Policy Text
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PEACE OFFICER'S CODE OF ETHICS
• PEACE OFFICER CODE OF ETHICS
o As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to
safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against oppression or
intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the
Constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality and justice.
o I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous
calm in the face of danger, scorn or ridicule; develop self restraint; and be
constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed in both
my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land
and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential
nature or that is confided in me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret
unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.
o I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities,
or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime and
with relentless prosecution for criminals, I will enforce the law courteously
and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing
unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities.
o I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as
a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the police service.
I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself
before all to my chosen profession ~ law enforcement.
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A DEPUTY'S TEN CARDINAL VICES
• Ten Cardinal Vices
o Dishonesty/Omissions
o Accepting Gratuities
o Bribery
o Sexual Harassment
o Racial Slurs
o Discrimination
o Illegal Drugs
o Alcohol Use On-Duty
o Excessive Force/Cruelty
o Theft
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MISSION STATEMENT
Our Mission Statement
• The Sierra County Sheriff's Office strives to provide professional and impartial
law enforcement services that meet the highest standards of ethics and law to
provide a safe and friendly environment by working with the people who make
up our communities.
Sheriff's Message
• The men and women that work for the Sierra County Sheriff's Office are
committed to providing quality service to the citizens and many visitors of Sierra
County by working with the residents, visitors, and businesses to maintain a
safe community. Through these partnerships, we urge all citizens to be alert
for suspicious or unusual activity, and anytime you need police, fire or medical
assistance, call 9-1-1.
• As your sheriff, I will guarantee we will work to make certain that we continue to
provide impartial policing services, are responsive to the needs of our residents,
respectful and honest with those we serve, act with fiscal responsibility,
and remain dedicated to improving services through progressive programs,
effective training, and better technology.
• I ensure transparency and accountability as we operate as public servants. We
will seek justice for those that we are entrusted to protect and commit to being
tough on crime.
Mike Fisher Sheriff~Coroner
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Table of Contents
PEACE OFFICER'S CODE OF ETHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A Deputy's Ten Cardinal Vices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MISSION STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 1 - Law Enforcement Role and Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
100 - Law Enforcement Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
101 - Chief Executive Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
102 - Oath of Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
103 - Policy Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 2 - Organization and Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
200 - Organizational Structure and Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
201 - General Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
202 - Emergency Management Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
203 - Training Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
204 - Electronic Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
205 - Administrative Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
206 - Staffing Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
207 - License to Carry a Firearm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
208 - Retiree Concealed Firearms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chapter 3 - General Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
300 - Use of Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
301 - In Custody Arrest Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
302 - Deadly Force Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
303 - Handcuffing and Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
304 - Control Devices and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
305 - Conducted Energy Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
306 - Officer-Involved Shootings and Deaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
307 - Firearms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
308 - Vehicle Pursuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
309 - Deputy Response to Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
310 - Domestic Violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
311 - Search and Seizure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
312 - Temporary Custody of Juveniles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
313 - Adult Abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
314 - Discriminatory Harassment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
315 - Child Abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
316 - Missing Persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
317 - Public Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
318 - Victim and Witness Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
319 - Hate Crimes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
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320 - Standards of Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
321 - Information Technology Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
322 - Report Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
323 - Media Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
324 - Subpoenas and Court Appearances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
325 - Reserve Deputies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
326 - Outside Agency Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
327 - Registered Offender Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
328 - Major Incident Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
329 - Death Investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
330 - Identity Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
331 - Private Persons Arrests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
332 - Anti-Reproductive Rights Crimes Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
333 - Limited English Proficiency Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
334 - Communications with Persons with Disabilities . . . . . . . . . . . 228
335 - Mandatory Employer Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
336 - Biological Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
337 - Chaplains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
338 - Child and Dependent Adult Safety .