i-04DisciplineAuthority

1 (03/10/2023 ) ST. PETERSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER Subject: DISCIPLINE AUTHORITY Index as: Discipline Authority Accreditation Standards: 26.1.4, 26.1.5 Cross Reference: Replaces : G.O. I -04, Discipline Authority ( August 28, 2017 ) This Order consists of the following sections: I. Purpose II. “Policing in a Free Society” – Herman Goldstein III. Discussion IV. Discipline Philosophy V. Disciplinary Considerations VI. Application of Discipline I. PURPOSE A. The police exist to serve the community. In order to serve the community in the most efficient and effective manner possible, the Police Department must adopt values, policies, procedures, and rules to guide employee action in the wide variety of circumst ances encountered daily. B. Through training, supervision, providing positive role models and involvement in the process for developing guidelines (by employees and citizens), the Department attempts to ensure that every employee understands and conforms to these expectations. In spite of these efforts, it will be necessary from time to time to take disciplinary action against som e employees. C. Discipline is an important part of a well -functioning police organization. Mistakes will be made, and employees must be held accountable for those mistakes. However, not all mistakes are the same and, in holding employees accountable for them, discipline becomes a complex and confusing aspect of police administration that both employees and the public find very difficult to understand. D. The following discipline philosophy has been developed in an attempt to remove some of the mystery associated with decisions in the discipline process. It is strongly believed that both employees and the public should have a better understanding of the factors that are considered in making these difficult decisions. II. “POLICING IN A FREE SOCIETY” “Tensions and hostility are a part of policing. Police officers must, as part of their job, issue orders to people, catch them in violation of laws, deprive them of their freedom, and bring charges that may lead to the imposition of severe punishment. Contacts betwe en officers and citizens are often initiated under conditions that are emotionally charged, such as immediately after a fight or other disturbance, or following the commission of a crime. Even the person getting a traffic ticket frequently becomes indignan t. However DATE OF ISSUE EFFECTIVE DATE NUMBER March 2023 Immediately I-04 Distribution: All Employees General Order I -04 2 (03/10/2023 ) scrupulous the police may be in carrying out their responsibilities, they are bound to incur the wrath of some of those against whom they must proceed. This hostility manifest s itself in various forms - sometimes immediately, by verbal abuse or physical resistance to the police; sometimes later by alleging that the officers’ actions were improper or illegal. Under such circumstances an officer must be able to count on support for actions taken in the line of duty the police officer expects and in deed needs, some insulation from the community being served. But insulation can serve as a shield for the officer who is not so scrupulous - who in fact acts improperly.” III. DISCUSSION A. The adversarial nature of policing is one of the key factors noted by Herman Goldstein that complicates the control and review of police actions and behavior. The public grants the police considerable authority to act on its behalf in the ef fort to create an environment as free of crime, the fear of crime, drug abuse, violence, and disorder as possible. Although in almost all encounters with the public, police officers and non -sworn employees use this authority appropriately, there are times when citizens have legitimate question s about how this authority has been used. Unfortunately, there are also times when that authority has been abused. Therefore, it is critical that a system of discipline be established that contributes to minimizing abuse of authority and promotes the depar tment's reputation for professionalism. B. The most effective disciplinary system is one that combines the reinforcement of the right set of values in all employees with behavioral standards that are established in clear policies, procedures and rules that a re consistently and fairly applied. Each employee of the St. Petersburg Police Department must understand and be guided by the standards that have been established in the Department’s General Orders and the Rules and Regulations of the Personnel Management System of the City of St Petersburg. IV. DISCIPLINE PHILOSOPHY A. Employees of the St. Petersburg Police Department are expected to conduct themselves, both in interactions with each other and with the public, in a manner that conveys respect honesty, integrity, and dedication to public service. In tur n, employees of the Department can expect to be treated fairly, honestly, and respectfully by their peers and other employees of the Department who hold positions of greater or lesser organizational authority. B. It is recognized and understood that employees of the Department will make judgmental errors from time to time in carrying out their responsibilities. (In fact, employees who never make any mistakes may be doing very little to try to impro ve the performance of the Department.) While each error in judgment offers an opp ortunity for the Department and the individual to learn, it is also realized some errors will have greater consequences than others for the public, the Department, and the employee. C. The Department also has an obligation to make its ex pectations as clear as possible to employees. The Department has an equal obligation to make the consequences for failing to meet those expectations clear as well.