Policy Text
Page 1 of 7 2/06 (REV 2/2021)
Officer -Involved Shooting Incidents
The purpose of this General Order is to set forth procedures and policy for reporting,
investigation , and notifications regarding officer -involved shooting incidents. Except
only as explicitly stated below, t his Order applies to all intentional and unintentional
firearm discharges by an employee , whether on or off -duty, including but not limited to
those that result in injury or death to a human, intentional firearm discharges at a human
that miss, intentional firearm discharges at animals or inanimate objects, and accidental
discharges. This Order also applies when an employee is fired upon.
This Order does not apply to normal firearm discharges that occur at the Range under
the supervision of Range staff, and other agency sanctioned training that occurs at
other locations, or legitimate sporting or hunting activity.
I. Involved Officer’s Responsibilities
A. Stabilize the situation.
1. Request assistance from other officers, or if out of County, notify
law enforcement agency of jurisdiction.
2. Request a supervisor.
3. Request medical attention for any injured persons.
4. Administer first -aid if necessary and practical.
5. Protect and maintain the scene of the shooting.
B. Immediate notification of Communications Sergeant is required.
1. Off-duty employees must notify or cause to be notified the
Communications Sergeant as soon as possible afte r the incident
regardless of the jurisdiction of occurrence.
2. The on -duty supervisor who is made aware of an officer -involved
shooting incident will be responsible for ensuring that the
Communication s Sergeant is notified.
Page 2 of 7 2/06 (REV 2/2021)
3. Once the Communications Sergeant is aware of the situation ,
he/she will make the appropriate notifications per General Order
7/04, Notification Requirements.
II. Intentional Shootings Towards a Human (Resulting in Death, Injury, Non -Injury,
Unknown Injury)
A. The Homicide Detail will be the primary investigat ive team for shootings
occurring within the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction .
1. The Homicide Detail supervisor will be in charge of the
investigation.
2. The Homicide Detail supervisor shall ensu re that a thorough
investigation is conducted in accordance with established
investigative procedures.
3. The Homicide Detail shall collect firearms discharged in shooting
incidents from the involved employee and submit them for the
appropriate testing by the crime lab.
a. The Range supervisor or designee shall respond
immediately to issue the involved employee a “loaner”
weapon.
B. The Internal Affairs Commander or Assistant Commander shall be
promptly notified of the shooting incident.
1. An Internal Aff airs investigator shall respond to the scene to learn
about the incident and to monitor the course of the investigation.
2. An Internal Affairs investigator shall monitor the interviews of
involved officers and witnesses utilizing available monitoring
technology.
3. At the direction of the Sheriff, Internal Affairs may assume
responsibility for the investigation.
C. The on -call District Attorney investigator shall be promptly notified of any
shooting incident that res ults in human injury or death.
1. The District Attorney’s policy in these types of cases calls for the
response of a District Attorney’s investigator to monitor the course
of the investigation.
2. The Communications supervisor will ensure the notification is made
per General Order 7/04, Notification Requirements.
Page 3 of 7 2/06 (REV 2/2021) 3. The Homicide Detail will provide the District Attorney’s Office with
all the reports and video/audio recordings. The District Attorney will
issue a written ruling indicating wheth er or not the shooting was
lawful .
D. The field supervisor or Watch C ommander in charge of the incident is
responsible for:
1. Stabilizing the situation. Exigent circumstances may dictate an
immediate questioning of witnesses and/or involved officers an d the
probable cause arrest of a suspect if applicable.
2. Implementing the Incident Command System (ICS) to the extent
necessary to maintain control and ensure adequate resources.
3. Notifying the communications supervisor.
4. Maintaining the integrity of the shooting scene.
5. Ensuring a public safety statement is obtained.
6. Identifying witnesses and arranging their transportation to an
interview site if necessary.
7. Ensuring that involved personnel are transported to the interview
site by an employee assigned at the direction of the field s upervisor
or Watch Commander. “Involved personnel” includes any officer
that discharged his/her firearm .
8. The assignment of an employee to remain with the involved
personnel to act as a comfort and aid. This employee shall refrain
from providing event information or discussing the actual incident
prior to formal interviews.
9. Ensuring that the involved personnel does not discuss the incident
among themselves prior to their formal interview.
10. At the request of the Homicide Detail, direct patrol officers to
conduct detailed interviews of witnesses.
11. Ensure adequate security for witnesses/suspects at interview sites.
12. Absent extraordinary circumstances, ensure that involved
personnel retain s any firearms discharged during the incident while
they are in the field. The firearm will be collected later by the
Homicide Detail.
E. A preliminary walkthrough of the scene(s) will be conducted by the
Homicide Detail.
Page 4 of 7 2/06 (REV 2/2021) 1. Only the involved employee(s) , his/her attorney or labor