GO 510.0320Public Alerts and Warnings Redacted

SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS GO 510.03 Page 1 of 4 510.03 PUBLIC ALERTS AND WARNINGS 07-17-2023 PURPOSE The purpose of this order is to establish procedures for alerting the public to important information using the Community Emergency Notification System and Emergency Alert System . POLICY It shall be the policy of the Sacramento Police Department to promote public safety by facilitating a variety of public alerts and warning notifications between the community and public safety service providers. PROCEDURE A. DEFINITIONS 1. COMMUNITY EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM ( CENS) – An automated communication platform maintained by the Sacramento Police Department (SPD) to send emergency messages to specific geographic areas as well as to registered persons during a critical event. 2. SAC -ALERT – A message sen t using CENS . 3. POC –The Police Operations Center. 4. EOC –The City of Sacramento Emergency Operations Center. 5. MOU – A memorandum of understanding between the Sacramento Police Department and participating agencies. 6. USER AGREEMENT – Guidelines established for CENS participating agencies located at the SPD Communications Center. 7. GEO ZONE – A specific and geographically defined area. 8. EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM (EAS) – A national public warning system that may be used by state and local authorities to deliver important emergency information, such as alerts targeted to persons within specific areas. 9. AMBER ALERT – A public alert issued in child abduction cases. Child abduction cases that meet specified criteria require an Amber Alert be issued by the investigating agency. 10. SILVER ALERT – A public alert which may be issued when a person 65 years of age or older, developmentally disabled, or cognitively impaired, has been reported missing and is determined to be at -risk. 11. FEATHER ALERT – A public alert which may be issued when an indigenous person has been reported missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances. 12. YELLOW ALERT – A public alert which may be issued under certain conditions when a person has suffered serious bodily injury or been killed in a hit and run incident. 13. BLUE ALERT – A public alert which may be issued when a violent attack on a law enforcement officer has occurred and a search for the suspect is active. Blue Alerts provide immediate information to the public to prevent further harm and aid in the swift apprehension of the suspect. B. CENS ACCESS LEVEL 1. ALL ACCESS DISPATCHER – The CENS user's access level shall be such that their privileges allow baseline operational activation and control of an event. 2. ORGANIZATION ADMINISTRATOR – The CENS supervisor's access level shall include all functions allowed to the system user, with additional capabilities to add or modify user access SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS GO 510.03 Page 2 of 4 levels, perform minor updates to system databases, and run statistical reports as required. 3. ACCOUNT ADMINISTRATOR – The CENS administrator's access level shall include all functions allowed to the system supervisor, with the added ability to delete user access levels, perform system database updates, perform compliance audits and other event statistical reports, back -up system operations, and perform higher level functions common to system administrators. C. GENERAL 1. CENS shall only be used for official public safety and/or emergency notifications including, but not limited to: a. Community evacuations or recommended action instructions for critical events, such as natural or man -made disasters. b. Crime alerts providing urgent information pertaining to public safety with the intent of protecting lives and property. c. Missing persons in imminent danger, in conjunction with other types of public alerts (e.g., AMBER ALERT, SILVER ALERT, FEATHER ALERT), when appropriate. d. Other types of time -critical messages deemed an emergency by the approving authority. 2. The system may be used for non -emergency or public service announcements; however, the 911 telephone data shall not be used for these types of notifications. 3. Prohibited uses of CENS include, but are not limited to: a. Notifications to neighborhoods regarding meetings or public events. b. Political messages. c. Notifications regarding minor incidents or missing persons where no immediate threat of death or injury to the missing party or the community is evident. 4. Only agencies that are parties to the operative MOU shall use CENS. 5. Each participating agency shall have organization administrators and fully -trained personnel. D. SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT USE OF CENS 1. Division commanders or watch commanders requesting to use CENS shall contact a supervising dispatcher, dispatcher III, or designee, to: a. Coordinate the GEO ZONE for the Sac -Alert. b. If necessary, initiate the cancellation or termination of a Sac -Alert. 2. The Communications Division shall: a. Make appropriate notifications of the outgoing Sac -Alert and other notifications to the watch commander and district sergeant. b. If an incident is not already active, enter a CAD incident . c. Send a Sac -Alert at the direction of either the chief of police, a division commander, or watch commander. d. Evaluate staffing at the Communications Center and call in any additional personnel to the POC or EOC as directed. e. If necessary, dedicate a radio channel. 3. After sending a Sac -Alert, the Communications Division shall send a management notification and an email to detailing the: a. Circumstances of the request. b. GEO ZONE of the Sac -Alert. c. Approving authority. E. OTHER CITY DEPARTMENT USE OF CENS 1. Requests from another City of Sacramento department to send a Sac -Alert