Policy Text
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDERS
GO 580.10
Page 1 of 7
580.10
CONDUCTED ENERGY DEVICE (CED)
04-10-2023
PURPOSE
This policy establishes guidelines for the issuance, deployment , and use of the Conducted Energy
Device (CED).
POLICY
The Sacramento Police Department values the sanctity of human life and the freedoms guaranteed by the United States and California constitutions. A peace officer shall only use the amount of force
that the officer reasonably believes is necessary under the totality of the circumstances. A peace
officer shall consider the principles of proportionality in looking at the totality of the circumstances
by weighing the severity of the offense, the reasonably perceived level of resistance and the need
for apprehension prior to the utilization of force.
Any officer who has reasonable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed a public offense may use objectively reasonable force necessary to effect the arrest, to prevent escape, or to overcome resistance. During these situations, a peace officer shall continually evaluate their tactics when determining the appropriate use of force (UOF) response. If necessary, a peace officer shall render medical aid pursuant to GO 522.02 (Emergency Care for Individuals Under Police Care or Control) as soon as reasonably possible.
A peace officer shall employ de- escalation and crisis intervention techniques when feasible and
when doing so does not increase the risk of harm to peace officers or another person . When making
UOF decisions, a peace officer should be mindful that subjects may be physically or mentally
incapable of responding to police commands due to a variety of circumstances including, but not limited to, alcohol or drugs, mental impairment, medical conditions, or language and cult ural
barriers.
Peace officers shall deploy and use CEDs when objectively reasonable under the circumstances
presented to maximize the safety of all individuals involved in an incident . In deciding whether or not
to use a CED, peace officers must consider the severity of the crime, if any, whether the subject
poses an imminent threat to his or her own safety, the safety of peace officers or other persons, and
whether the subject is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight.
The CED is intended to control a violent or potentially violent individual, while minimizing the risk of serious bodily injury or death. The appropriate use of the CED should result in fewer serious injuries
to peace officers and subjects .
PROCEDURE
A. DEFINITIONS
1. CONDUCTED ENERGY DEVICE (CED) – A device that uses an electrical waveform to directly
cause muscle contractions and override the central nervous system, not only to stun but to physically incapacitate a subject.
2. CED CARTRIDGE – The CED cartridg e fires two small dart -like electrodes, which stay
connected to the main unit by conductive wire as they are propelled by small compressed nitrogen charges. The cartridge contains a pair of electrodes and propellant for a single shot.
3. DISCHARGE – To fire the CED probes at a subject.
4. NEUROMUSCULAR INCAPACITATION (NMI) – Neuromuscular incapacitation , or NMI, is the
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDERS
GO 580.10
Page 2 of 7
scientific term for what happens to the body when exposed to the CED. NMI causes the skeletal
(voluntary) muscles to tightly contract. This muscle contraction gives peace officers and
authorized non- sworn uniformed department personnel the ability to incapacitate the person
without relying on pain compliance only.
5. DRIVE STUN - The direct contact use of a CED, without a cartridge installed, where the
electrodes on the front of the CED make contact with the subject. The drive -stun affects the
sensory nervous system only, making it only a pain compliance tool, not an incapacitation tool.
6. CIRCUIT COMPLETION - The front of the CED, with the cartridge still installed, is used to make
direct contact with the subject following a probe deployment. This may be required if the probes
do not have sufficient spread preventing NMI, or when one of the two probes do not make sufficient contact with the subject. The greater the distance from the probes, the greater the
effectiveness. The additional control provided by the direct contact circuit completion will cease
when the electrodes lose contact with the individual.
7. CYCLE – A preset timed electrical current discharge from a single trigger pull of the CED or a
manually activated, continuous discharge of varying length produced by the peace officer
holding down the trigger mechanism.
8. DISPLAY – T o draw a CED and plainly bring it to a subject’s attention in an attempt to gain
compliance without using the CED on a subject.
9. ARC – To display a CED and activate the electrical arc between the two contact points, without
a cartridge, in an attempt to gain compliance without using the CED on a subject.
10. LASER – A high intensity light utilized for more efficient target acquisition and increased
accuracy and utilized as a tool to gain compliance.
11. ACTIVE AGGRESSION – A threat or overt act of assault (through physical or verbal means),
coupled with the present ability to carry out the threat or assault, which reasonably indicates that an assault or injury to any person is imminent.
12. ACTIVE RESISTANCE – Physically evasive movement to defeat a peace officer’s attempt at
control, including bracing, tensing, pushing, or verbally signaling an intention to avoid or prevent being taken into custody.
13. PASSIVE RESIST