Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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4.9 Juvenile Operations: Organization and Administration
4.9.5 Referral for Disposition (Revised: 8/1/14)
A. In addition to the routing of cases to the San Francisco Superior Court Juvenile Division,
all reports involving juveniles taken into custody or charged with an offense shall be
forwarded to the Community Assessment Referral Center (CARC) or the Youth
Guidance Center (YGC). For misdemeanor or felony arrests, the officer shall notify the
CARC and explain the circumsta nces. CARC staff will advise the officer how to proceed
with the juvenile (i.e., cite and release, transport to CARC or YGC, or release to parents).
B. Officers may refer juveniles and/or their families to community agencies that offer
services appropriat e to the circumstances of a given incident. Examples of such agencies
include, but are not limited to: CARC (415 -567-8078), Huckleberry House (415 -621-
2929) and Huckleberry Youth Services’ Cole Street Clinic (415 -386-9398). Huckleberry
House runs numerous programs dedicated in assisting the youth of San Francisco and
their families, including a 24 -hour Crisis Hotline, short term housing, psycho -social
programs and health services. If an officer determines assistance from a community
agency is needed during the course of an investigation or incident resolution, the officer
shall make contact with the appropriate agency or agencies and facilitate their
participation in the incident.
C. W&I Code § 601 covers persons under the age of 18 years who persistently or habitually
refuse to obey reasonable and proper orders of their parents or guardians, violate
established city or county curfew ordinances or is a habitual truant.
1. W&I Code 601 (d) allows an officer to issue a Notice to Appear to a juvenile.
2. If a warrant check on a detained juvenile reveals that the juvenile is a runaway,
the officer shall attempt to contact a parent or guardian.
a. For an out -of-state runaway, if the officer is unable to contact a parent or
guardian the ECC shall send a teletype to the local law enforcement
agency to make contact. All attempts to contact parents/guardians or a
local agency shall be documented in the incident report. A copy of the
teletype sha ll also be attached to the report.
b. If the parents request that the juvenile be brought home, the officer shall
assess the situation to assure that the juvenile is being left in a safe
environment.
c. The officer shall use his/her discretion in determi ning whether the home
environment is safe.
d. If the officer believes that the home environment is not safe or the
juvenile’s parents indicate that they do not wish the juvenile to be returned
home, the juvenile shall be taken to Huckleberry House.
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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D. Huckleberry House may be contacted when a juvenile is being detained under W&I
Code 601.
1. A telephone call shall be made to Huckleberry House prior to taking a juvenile to
the facility.
2. Huckleberry House is not a confinement facility. Once a juvenile is admitted
there, he/she has the option of leaving.
3. Huckleberry House will take juveniles from any county or state. A
counselor/probation officer is available at all times.
4. Once a juvenile is admitted into the facility, the staff will further contact parents,
assess the situation and initiate appropriate action.
a. When a juvenile is admitted into Huckleberry House, the officer shall
complete a juvenile admission/booking for m (Appendix A) and an
incident report.
b. Huckleberry House shall be provided with a copy of the juvenile
admission form when a juvenile is admitted.
E. A booking (see Section F) shall always be made where one of the following exists:
1. The juve nile is in need of medical care
2. The juvenile is destitute, without supervision and i s in need of protective custody
3. Release of the juvenil e would endanger his/her person
4. Detention is a matter of immediate and urgent necessity for the protection of the
juvenile or th e person or property of another
Because the above are covered by W&I Code 601, juveniles cannot be held in a secure
facility.
F. A juvenile who commits a violation of law, with the exception of curfew laws based
solely on age, falls under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.
1. A juvenile arrested for violating W&I Code 602 may be held in a secured facility.
The officer must also consider the juvenile’s criminal history.
2. The Juvenile Probation Department gives officers the discr etion to issue citations
for felonies. When issuing a citation for a felony, the officer must consider
whether there is a public safety issue in having the juvenile cited and released.
a. If an officer has any questions or concerns regarding citing and rel easing a
juvenile for a felony or a misdemeanor for a violent crime, he/she should
contact the Watch Commander or Duty Command Officer.
G. In the City and County of San Francisco, there is no direct method of diversion available
to law enforcement agencie s. Diversion is only available through referral from the
juvenile justice system.
H. Occasionally, officers may come into contact with a juvenile who appears to be in acute
psychological distress. This distress is generally characterized by suicidal beha vior,
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