Policy Text
Field Services Page 1 of 6 06/02 (REV 1/04)
Response to Dangerous Persons
The purpose of this order is to s et forth policy regarding crit ical incidents involving
dangerous persons.
I. Responsibility Of First Officer On The Scene
The first officer on the scene or the Designated Incident Coord inator (DIC) shall:
A. Assume command of the inciden t until relieved by a senior of ficer or a
supervisor.
B. Request that a Field Superviso r respond to take command of t he situation.
C. Establish a containment/control perimeter.
D. Obtain pertinent information on subject(s) (location, descri ption, weapons,
hostages, and etcetera).
E. Brief Field Supervisor upon arrival at the scene.
F. Keep Communications Bureau adv ised of the situation status.
II. Command Responsibility
A. The first field supervisor on the scene shall assume the com mand of the
critical incident. The superviso r will remain in command until relieved by a
higher-ranking field supervisor . When possible, the watch comm ander of
the field services division in volved shall personally respond t o the scene
and assume command. The watch co mmander (or field supervisor) w ill be
known as the incident commander.
B. The Incident Commander shall:
1. Initiate or maint ain containment and c ontrol of the subject( s) and
their environment and provide prot ection of non-involved citize ns.
Arrange for citizen evacuation, if necessary.
2. Determine the need for a tactical radio channel.
Field Services Page 2 of 6 06/02 (REV 1/04) 3. Determine the need for the Spec ial Enforcement Detail (S.E.D .)
and Critical Incident Negotiation Team (C.I.N.T.) to respond.
4. Keep the Division Commander adv ised of the incident status.
5. Establish an Incident Command Post, a separate Tactical
Command Post (when necessary to c ontrol the inner perimeter),
and a staging area when any of the following criteria exist:
a. It appears the situation will la st a prolonged period of tim e.
b. Additional assistance or support units are responding.
c. Additional lines of com munication are required.
6. Establish and clearly comm unicate to all Patrol Officers and
Supervisors at the scene any restrictions in the use of deadly force.
7. Decide if and when C.I.N.T. will establish communication wit h the
subject(s).
a. Negotiate for release of hostage(s).
b. Negotiate for surr ender of subject(s).
8. If C.I.N.T.'s negotiation effo rts fail or the Incident Comma nder feels
further negotiations would be no n-productive and the decision i s
made to take the armed or suspect ed to be armed subject(s) into
custody without the subject(s) c ooperation, S.E.D. shall be uti lized.
Situations of this type include:
a. Sniper or suspected sniper.
b. Armed or suspected arm ed subject (with or without
hostages).
c. Barricaded or suspected barricaded subject.
d. Riot or potential riot.
e. Need for use of tactical chemical agents, except in riot
situations or defensively to save lives.
f. Apprehension of dangerous felons, dangerous
misdemeanants, or other dangerous subjects.
g. Protection of law enforcemen t and/or fire department units o r
personnel.
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h. Protective services (dignitaries, and etcetera).
i. Rescue of hostages, trapped or isolated armed action.
j. Any situation requiring or potentially requiring the use of
special tactical equipment or skills.
9. Decide when tactical control of the situation is given to th e S.E.D.
The Incident Commander shall re tain overall authority for the
operation, but shall defer to the S.E.D. supervisor for develop ing
and implementing tactical plans . The tactical plans must meet with
the Incident Commander's concurrence.
10. Both S.E.D. and C. I.N.T. will contact the supervisor in cha rge of the
Command Post before taking any action.
11. S.E.D., C.I.N.T., and any other specialized unit involved w ill have a
representative or liaison office r at the Command Post to ensure that
all units and the Incident Comm ander are aware of any action to be
taken.
III. Special Enforcem ent Detail (S.E.D.)
A. S.E.D. shall respond to all critical incidents upon request of any
Sacramento County Sheriff's Depar tment authority. Such request s shall
be in compliance with the S. E.D. call out procedures.
B. The responding S.E.D. sergeant will assume supervisory respo nsibilities
of the tactical portion of the in cident as it relates to S.E.D. involvement
until relieved by a higher-ranking officer from that division.
C. Once the tactical portion o f the operation begins, all infor mation regarding
S.E.D. actions must be r eported to the command post.
D. The S.E.D. supervisor will secu re the scene until relieved o r directed
otherwise by the Incident Commander.
IV. Critical Incident Negot iation Team (C.I.N.T.)
A. C.I.N.T. shall respond to a ll critical incidents upon reques t of a Patrol
supervisor, the Incident Commander or when directed by a C.I.N. T.
Supervisor in compliance with C .I.N.T. calls out