Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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4.23 Law Enforcement Facility Interview and Booking
4.23.1 Booking Process (Revised: 7/18/18)
A. It is the responsibility of the arresting officer to thoroughly pat search a prisoner at the
incarceration facility for weapons and drugs and to remove all property , prior to releasing
custody of the prisoner to facility in -take officers.
B. The San Francisco Sheriff's Department prefers searches of prisoners and the preparation
of the property envelope prior to booking. The type of search will be based on the
elements of the current criminal charges, prior criminal history or reasonable suspicion
that the prisoner is in possession of contraband. The following procedures outline
allowable kinds of searches of persons prior to booking:
1. All arrestees entering the San Francisco County Jail s ystem will be processed
through a booking search. This search will be either a "pat search" performed in
conjunction with a hand held metal detector or a strip search in exigent
circumstances. Strip searches are usually conducted at the County Jail.
C. A booking search will be conducted in a professional manner.
1. The arrestee will be instructed to raise his/her hands out to his/her sides and hold
them at shoulder height. The searching officer shall then:
a. Conduct a thorough search of the arrestee's clothing to include shirt
pockets, pant or trouser pockets, jacket pockets, seams and linings.
b. The searchi ng officer will make sure that he/she has thoroughly searched
all possible areas of concealment in the arrestee's clothing for weapons.
c. The searching officer will then scan t he arrestee's body with a hand -held
metal detector provided by the Sheriff’s Department. The metal detector
will be held close enough to the body to be effective.
d. The searching officer will direct the arrestee to remove his/her shoes and
socks.
e. The searching officer will thoroughly search the shoes and socks an d
closely examine the interior, sides and bottoms of shoes. The shoes shall
be banged together.
D. Unless there are exigent circumstances, strip search will be conducted by the County Jail.
They are to be conducted only when one of the following condition s apply:
1. The arrestee is charged with a crime involving drugs, weapons or violence.
2. The arrestee has a criminal history involving drugs, weapons or violence.
3. No strip search may be conducted without the prior written authorization from the
supervi sing officer on duty , pursuant to PC § 4030.
a. This request may be made by the arresting, transpo rting or booking officer
when he/she has a reasonable suspicion on the basis of specific facts the
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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officer can articulate concerning the arrestee’s concealme nt of a weapon
or contraband.
b. Records of approved searches by a supervisor shall be attached to police
reports in the agency’s records and made available on request to the
person searched or his/her authorized representative.
E. A same sex officer will conduct arrestee strip searches unless exigent circumstances are a
factor and no same sex officer is available.
F. The search will be conducted in a professional manner in an area allowing for a
reasonable degree of privacy of the arrestee.
G. Strip searches are conducted by the Sheriff’s Department.
H. In the event that prohibited items a re discovered in the course of the search of an arrestee,
the arresting officer shall make the following determination based on the type of item
found:
1. Weapons, drugs, or other chargeable items will be confiscated for evidence and
the arrestee charged.
2. Personal items that are prohibited in the ja il, but not illegal, shall be booked into
the arrestee's property.
I. The arresting officers s hall fulfill the following responsibilities when booking a prisoner
into San Francisco City/County incarceration facilities:
1. All applicable items on the arrest record card (blue for felonies, white for
misdemeanors) shall be supplied to the booking in -take officer by the arresting
officer(s). A copy of this arrest card shall be obtained from the receiving officer
detailing the prisoner transaction.
2. A complete wants and warrants check shall be conducted by the ECC on all
arrestees prior to booking and documented on the arrest record card ; this will
include the name of the San Francisco Central Warrants Bureau contact person.
3. The arresting officer shall utilize a UCSF Police case numbe r and a SFPD Outside
Agency C ase number , obtained from the ECC, to identify all documents
associated with the arrest case. Warrant arrests and PC § 647(f), Drunk in Public
arrests shall not have an Outside Agency C ase number .
4. The arresting officer shall take a photog raph of the prisoner using one of the
Department digital camera s, which are stored in the trunk of each patrol vehicle.
5. In those instances where an individ ual is physically arrested and transported to
jail, the arresting officer sh all not issue to the individual a Notice to Appear
(citation).
6. The arresting officer shall secure his/her firearm for safekeeping prior to entering
the jail.
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Police Department General Orders
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7. The arresting officer shall advise the rec eiving agency personnel of any potential
medical or security hazards.
8. The arresting officer shall remove any rest raining devices from the arrestee after
jail staff have directed the officer and arrestee to an intake holding