Policy Text
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTIVE
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTIVE 524.07
PAGE 1 of 1
524.07
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC OBSERVING CRIMES IN PROGRESS
1-31-23
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Communications Directive is to establish procedures for Communications personnel
in assisting members of the public who are observing crimes in progress.
POLICY
It shall be the policy of the Communications Division to assist in law enforcement’s response to crimes in
progress by obtaining pertinent information from members of the public who choose to continue to observe
crimes in progress.
PROCEDURE
A. GENERAL
1. When it is appropriate, as indicated below, dispatchers should remain on the line with members of the
public observing a crime in progress to assist responding officers . This is particularly helpful with high
priority, quickly changing incidents, or moving calls for service.
a. Dispatchers shall use prudent judgment , using the same parameters listed in Communications
Directive 500.03 (Criteria for Dispatch ) to determine when it is appropriate to assist officers by
staying on the line with a caller.
2. When callers ask if they should continue to observe an incident, communications personnel shall
not provide direction. Instead, personnel shall advise the callers to use their own discretion.
3. If a caller in a moving vehicle of any kind chooses to continue to observe, dispatchers shall advise
the caller that all applicable laws and/or the rules of the road must be followed.
4. Dispatchers shall be mindful of public safety. Callers should be encouraged to exercise caution when
information received indicates that unsafe acts are being performed while the caller is observing a
crime in progress.
5. Dispatchers shall remain on the line with the caller until:
a. The caller stops following the suspect(s) , or they can no longer see the suspect(s).
b. Officers have contacted the caller .
c. The call is lost.
d. The call taker and/or the floor supervisor determines that the call volume and workload within the
communication center prevent the d ispatcher from remaining on the phone, or it is determined
by either the d ispatcher or a f loor supervisor that no units will be available to respond in an
immediate or reasonable time.
6. Upon receiving calls involving a caller following a suspect (s), dispatchers shall broadcast the
information as a pending call.
B. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
1. The following questions may be helpful to responding units and sergeants when determining the most
appropriate response to a call involving a moving vehicle.
a. What is the description of a vehicle if a caller is following a suspect ?
b. Whether the caller think s that the suspect knows they are being followed.
c. How many occupants are in the suspect vehicle?
d. What is the caller’s s peed?
e. What are the s urrounding t raffic conditions ?
2. All questions should be phrased in a way that does not encourage the caller to perform unsafe
acts to catch up to the suspect(s) or for continued observ ations of the suspect (s).