Policy Text
Departmental Memorandum
Volume 25-1
To: All Personnel Katherine Lester , Chief of Police
From : Captain Ethan Hanson , Office of Investigations
ELECTRONIC SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE REPORTING
SYSTEM
(ESCARS)
2-27-2025
The purpose of this departmental memorandum is to establish procedures for the Electronic Suspected Child
Abuse Reporting System (ESCARS) and expires upon publication and update of General Order 540.02
(Reporting Child Abuse – revised 08/22/2017).
ESCARS is designed to ensure that reports of suspected child abuse are promptly accepted, triaged, and
investigated to protect children and ensur e compliance with the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
(CANRA) in accordance with Penal Code §§ 11164 -11174.3.
To achieve an immediate and thorough response to suspected child abuse reports, the department will use a
triad approach involving the Communications Division , the Office of Operations , and the Office of
Investigations. This memorandum introduc es ESCARS and outline s the roles and responsibilities for each
entity.
In California, CANRA mandates that certain professionals (mandated reporters) must report suspected child
abuse and neglect to the Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services (DCFAS), local law enforcement,
and the county district attorney's office. The district attorney ’s office oversees the response and results of each
investigation.
Due to outdated and inefficient communication methods, such as faxed or mailed hard -copy forms, many
California counties struggle with timely cross -reporting . ESCARS was created to address these issues by
ensuring all reports of child neglect and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse , are entered into a centralized
system. With the implementation of ESCARS, the Sacramento Police Department will review every Suspected
Child Abuse Report ( SCAR ), ensuring compliance with CANRA and the immediate protection of children.
Response Proc edures
Communications Division :
1. Monitor the DCFAS ESCAR S system daily.
2. Asses s and e nter all ESCARS reports that meet the criteria as a call for service into the computer -aided
dispatch ( CAD ) system with an appropriate police incident type code. The priority can be upgraded or
downgraded depending on incident details. The term ESCARS will be used at the beginning of the text of
the call.
3. Verify the incident location is within city limits.
Departmental Memorandum
Volume 25-1
To: All Personnel Katherine Lester , Chief of Police
From : Captain Ethan Hanson, Office of Investigations
4. Confirm that the ESCARS report is not a d uplicate report , and that law enforcement has not already
responded to, investigated, and documented the incident.
5. Note the 19 -digit ESCAR S reference number on the CAD call for service.
Office of Operations :
1. When dispatched to an ESCARS call for service , officers shall:
a. Respond as soon as practical and c onduct an independent investigation for the dispatched ESCARS
call.
b. In accordance with Penal Code § 11167(d)(1) , officers are required to protect the identity of all reporting
persons, including mandated reporters, when responding to reports of suspected child abuse.
c. Any identifying information shall remain confidential and only shared among other law enforcement
agencies ( e.g., CPS, DA’s Office, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement), or to a licensing
agency when abuse or neglect in out -of-home care is reasonably suspected.
d. Write the applicable report when investigating any reports of suspected child abuse ( e.g., crime or
information report) .
e. Notify DCFAS by phone immediately by calling (916) 875-KIDS (5437) .
f. Note the ESCAR S reference number in the report.
g. Not complete another SCAR form unless a separate incident has been discovered. This mandate has
already been fulfilled by the original ESCAR S report.
(1) If an additional victim or separate incident is discovered, officers shall generate a new SCAR in
accordance with GO 540.02 (Reporting Child Abuse, Neglect, Molestation, or Sexual exploitation
Cases).
2. Exceptions for dispatch ing ESCARS call for service :
a. Patrol supervisor approval when the incident does not meet criteria for suspected child abuse in
accordance with Penal Code § 11166(a)(1).
3. If officers are u nable to make contact or locate the parties or the call is canceled by a patrol supervisor :
a. Officers shall consult their supervisor if they are unable to locate or contact the reporting party or victim.
b. The supervisor shall review the call and provide guidance o f how to proceed.
(1) The supervisor shall determine if the alleged abuse is serious enough to require the continuing
efforts of officers to locate the victim or whether another unit can be dispatched later.
4. Canceling the call:
a. When all reasonable efforts have been made to locate the reporting party or an alleged victim, the call
can be dispositioned with patrol supervisor approval.
b. Responding officers shall document in the appropriate report t he investigative steps taken and note that
contact was not made with the victim or reporting party.
5. Patrol supervisor responsibilities :
a. Monitor ESCAR S investigations and provide guidance to responding officers .
b. Determine if an immediate patrol response is appropriate based on time of day, severity of the reported
abuse, and available resources.
(1) If the supervisor determines that a delayed response is appropriate, they shall ensure that
appropriate arrangements are made with the SPD Communications Center for the call to be