prisoners committed to state and mental health facilities.
d. Persons held in other Califor nia jurisdictions on Sacramento
County Superior Court and Sa cramento County Juvenile
Court warrants.
e. Sacramento County Juvenile Probation Wards to his/her
guardian’s county of residence.
f. Local prisoners scheduled for satellite courts within the
county.
E. The RCCC Facility Transportation Bus(es) (“branch bus”) operates out of
RCCC and is supervised by on duty RCCC shift supervisors.
1. Staff assigned to operate a bus must possess a Class “B” dri vers
license, complete all DMV require ments related to driving a bus ,
and successfully complete at lea st twenty hours of on-duty driv ers
training with an RCCC bus driver.
2. The RCCC buses are generally used for transporting prisoners
scheduled for court and inter-facility transfers to and from th e Main
Jail and RCCC .
III. Transport Staff Responsibilities
A. Except for emergency life thr eatening situations, transport staff will not
involve themselves in law enforce ment activities such as, but n ot limited
to, vehicle stops, cover unit assistance, and/or pursuits, when a c t i v e l y
engaged in a transport activity wit h a prisoner(s) in the vehic le.
B. Two officers are generally assigned to any transportation as signment.
Transportation staff assigned to transport prisoners shall have the
following responsibilities:
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MJ/RCCC 1. Vehicles shall be thoroughly se arched and inspected before a nd
after each transportation assignment.
2. One deputy shall remain with the prisoner(s) at all times.
3. The passenger deputy shall be cognizant of the prisoner(s)
movement and behavior while traveling.
4. Before entering any secured fa cility, the deputies will secu re any
firearms in a locked box in the vehicle, or in a storage locker at the
facility. Weapons shall not be placed on the floor or under th e seat.
5. Prior to transporting a pr isoner from another facility, tran sport staff
should check with custody staff, medical staff, and/or psychiat ric
staff to determine if the prisoner has any special needs or to determine any antic ipated behavior.
6. Upon return to the Main Jail or RCCC , the vehicle shall be refueled
and cleaned.
C. Transporting deputies shall mi nimally conduct a pat-down sea rch and
metal detector search consistent with departmental guidelines o n all
prisoners before placing the prisoner in the vehicle. If the p risoner meets
strip search criteria, the sear ch will be done a ccording to exi sting policy.
1. Once the subject(s) are sec urely restrained, the prisoner(s) mouth
should be examined for any concealed contraband.
2. At the end of