Policy Text
Policy
324Santa Ana Police Department
Santa Ana PD Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2019/08/22, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Santa Ana Police DepartmentSubpoenas and Court Appearances - 1Subpoenas and Court Appearances
324.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This policy establishes guidelines for members who must appear in court. The issuance of
subpoenas allows the Department to cover any related work absences and stay informed about
legal matters.
324.2 POLICY
Santa Ana Police Department members will respond appropriately to all subpoenas and any other
court-ordered appearances.
324.3 SUBPOENAS
Refer to procedure 3240 Procedures for Handling Subpoenas and Court Appearances.
324.3.1 SPECIAL NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Any member who is subpoenaed to testify agrees to testify or provides information on behalf of
or at the request of any party other than the City Attorney or the prosecutor shall notify his/her
immediate supervisor without delay regarding:
(a)Any civil case where the City or one of its members, as a result of his/her official
capacity, is a party.
(b)Any civil case where any other city, county, state or federal unit of government or a
member of any such unit of government, as a result of his/her official capacity, is a
party.
(c)Any criminal proceeding where the member is called to testify or provide information
on behalf of the defense.
(d)Any civil action stemming from the member’s on-duty activity or because of his/her
association with the Santa Ana Police Department.
(e)Any personnel or disciplinary matter when called to testify or to provide information by
a government entity other than the Santa Ana Police Department.
The supervisor will then notify the Chief of Police and the appropriate prosecuting attorney as
may be indicated by the case. The Chief of Police should determine if additional legal support
is necessary.
No member shall be retaliated against for testifying in any matter.
324.3.2 CIVIL SUBPOENA
The Department will compensate members who appear in their official capacities on civil matters
arising out of their official duties, as directed by the current Memorandum of Understanding or
collective bargaining agreement.
The Department should seek reimbursement for the member’s compensation through the attorney
of record who subpoenaed the member.
Santa Ana Police Department
Santa Ana PD Policy Manual
Subpoenas and Court Appearances
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2019/08/22, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Santa Ana Police DepartmentSubpoenas and Court Appearances - 2324.3.3 OFF-DUTY RELATED SUBPOENAS
Members receiving valid subpoenas for off-duty actions not related to their employment or
appointment will not be compensated for their appearance. Arrangements for time off shall be
coordinated through their immediate supervisors.
324.4 FAILURE TO APPEAR
Any member who fails to comply with the terms of any properly served subpoena or court-ordered
appearance may be subject to discipline. This includes properly served orders to appear issued
by any state administrative agency.
324.5 STANDBY
To facilitate standby agreements, members are required to provide and maintain current
information on their addresses and contact telephone numbers with the Department.
(a)The Court Liaison is to be notified by the subpoenaing party when an on-call employee
is needed for court. All employees are required to be present in court within (1) hour
of notification. Once in court, the employee is required to notify the subpoenaing party
of their presence
(b)The Court Liaison will administer the court on-call program. It will be the employee’s
responsibility to provide the Court Liaison with a phone number where he/she can be
reached while on-call for court. Multiple phone numbers are not allowed.
(c)In the event an employee becomes unavailable for a scheduled court appearance, it
is the employee’s responsibility to immediately notify the Court Liaison. This may be
due to illness, approved vacation, Military leave, out of county training, or furlough.
The employee will then be notified if any subpoenas received for that time period will
be refused or not.
Employees must ensure a valid subpoena has been issued for any court appearance they make.
If the subpoena was not served through the Court Liaison, the employee must provide a copy of
the subpoena to the Court Liaison before a request for court pay will be processed.
324.6 COURTROOM PROTOCOL
When appearing in court, members shall:
(a)Be punctual and prepared to proceed immediately with the case for which they are
scheduled to appear.
(b)Dress in the department uniform or business attire.
(c)Observe all rules of the court in which they are appearing and remain alert to changes
in the assigned courtroom where their matter is to be heard.
324.6.1 TESTIMONY
Before the date of testifying, the subpoenaed member shall request and review a copy of relevant
reports and become familiar with the content in order to be prepared for court.
Santa Ana Police Department
Santa Ana PD Policy Manual
Subpoenas and Court Appearances
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2019/08/22, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Santa Ana Police DepartmentSubpoenas and Court Appearances - 3324.7 OVERTIME APPEARANCES
When a member appears in court on his/her off-duty time, he/she will be compensated in
accordance with the current Memorandum of Understanding or collective bargaining agreement.