IACP Policy Topic Directory
For more than 30 years, the IACP Policy team has been identifying leading practices and providing sound guidance to the policing profession to assist in developing policies for individual departments.
Model Policies
All Policy Center Resources
Active Attack
In active attack situations, where ongoing deadly force is reasonably likely to be employed by a suspect(s) and delay in taking police action could result…
Acute Behavioral Emergency
Police agencies should develop a cooperative response protocol shared by the agency, the emergency call center, emergency medical services, and hospital emergency department staff. The…
Aerosol Restraint Spray
Law enforcement agencies issue aerosol restraint spray to provide officers with additional use-of-force options for gaining compliance of resistant or aggressive individuals in arrest and…
Alternatives to Arrest
Programs offering alternatives to arrest have the potential to positively alter the outcomes for individuals who come into contact with the criminal justice system. By…
Arrests and Investigatory Stops
Law enforcement officers must understand their powers, duties, and responsibilities when interacting with members of the public. The range and goals of possible interactions can…
Automated License Plate Readers
The availability and use of automated license plate readers (ALPR) systems have provided many opportunities for the enhancement of productivity, effectiveness, and officer safety. These…
Bank Alarm Response
It is essential that all law enforcement officers understand their role and responsibilities when responding to robberies of banks and related financial institutions and the…
Barricaded Individuals
A barricaded individual is a person who has taken a position in a physical location, most often a structure or vehicle, that does not allow…
Bicycle Patrol
Bicycle patrol officers are an important component of an agency's strategy for accomplishing its enforcement objectives due to their mobility and stealth as well as…
Body Armor
Law enforcement agencies should maximize officer safety through the use of body armor in combination with prescribed safety procedures. However, while body armor provides a…
Body-Worn Cameras
Body-worn cameras provide officers with a reliable and compact tool to systematically and automatically record their field observations and encounters. They can be used for…
Bomb Threats and Response
The use of explosives against targets poses a significant threat to the security of the public and is a major consideration for law enforcement agencies…
Patrol Canines
Patrol canines can be utilized as a valuable supplement to police resources, due to their superior senses of smell and hearing and their physical capabilities…
Cannabis Legalization and Police Personnel Management
Agencies across the globe are navigating evolving legislation regarding cannabis. The legalization of cannabis in some jurisdictions compels police agencies to examine if and how…
Career Development
The ability of a law enforcement agency to meet current and long-range goals and objectives in an efficient and effective manner is largely dependent upon…
Investigating Child Abuse
Child abuse and neglect have been traditionally regarded as the principal responsibility of child protective services and social welfare agencies. However, research has demonstrated that…
Civilian Personnel
The efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement agencies is enhanced when sworn and non-sworn personnel are appropriately used to perform those functions that are best…
Communicable Disease Prevention
It is the responsibility of law enforcement agencies to ensure that their employees are able to perform their duties in a safe and effective manner…
Conducting Stakeouts
Stakeouts are an important police tactic to use in anticipation of enforcement actions against criminal suspects who may be armed and have a propensity for…
Confidential Fund
Law enforcement agency should maintain stringent control over all confidential funds used by the agency and ensure that the funds are only used for authorized…
Every effort has been made by the IACP Policy Center staff and advisory board to ensure that these documents incorporate the most current information and contemporary judgment on these issues. However, police administrators should be cautioned that no model policy can meet all the needs of any given police agency. In addition, the formulation of specific agency policies must take into account local political and community perspectives and customs, prerogatives, and demands; often divergent policing strategies and philosophies; and the impact of varied agency resource capabilities, among other factors. Readers outside of the United States should note that, while these documents promote procedures reflective of a democratic society, their legal basis follows United States Supreme Court rulings and other federal laws and statutes. Police administrators should be cautioned that each police agency operates in a unique environment of court rulings, state laws, local ordinances, regulations, judicial and administrative decisions, and collective bargaining agreements that must be considered and should, therefore, consult their agency's legal advisor before implementing any policy.
The IACP Policy Center documents are periodically updated, and the most current versions are published to this website. To minimize confusion and to help ensure reference to the most recent documents available, the IACP Policy Center does not distribute prior versions of any documents that have since been updated.
