Policy Text
Court Security Division P age 1 of 3 4/01 (REV 6/11)
Holding Area: Inmate Pat-Down Process
The purpose of this Operations Or der is to establish guidelines to control the introduction
of contraband in Court facilities a nd maintain a safe and secur e environment at all
Sacramento County Super ior Court facilities.
I. Policy
All inmates shall be searched by officers for weapons and/or co ntraband upon
their initial arriva l in the holding area.
A. For the purposes of this Operat ions Order, the term "inmate" includes in-
custody defendants/witnesses, thos e persons who are remanded in to
custody by the Court, and arrestees.
B. All searches shall be conduct ed in a manner that is professi onal and
dignified and shall not involve any punishment or harassment.
C. "It is the policy of the Sacr amento County Sheriff’s Departm ent to review
and approve all request s for religious accommodation unless the inmate
request is not based on his or her sincerely held religious bel iefs, or if
denying the request will further a compelling Department intere st such as
avoiding burdensome expenses, burdensome administrative needs, or
breaches in security and denial is the least restrictive option available."
1. Correctional Services Operations Order 8/12
II. Authority
A. Agencies should refrain from cross-gender searches including pat-down
searches unless an exigent emer gency situation requires an imme diate pat-
down by a member o f the opposite sex.
1. Jordan v. Gardner, 9 86 F. 2d 1521 (1993)
III. General Guidelines
A. Officers shall conduct a cursory search of each inmate for w eapons and/or
contraband prior to escorting t he inmate to a holding cell.
B. Court Security personnel shall search inmates of the same ge nder as
directed by case law decisions:
Court Security Division P age 2 of 3 4/01 (REV 6/11) 1. Male officers shall pat down male inmates
2. Female officers shall pat down female inmates.
C. Absent exigent circumstances , cross-gender searching shall n ot be
permitted.
1. A modification of officer work schedules may be required to avoid
this cross-gender search issue.
D. Inmates are allowed to po ssess legal paper s and/or legal boo ks needed for
court appearances.
E. All inmate property shall be ex amined for the presence of co ntraband.
Inmates may not have combs, candy, toiletry items, pencils, pap er clips,
staples, rubber bands, or other ite ms that might be used as a w eapon.
F. All items of contraband shall be confiscated by officers and , if necessary, be
booked as evidence.
IV. Religious Accommodation
A. "Inmates may profess a relig ion that requires modesty as a k ey component
of their religious practices. T o achieve this level of modesty they are
required to wear head coverings. Arrestees at intake shall not be permitted
to retain their personal relig ious head coverings without first being subject
to a complete search. Once a cursory search of the arrestee ha s been
conducted and all other personal i tems have been removed from t he
arrestee, staff shall escort the inmate to an area of privacy, and instruct the
inmate to remove their religi ous head covering. After reasonab ly ensuring
the inmate’s hair and head coveri ng are free of contraband, wea pons and
drugs, and that the head covering itself is not of sufficient l ength to be used
to hang oneself with, the religious head covering shall be retu rned and the
inmate shall be allowed to repl ace their head covering before l eaving the
private area."
1. Correctional Services Operations Order 8/12 V. Specific Guidelines for t he Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse
A. Because of the high volume of i nmates transported from the M ain Jail and
processed through this court fa cility on a daily basis, a desig nated team of
pat down officers is required.
1. Other available officers may be assigned on a temporary, as needed
basis, to assist with pat-downs.
B. The Custody Sergeant shall be the designated pat-down team s upervisor.
Court Security Division P age 3 of 3 4/01 (REV 6/11) C. Morning pat-down team member s should be available to report to the
holding area by 0730 hours each day . They should be assigned t o perform
pat-down duties until all inma tes have arrived and have been se arched.
D. Afternoon pat-down team members should be available to repor t to the
holding area by 1300 hours each day . They should be assigned t o perform
pat-down duties until all inma tes have arrived and have been se arched.