GO 580.0720Duty to Intercede

SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS GO 580.07 Page 1 of 2 580.07 DUTY TO INTERCEDE 5/28/2024 PURPOSE The purpose of this order is to establish guidelines for peace officers who observe or become aware of another peace officer’s use of excessive force. POLICY Peace officers of the Sacramento Police Department (SPD) are entrusted with extraordinary authority. Peace officers must exercise this authority in a fair and respectful manner and in compliance with the law and department policy. The community and SPD expect that peace officers will not use excessive force and that peace officers will intercede to stop the use of excessive force by another peace officer. Failure to intercede can harm partnerships with the community, erode trust, and diminish police legitim acy. PROCEDURE A. DEFINITIONS 1. INTERCEDE –Includes, but is not limited to, physically stopping the excessive use of force, recording the excessive force, if equipped with a body -worn camera, and documenting efforts to intervene, efforts to deescalate the offending officer’s excessive use of force, and confronting the offending officer about the excessive force during the use of force (Government Code § 7286(a)(4)). 2. FEASIBLE - Reasonably capable of being done or carried out under the circumstances to successfully achieve the lawful objective without increasing risk to the officer or another person (Government Code § 7286(a)(3)) . B. GENERAL 1. Duty to intercede: a. Regardless of tenure or rank, any peace officer who is present and observes another peace officer use any prohibited force or force which is clearly beyond that which is necessary (including applying force when it is no longer required), shall attempt to safely intercede by verbal and physical means, when feasible. (1) If the offending officer continues, the interceding officer shall verbally broadcast to dispatch, or the watch commander on duty, the offending officer’s name, unit, location, time, and situation, in order to establish a duty for that officer to intervene (Government Code § 7286(a)(4)). (2) The standard for evaluating if force is necessary shall be that of an objectively reasonable officer under the circumstances, considering the possibility that other officers may have additional information regarding the threat posed by a subject. (3) Peace officers who fail to intercede may be subject to discipline. This includes the eligibility to train others as outlined in General Order 260.02 (Departmental Training). 2. Peace officer responsibilities: a. Peace officers shall assess the situation and communicate with the involved peace officers prior to interceding. b. Peace officers shall take an active approach to intercede with the objective of stopping any inappropriate use of force by another peace officer. (1) Peace officers should first attempt to verbally intervene. (2) If verbal interventions are insufficient, when feasible, peace officers on scene shall physically intervene to stop the inappropriate use of force. c. If aid is required by any individual, all employees shall ensure that medical attention has been rendered in accordance with General Order 522.02 (Emergency Care). SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS GO 580.07 Page 2 of 2 3. Reporting: a. Employees shall report potential misconduct or unreasonable force to a supervisor or Internal Affairs Division (IAD) as soon as practical. b. Supervisors shall immediately notify the watch commander regarding an incident that required intervention. c. Watch commanders and IAD shall notify the affected area captain and office deputy chief of all incidents of potential misconduct or unreasonable force.