Policy Text
Policy
501Santa Ana Police Department
Custody Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/03/21, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Santa Ana Police Department***DRAFT*** Inmate Counts - 1Inmate Counts
501.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Incarcerated person counts are vital to the security of the facility, the safety of the staff, and
the welfare of the incarcerated persons. This policy establishes guidelines for the frequency of
incarcerated person counts, which ensures that all incarcerated persons and their status can be
accounted for at any time.
501.2 POLICY
It is the policy of this department to account for all incarcerated persons within and under the
control of this facility through scheduled and other counts as needed (15 CCR 1029(a)(6)).
501.3 PROCEDURE
The Jail Administrator or the authorized designee shall be responsible for creating and maintaining
a written procedure establishing the process and frequency of counts. Incarcerated person counts
shall be conducted at least once every eight hours. Emergency counts may be conducted at the
direction of the Shift Supervisor as needed.
All counts shall be documented on the daily activity log and verified by the Shift Supervisor. Counts
shall include all persons in custody, including those on work assignments, education release, and
those who are off-site, such as at the hospital or court.
Any discrepancy in the count should immediately be reported to the Jail Administrator and resolved
prior to the release of the shift personnel responsible for the count. A formal count in which all
incarcerated persons are personally identified by a correctional officer should be conducted once
a day at a time established by the Jail Administrator. The result of the formal count will be used
to calculate the average daily population statistics for the facility.
In the event that an escape is discovered during the incarcerated person count, the Shift
Supervisor will initiate action to investigate the escape by promptly notifying law enforcement
agencies and the Jail Administrator, initiating a search, and complying with other procedures as
needed in accordance with the Facility Emergencies Policy.
A complete report of the incident will be prepared and provided to the Jail Administrator and Chief
of Police as soon as practicable.
All counts shall be completed electronically, signed by the Shift Supervisor, and forwarded to
the Chief of Security. Inmate head counts shall be maintained for a period of time prescribed by
statute, ordinance, or policy.
501.4 RELATED PROCEDURES
Santa Ana PD Custody Procedure Manual: INMATE COUNTS PROCEDURES