Policy Text
CATEGORY DATE ADOPTED LAST REVIEW NEXT REVIEW
4 01/24/2011 05/01/20 18 05/01/20 20
TUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS
_____________________ _____ ___
1014 - General Leave Reporting 1 POLICY 1014 GENERAL LEAVE REPORTING
1014.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Employees of this department are provided with a general leave benefit that gives them continued
compensation during times of absence due to personal or family illness. The number of hours
available is detailed in the employee’s respective Personnel Manual or applicable collective
bargaining agreement. Employees may also be entitled to additional paid or unpaid leave for
certain family and medical reasons as provided for in the Family and Med ical Leave Act (FMLA)
(29 CFR 825).
1014.1.1 ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
This section pertains to the following CALEA Standards: 22.1.2, 22.2.1
1014.2 EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES
General leave may be used for absences caused by illness, injury, temporary disabilit y (including
pregnancy/maternity), or for medical, dental or vision exams or medical treatment of the
employee , or the employee’s immediate family , when it is not possible to schedule such
appointments during nonworking hours.
General leave for illness /injury is not the same as general leave for a scheduled vacation, and
abuse of time off for illness /injury may result in discipline . Employees on general leave for
illness /injury shall not engage in other employment or self employment, or participate in any sport,
hobby, recreational or other activity which may impede recovery from the injury or illness. Upon
return to work, e mployees shall ensure a leave request has been completed describing the type
of leave used and the specific amount of time taken.
1014.2.1 NOTIFICATION
Employee s are encouraged to notify the Watch Commander or appropriate supervisor as soon as
they are aware that they will not be able to report to work. At a minimum, employees should make
such notification no less than two hours before the start of their scheduled shift. If an employee is
unable to contact the supervisor in the case of an emergency, every effort should be made to
have a representative contact the supervisor.
When the necessity for leave is foreseeable, such as an expected birth or planned medical
treatment, the employee should , whenever possible, provide the Department with no less than 30
days notice of the intent to take leave.
1014.3 EXTENDED ILLNESS
Employees on extended absences shall, if possible, contact their unit supervisor at three day
intervals to provide an update on their absence and expected date of return. Employees absent
from duty due to personal illness in excess of three consecutive days may be required to furnish a
statement from their health care provider supporting the use of general leave for illness and/or the
CATEGORY DATE ADOPTED LAST REVIEW NEXT REVIEW
4 01/24/2011 05/01/20 18 05/01/20 20
TUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS
_____________________ _____ ___
1014 - General Leave Reporting 2 ability to return to work. Nothing in this section precludes a supervisor, with cause, from requiring
a physician’s statement if three or fewer general leave days for illness /injury are taken.
1014.4 SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITY
Supervisors should monitor general leave usage for illness and/or injury and regularly review the
attendance of employees under their command to ensure that the use of general leave for
illness/injury is cons istent with this policy. Supervisors should address general leave for
illness/injury use in the employee’s performance evaluation when it has negatively affected the
employee’s performance or ability to complete their assigned duties, and when unusual amou nts
of leave by the employee has had a negative impact on department operations. When
appropriate, supervisors should counsel employees regarding the excessive use of general leave
and should consider referring the employee to the Employee Assistance Progr am.