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Policy 521Santa Ana Police Department Custody Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/06/26, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Ana Police DepartmentOver-Detention and Inadvertent Releases - 1Over-Detention and Inadvertent Releases 521.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE This policy is intended to provide guidance to staff and management to prevent and address over- detention or inadvertent release. 521.1.1 DEFINITIONS Definitions related to this policy include: Inadvertent release - Any instance of an incarcerated person who was mistakenly released. Over-detention - Any instance of an incarcerated person who was mistakenly detained beyond their scheduled release date. 521.2 POLICY It is the policy of this department to reasonably ensure that over-detention and inadvertent releases do not occur. 521.3 OVER-DETENTION Any staff member who discovers or receives information of an over-detention, or a complaint from an incarcerated person regarding over-detention, should immediately notify the Shift Supervisor. The Shift Supervisor should direct the jail records unit to immediately conduct an investigation to determine the correct release date of the incarcerated person and to report the findings to the Shift Supervisor. Incarcerated persons who are found to be over-detained shall be processed for immediate release in accordance with the End of Term Release Policy. The Shift Supervisor shall ensure that the Jail Administrator is notified, an entry is made to the daily activity log, and that a report is completed. 521.3.1 OVER-DETENTION GRIEVANCES Any staff member who receives information or a complaint from an incarcerated person regarding over-detention should assist the person with completing an inmate request form and forward the form directly to the Shift Supervisor as soon as practicable. The Shift Supervisor receiving a grievance regarding an over-detention should direct the jail records unit to immediately conduct an investigation to determine the correct release date of the incarcerated person and to report the findings to the Shift Supervisor. 521.4 INADVERTENT RELEASE When an inadvertent release is discovered, staff making the discovery shall immediately notify the Shift Supervisor. The notification shall be documented in the daily activity log. 521.4.1 INADVERTENT RELEASE INVESTIGATION The Shift Supervisor should direct the jail records unit to immediately conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the inadvertent release. Santa Ana Police Department Custody Manual Over-Detention and Inadvertent Releases Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2025/06/26, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Ana Police DepartmentOver-Detention and Inadvertent Releases - 2The Shift Supervisor will contact the Watch Commander and coordinate a response based upon the seriousness of the threat the incarcerated person may pose to the community. The threat assessment should be based upon the person's criminal history and the reason the person is currently in custody, among other factors. In the case of an inadvertent release, the Shift Supervisor shall immediately notify the Jail Administrator and ensure a report is completed. The Jail Administrator should notify the Chief and contract agency, if applicable. An appropriate evaluation of the circumstances shall be made to determine whether the inadvertent release should be classified as an escape. 521.4.2 RETURNING THE INCARCERATED PERSON TO CUSTODY When the incarcerated person is located and returned to the facility, the appropriate notifications should be made as soon as possible.