Policy Text
Page 1 of 3 10/07 (REV 8/96)
Department Issued Portable Radios
The purpose of this General Order i s to describe the policy and procedures relative to
the use and care of Departmen t issued portable radios
I. Policy
All Sheriff’s Department employ ees who are issued a portable ra dio shall be responsible
for the appropriate operation of th e radio, as well as its care and maintenance by
authorized service personnel. The e mployee issued a portable ra dio shall be its sole
operator. II. Procedure
A. On-Duty Use
1. The portable radio shall be used while in an on-duty capacit y in a
manner which is consistent with all existing departmental polic ies
and procedures gover ning such usage.
B. Off-Duty Use
1. The portable radio may only be used in an off-duty capacity under
the following operations:
a. While assigned to a departm entally authorized off duty
employment function pursuan t to General Order 5/01.
b. While present at a vehicle a ccident, fire or critical emerge ncy
and it is apparent that the emer gency service agency having
jurisdiction is not on-scene or aware of the incident.
c. While observing crimes in pr ogress where the seriousness of
the situation compels immediat e involvement of the off-duty
employee. In such situations , the employee must assess the
facts known to him/her at t he time of the involvement, and
using good judgment and common sense, objectively weigh
the potential risks of suc h involvement. Under such
circumstances, employees shall conform to the requirements of General Order 9/01.
Page 2 of 3 10/07 (REV 8/96)
2. Off-Duty Unit Designation
a. When using SSD radi o channels, employees shall use the
designation, “off-duty office r” and use assigned departmental
radio call number, if applicable . If a radio call number is not
applicable, the off-duty officer shall identify themselves by
name preceding any radio transmission. This will assist in alleviating confusion in the field and the Communications Bureau relative to an employee’s status and his/her available
resources.
b. If the employee is worki ng an authorized off-duty law
enforcement assignment, the empl oyee shall use the radio
call number assigned by the off- duty work coordinator when
using SSD radio channels.
c. When using outside agency r adio channels, the employee
will include the designation “Sac ramento Sheriff” with “off-
duty officer (name)” prio r to each transmission.
C. Emergency Button Activation
1. The orange button located on t he top portion of the case of
Motorola MTS 2000 portable radio is to be activated only in the
event of an emergency.
2. Once an emergency activati on has been made, the affected
employee is responsible for clear ing the emergency status of
his/her individual radio as soon as practicable. “Accidental”
emergency activations must also be cleared by the originating
employee.
3. The emergency status of the portable radio is cleared by
depressing the orange activation button for at least two (2)
seconds. An “emergency exit” t one will be heard until the orang e
activation button is released. On ce the button is released, the
portable radio will be ou t of emergency status.
D. Maintenance and Care
1. The issued portabl e radio is the property of the Sacramento County
Sheriff’s Department. All repa irs are to be made through the
Technical Services Division pur suant to General Order 10/01. Se lf-
accomplished repairs, alterations or modifications of any kind are
prohibited.
Page 3 of 3 10/07 (REV 8/96)
2. Although the Motorola MTS 2000 portable radios are durable, they
are not indestructible. With r easonable care this radio will pr ovide
many years of service. The plas tic casing of the radio is
weatherproof, but not w aterproof. Radios sh ould not be submerge d
in any liquid. The radio battery is susceptible to damage from heat
and should not be left for extende d periods in vehicle trunks o r
direct sunlight. The plastic ca sing of the radio may be wiped w ith a
damp cloth but under no circumst ances should any solvents be
used to clean the exterior of t he radio or battery. These can
dissolve the casing of the radi o and battery causing serious
damage, as well as cause serious injury to the officer.
D. Loss Reporting
1. Lost or stolen portable radios shall be reported immediately to the
Communications Bureau at which time the radio will be deactivat ed.
2. The same reporting requirem ents as listed in General Order 4/06
shall be followed in order to pro perly record the loss of any p ortable
radio.