Surveillance operations are essential for criminal investigations and information collection required to develop intelligence. However, covert and clandestine methods may be neither appropriate nor necessary and, if used, can have associated risks. Surveillance is suitable only for those types of investigations where information of comparable investigative value cannot be obtained by other less intrusive means and is permitted only when reasonable suspicion of criminal activity has been established. Law enforcement agencies should employ surveillance methods only where they can be justified in accordance with principles and operational protocols established by policy.

These documents provide general principles for conducting surveillance operations and establishing internal control processes and procedures to ensure the protection of individuals’ civil rights and to ensure the efficiency and the effectiveness of surveillance operations.

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 the level of skill, knowledge and ability members bring to their individual assignments, duties and responsibilities. Therefore, law enforcement agency should provide, to the degree possible, counseling, training and professional development opportunities and assistance to members in choosing, preparing, entering and progressing in agency job assignments and job specialties as well as individual professional growth opportunities that will promote production, efficiency and effectiveness in job performance and improve the overall level of job satisfaction.

These documents define potential career development programs, which are designed to improve the skills, knowledge and abilities (SKA) of all personnel in order to successfully meet departmental tasks and objectives.

This topic has been archived - it is intended for reference purposes only and will not be updated.

Police officers must be prepared for the potential of suicide bomber attacks. No policy can prescribe the precise actions that an officer must take in such an event because these incidents generally develop rapidly, without warning, and in widely varied and dynamic environments. When an officer has established probable cause to believe that a suicide bomber is present, the use of force is authorized up to and including the use of deadly force. Negotiation with a suicide bomber is not a reasonable option. An agency’s policy on rapid patrol officer response and deployment should be the operative tactical approach given the exigency of circumstances surrounding suicide bombings.

These documents provide officers with a protocol to include initial response, deployment, potential countermeasures, and coordination with specialized units for dealing with reports or confirmation of suicide bombers. Officers who are alert to suicide bomber tactics and practices and who are familiar with possible countermeasures for intervention and mitigation of attacks are better prepared to save lives, critical infrastructure, or both.

This topic has been archived - it is intended for reference purposes only and will not be updated. 

The arrest of a parent can have a significant impact on a child, whether or not the child is present at the time of the arrest. Depending on age and quality of the relationship with the parent, children may feel shock, immense fear, anxiety, or anger towards the arresting officers or law enforcement in general that may linger for many years and have long term consequences.

Over the past two decades, increasing emphasis has been placed on examination of the effects of these events on children of various ages and the ways in which law enforcement can make sure that involved children are not overlooked. But clear guidance for law enforcement agencies has not been widely available until now. This report, an initiative of the Deputy Attorney General and White House Domestic Policy Council and sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, goes to the heart of the matter by providing detailed policy and procedure recommendations and an in depth look at the potential impact of parental arrests on children, whether they are at home at the time or not.

Note: For this topic, the Model Policy and Concepts & Issues Paper are combined into one document.

This topic has been archived - it is intended for reference purposes only and will not be updated.

Agencies should ensure that all officers are aware of the requirements, limitations, and procedures for strip and body cavity searches. Due to the potentially invasive nature of these searches, their use must balance the individual’s right to privacy with the safety of the officer(s) and the community. These documents can assist agencies in developing thorough and effective guidance for strip and body cavity searches.

Law enforcement agencies should generally respond to and take necessary steps to free innocent persons who are endangered and being held illegally against their will. During situations that involve conventional hostage takings, agencies should deploy first responding officers to contain the situation and suspects involved when appropriate, pending the arrival of personnel specially trained in negotiations and tactical problem solving. However, agency policy should not prohibit properly trained and equipped first responding officers from taking direct and immediate action—up to and including deadly force—in cases where a hostage is facing deadly jeopardy and the officers’ reasonable actions have a high probability of neutralizing the deadly threat or preventing the situation from escalating.

This document provides guidance and direction for those who respond to and resolve hostage-taking situations.

This topic has been archived - it is intended for reference purposes only and will not be updated. 

The parties involved in a labor dispute have rights as well as responsibilities. Strikers may assemble and demonstrate peacefully to bring attention to their cause, but they do not have the right to intimidate non-strikers or to impede business. The employer has a right to keep the business open and operational free from undue interference, intimidation, damage or destruction. Within this context, law enforcement officers assigned to strikes and labor disputes should deal fairly and impartially with the parties involved and with reasonable consideration of the emotional environment involved in these events while upholding their sworn responsibilities to protect life and property and protect the rights of all parties involved.

These documents define the proper role of an agency in dealing with labor disputes, to provide guidance to protect the rights of both labor and management and to safeguard life and property.

This topic has been archived - it is intended for reference purposes only and will not be updated.

Law enforcement officers must accept and abide by a high ethical and moral standard that is consistent with the rule of law they are sworn to uphold. This includes consistently employing propriety and discretion in their personal lives that reflects favorably on themselves as professionals and the law enforcement agency that they represent. These documents provide guidance regarding the standards of conduct embodied in the law enforcement officer’s code of ethics and an agency’s statement of values and mission, so that officers have a clear understanding of agency expectations pertaining to conduct and activities while on and off duty.

Responding to and investigating reports of stalking should involve gathering information that permits the victim’s circumstances to be considered in context with the behavior of the suspect. Additionally, the response should include evidence collection and a victim threat assessment.

Department members are responsible for conducting primary and/or follow-up investigations to gather all relevant information and evidence necessary to determine whether probable cause exists to believe a crime of stalking has occurred. This includes any past stalking behaviors or incidents alleged by the complainant to have been committed by the suspect.

This document provide information on the scope and nature of stalking, its primary characteristics, and measures that can be taken to assist victims and identify perpetrators.

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 suited to their special knowledge, skills and abilities. Therefore, agencies are encouraged to employ civilians for selected functions that do not require the authority of a commissioned officer, there – by freeing sworn personnel for enforcement functions and capitalizing upon the talents of all employees.

These documents outline law enforcement's commitment to and procedures for hiring and using civilian personnel.

This topic has been archived - it is intended for reference purposes only and will not be updated.

The availability of less-lethal weapons can assist officers in de-escalation of potentially violent confrontations and provide additional alternatives to the use of deadly force. Impact projectiles are an important less-lethal component of an agency’s force equipment. Officers should be authorized to employ impact projectiles in accordance with provisions of agency policy and the department’s overall policy on use of force.

This document provides police officers with direction on when and how to use less-lethal impact projectiles.

Many police agencies utilize the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as the primary method to prepare for, respond to, and manage incidents. NIMS is a comprehensive national approach to incident management, applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines. An incident command system may be utilized for any size or type of incident or event to coordinate the efforts of responding agencies and individual as they work to stabilize the incident. 

* Note - there is no Concepts & Issues Paper available for this topic *