Policy Text
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDERS
GO 110.01
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110.01
GENERAL ORDER AUTHORITY
01-10-23
PURPOSE
The purpose of this order is to state the authority of the Automated Manual System (AMS) , define its
powers and limitations , and establish guidelines of consistency for the development of Sacramento
Police Department (SPD) policies .
POLICY
It shall be the policy of the Sacramento Police Department that all employees read, understand, and
adhere to the policies published in the AMS.
PROCEDURE
A. DEFINITIONS
1. Automated Manual System (AMS) – A resource for storing and accessing Department policies,
manuals, forms, and reference materials electronically.
2. General Orders (GO) – The highest level of Department directive to announce, adopt, or revise
a policy or pr ocedure applica ble throughout the Department.
NOTE: GOs shall take precedence over any conflicting Office Orders. GOs shall comply and
not conflict with labor agreements, Civil Service Rules and Regulations, City policy or any laws.
3. Office Orders – Policies and procedures of a particular Office that only apply to personnel
within an office/ command.
4. Reference Manuals (RM) – Procedural directives that provide guidance on how to perform
specific tasks or functions.
5. Division/Section/Unit Directives – Policies and procedures established for a Division, Section,
or Unit. Directives shall only apply to personnel within that command and shall not conflict with
any GOs or Office Orders in the AMS.
B. GENERAL
1. All Department employees shall have access to the AMS an d adhere to its content s.
2. Any Department employees who violate State or Federal Laws, Department policies, Civil
Service Board Rules, or City policy are subject to disciplinary action.
3. The AMS shall be the central written repository of policies and procedu res on which daily
operations of the Department are based.
4. Employees shall not release any Department policy or reference material to anyone outside of
the Department without the consent and knowledge of the Professional Standards Unit (PSU )
or as required by law . Employees may refer members of the public to the Sacramento Police
Department’s website, which contains publicly released policies and reference materials.
C. RESPONSIBILITY
1. CITY CHARTER – “The Chief of Police shall have control, management and direction of all
members of the Police Department in the lawful exercise of the Chief’s functions with full power
to detail any of the members to such public service as the Chief may direct. The Chief shall
recommend to the City Manager members of the force for demotion or dismissal and can
suspend and prefer charges against any officer or member.” [Article VIII, Section 100]
2. The Chief of Police (COP) shall have the authority to adopt rules, regulations, and procedures
for the administration of the Department. This authority shall include fixing duties , providing for
their enforcement , and prescribing penalties for violat ions of such rules or procedures.
3. The Professi onal Standards Unit shall :
a. Serve as the administrat ive and quality control section for all orders within the AMS.
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDERS
GO 110.01
Page 2 of 2
b. Release updated orders once they have been approved by the COP or designee .
c. Maintain records of all approved orders within the Department’s software platform which
tracks the policy approval proces s, including the final approval of the COP or his/her
designee.
d. Maintain the historical and research information associated with policy development,
including drafts , and the dates of policies posted to AMS .
D. GENERAL ORDER CREATION AND REVISION
1. GOs and Office Orders shall be reviewed no fewer than once every three years to determine
if revisions are necessary.
2. GOs and Office Orders may be initiated or revised by submitting a draft to PSU through the
Chain of Command.
3. GOs and Office Orders shall be staffed to supervisors, managers, subject matter experts , and
other concerned parties as deemed necessary.
4. RMs shall be routed through PSU for quality control, conflict review , and formatting before
approval.
5. Existing GOs and Office Orders may be assigned for review and possible revision at the
discretion of the PSU lieutenant on an as -needed basis.
E. DEVELOPMENT OF CONTENT
1. All GOs shall be written in Arial 11 font with headers and footers consistent with this
document.
2. Ordering of headings and subheadings shall be depicted as follows: A. – 1. – a. – (1) – (a).
For particularly lengthy orders or manuals, Roman numeral headings (I, II, III, IV, etc.) may be
used to divide major areas of content above the prescribed order (e.g., IV. – A. – 1. – a.,
etc.).
3. Until being marked for revision, existing GOs may retain their current formatting.
4. Questions or points of contention regarding grammar, usage, syntax, style, or any other
aspect of the English language shall be resolved by consulting well -established refer ence
materials such as the Associated Press Stylebook or similar publication unless directed by
the COP or his/her designee .
5. PSU shall retain final authority on all matters pertaining to the appearance and formatting of
the GOs to ensure consistency throughout all orders administered by the Department.
F. APPROVAL
1. PSU shall submit all GOs contained within the AMS to the COP or desi gnee for approval.
2. A GO or Office