Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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4.18 Traffic Ancillary Services
4.18.2 Motorist Assistance (Revised: 2/16/17)
A. The purpose of this section is to describe Police Department guidelines for motorist
assistance procedures.
Public service is vital to the safety and security of a community. Occasionally officers
will be asked to assist motorists who are requesting directions, assistance with vehicle
problems or o ther information/services. All o fficers are expected to be helpful and
courteous when asked to provide thes e types of public assist ance.
B. Procedure
1. When asked for directions, officers should provide the person with the most direct
route , taking into consideration, traffic, intersections and time of day.
2. If an o fficer is uncertain as to a location, the ECC should be consulted. If the
location is off campus and the officer is unc ertain where a location is, he/she will
attempt to locate a n address and then provide the motorist with the major cross
streets and/or a telephone number, so he/she may call for directions.
C. Disabled Vehicles/ Stranded Motorists
1. The UCSF Police Department will provide assistance to stranded motorists
followi ng established procedures. If an o fficer transports a motorist to a specific
location away from his/her vehicle, the location and transportation must first be
approved by the on -duty Watch Commander and a starting and ending mileage
given to the ECC.
2. The officer should inquire of the m otorist if there is someone whom they would
like to have telephoned for assistance or to make proper notification.
3. If the motorist does not w ish to be transported to a near by locati on to wait for
assistance, the office r will advise him/her to remain out of the roadway and turn
on emergency flashers while waiting for assistance .
4. Disabled vehicles will be removed from the roadway as conditions permit.
Officers will not endanger themselves or others while removing a di sabled
vehicle.
5. Whenever an officer comes into contact with a disabled vehicle, the license plate
number and location will be relayed to the ECC prior to contact.
D. Mechanical Repair
UCSF Police Department will not provide any type of mechanical repair to disabled
vehicles. Officers are to notify automobile associations for assistance.
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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E. Vehicle Unlocks
UCSF Police Department is not equipped to perform this public service. At the request of
the driver for an unlock, officers should facilitate by calling an automobile association or
locksmith to perform the service.
F. Battery Jump Starts
1. During normal business hours, Parking and Transportation Services
provides battery jump service.
2. Outside o f business hours, the dispatcher taking a battery jump call will ask if the
motorist has AAA or another motorist assistance service they can contact for the
motorist to provide faster service.
3. UCSF Police Department vehicles are not equipped to handle jump start requests
and, as such , officers will not provide jump starts.
G. Towing Service
1. UCSF Police Department employees assisting motorists in need of tow service
will inform the ECC of any request s to use a specific tow company or other
special requests . Officers shoul d also ask motorists whether they belon g to an
automobile association .
2. If there is no specific tow request and the mo torist requests to use the University -
contract ed tow service, the officer will relay the request to the ECC dispatcher,
who will contact the currently contracted tow company, the o fficer shall:
a. Immediately notify the ECC of the location and type of emergency
b. Provide first aid and emergency care as appropriate, while not unjustly
endangering themselves or others
c. Direct additional police officers and emergency personnel to the scene.
2. The ECC shall be responsible for:
a. Immediate notification of fire/medical or other law enforcement
jurisdiction if applicable
b. Dispatchin g additional units to the scen e
c. Notifying the on -duty Watch Commander of the incident
d. Coordinating the response of police and emergency personnel
e. Maintain ing accurate logs of events
f. Making notifications as necessary.
H. Debris or Hazards on the Roadway
1. Officers observing hazardous conditions, such as those listed below (list not
inclusive) , will notify the ECC of the incident and the location and take
appropriate action to eliminate or reduce the hazard.
a. Debris in the roadway
b. Downed power lines
c. Missing m anhole covers
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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d. Inoperable traffic lights
e. Missing traffic control devices.
2. Officers should try to remove debris blocking the roadway whenever possible. If
the debris is too large, the officer will advise the E CC and t he proper authority :
Facilities Management for on-Campus problems or the SFPD.
3. Officers should secure the area to prevent injury or accident. If outside of UCSF
Police Department jurisdiction, the responsible agency will be contacted and
requested to respond to assume control.
4. Inoperable traffic lights will be reported to the ECC, which will then notify the
Department of Public Works and also the SFPD if the outage is creating a hazard.
5. Facility Management problems , such as street lights being out on University
property , will be reported to the ECC , which will then report the situation to
Facilities Management.
6. Missing traffic control devices within