Policy Text
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Yolo County Sheriff's Office Policy Manual
LAW ENFORCEMENT CODE OF ETHICS
As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard
lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or
intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights
of all to liberty, equality and justice.
I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all and will behave in a manner that does
not bring discredit to me or to my agency. I will maintain courageous calm in the face of danger,
scorn or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest
in thought and deed both in my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the law
and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is
confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in
the performance of my duty.
I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, political beliefs, aspirations,
animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime and with
relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without
fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting
gratuities.
I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be
held so long as I am true to the ethics of police service. I will never engage in acts of corruption
or bribery, nor will I condone such acts by other police officers. I will cooperate with all legally
authorized agencies and their representatives in the pursuit of justice.
I know that I alone am responsible for my own standard of professional performance and will take
every reasonable opportunity to enhance and improve my level of knowledge and competence.
I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my
chosen profession . . . law enforcement.
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Yolo County Sheriff's Office Policy Manual
MOTTO, VISION STATEMENT, MISSION STATEMENT AND CORE VALUES
Yolo County Sheriff's Office
Motto
Honored to Serve
Vision Statement
To provide the highest level of law enforcement service in Yolo County, in partnership with our communities.
Mission Statement
With a commitment to professionalism, integrity, and collaboration, we
strive to uphold and respect the rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice.
Core Values
Service
We proudly provide professional service to our community in a manner that is fair, courteous, consistent, and effective.
Integrity
We pledge to uphold our position of trust by maintaining the highest
ethical standards that merits the respect of the people we serve.
Community
We value working together to create mutual trust with a goal of shared success and accomplishment.
Motto, Vision Statement, Mission Statement
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Yolo County Sheriff's Office Policy Manual
Motto, Vision Statement, Mission Statement and Core Values
Courage
We strive to maintain strength of character and display bravery despite difficulties, obstacles, or challenges.
Commitment
We will reflect our motto, “Honored to Serve,” through our
steadfast dedication to public service and the community we serve.
Leadership
We are committed to leading by example and expect all of our members
to be leaders within the organization and within the community.
Respect
We treat all members of our community and organization with fairness,
impartiality, and dignity by recognizing that respect is not granted, but earned.
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Motto, Vision Statement, Mission Statement and Core Values
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Yolo County Sheriff's Office Policy Manual
Table of Contents
Blank for Chief's Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Law Enforcement Code of Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Motto, Vision Statement, Mission Statement and Core Values . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 1 - Law Enforcement Role and Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
100 - Law Enforcement Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
101 - Chief Executive Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
102 - Oath of Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
103 - Policy Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 2 - Organization and Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
200 - Organizational Structure and Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
201 - Interim Directive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
202 - Administrative Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
203 - Training Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
204 - Electronic Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
205 - License to Carry a Firearm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
206 - Retiree Concealed Firearms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Chapter 3 - General Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
300 - Standards of Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
301 - Use of Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
302 - Firearms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
303 - Control Devices and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
304 - Conducted Energy Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
305 - Yolo County Protocol for Response to Officer-Involved Fatal Incidents . . . . 83
306 - Handcuffing and Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
307 - Vehicle Pursuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
308 - Foot Pursuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
309 - Report Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
310 - Officer Response to Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
311 - Search and Seizure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
312 - Cite and Release Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
313 - Private Persons Arrests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
314 - Domestic Violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
315 - Missing Persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
316 - Public Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
317 - Child Abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
318 - Adult Abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
319 - Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
320 - Hate Crimes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
321 - Victim and Witness Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
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322 - Death Investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
323 - Identity Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
324 - Mandatory Employer Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
325 - Gun Violence Restraining Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
326 - Off-Duty Law Enforcement Actions . . . . . .