Policy Text
Policy
504Santa Ana Police Department
Custody Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/02/26, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Santa Ana Police Department***DRAFT*** Safety Checks - 1Safety Checks
504.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to establish a requirement for conducting visual safety checks for all
incarcerated persons, and for creating and maintaining a log to document all safety checks.
504.2 POLICY
It is the policy of the Santa Ana Police Department that all correctional staff shall conduct
safety checks on all incarcerated persons, at a frequency determined by custody status, housing
classification, and applicable state law.
504.3 SAFETY CHECKS
Staff shall adhere to the following procedures when conducting safety checks (15 CCR 1027;
1027.5 (Title 15)):
(a)Safety checks shall be conducted at least once every 30 minutes and more frequently
if necessary.
(b)Safety checks shall be conducted on an irregular schedule (staggered) so that
incarcerated persons cannot predict when the checks will occur.
(c)Safety checks shall be done by personal observation of the correctional officer and
shall be sufficient to determine whether the incarcerated person is experiencing any
stress or trauma.
(d)Cameras and monitors may supplement the required visual observation safety checks,
but they shall not replace the need for direct visual observation.
(e)Safety checks will be clearly documented on permanent logs in accordance with the
department Daily Activity Logs and Shift Reports Policy.
(f)Actual times of the checks and notations should be recorded on the daily activity logs.
(g)Log entries shall never be made in advance of the actual check. Log entries made in
this manner do not represent factual information and are prohibited.
(h)Special management incarcerated persons shall be checked more frequently as
detailed in the Special Management Incarcerated Persons Policy.
504.3.1 SAFETY CHECK DOCUMENTATION
All safety checks shall be documented. Documentation shall include (15 CCR 1027.5):
(a)The actual time when each safety check occurred.
(b)The location where each safety check occurred, such as a cell, module, or dormitory
number.
(c)Initials or member identification number of staff who completed the safety check.
Santa Ana Police Department
Custody Manual
Safety Checks
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/02/26, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Santa Ana Police Department***DRAFT*** Safety Checks - 2Safety check documentation shall be reviewed at regular, defined intervals by the Jail
Administrator or supervisor. The review shall include any noted inconsistent documentation or any
untimely completion of safety checks (15 CCR 1027.5).