In a time where the costs of liability insurance continue to rise driving many towns to self-insure or join insurance pools, law enforcement executives have a vested interest in prohibiting workplace harassment and discrimination, both from a moral and an economic viewpoint. The prudent approach is to establish the line for unacceptable conduct at a point below the level of what would likely constitute legally actionable behavior. These documents provide guidance regarding harassment using technology, the importance of training, legal remedies, and the prohibition and prevention of workplace harassment and discrimination.

The search warrant is one of the more powerful and valuable tools in the law enforcement arsenal. While the process of applying for and obtaining a search warrant should be familiar to most officers, there are many technical and legal pitfalls that can invalidate a search warrant, lead to the suppression of evidence or dismissal of cases, and have liability implications for involved officers. Therefore, agencies should ensure that all officers have a sound knowledge of the legal requirements associated with obtaining a search warrant in order to prevent suppression of evidence, support the Constitutional rights of citizens and to maintain public confidence in this agency’s mandate to carry out the police function in an ethical and legal manner.

Law enforcement agencies should identify techniques to accomplish a thorough and legal search; respect the constitutional rights of the person(s) the warrant is being served upon; minimize the level of intrusion experienced by those who are having their premises searched; provide for the safety for all persons concerned; and establish a record of the warrant execution process. 

These documents provide guidelines for obtaining and executing a search warrant. 

Research reveals that nearly one-third of all female homicide victims in the United States are killed by a husband or boyfriend. Another third of all emergency hospital visits by women are due to injuries sustained in domestic violence. Children are direct or indirect victims of abuse in more than half of such domestic violence cases. Without intervention, the pattern of abusive behavior typically escalates in both frequency and intensity. One important means of intervention is issuing court protection orders that limit or prohibit contact between individuals in abusive domestic situations. Therefore, law enforcement agencies should fully enforce these orders and, to that end, maintain a system that will provide up-to-date information on these orders to officers responding to domestic disturbances.

These documents provide information and guidance on how to process and enforce court protection orders.

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

The success of a criminal prosecution is determined not solely by the quality and quantity of evidence but by the manner in which it is presented by law enforcement officers in a court of law. An officer’s appearance, demeanor, attitude, and ability to accurately convey evidence in a fair and professional manner are essential in efforts to bring a criminal prosecution to a just conclusion. Therefore, law enforcement agencies should develop policies and procedures that ensure officers adhere to court scheduling, preparation, appearance, and testimonial guidelines .

These documents provide officers with guidelines for scheduling, preparing for, and testifying in criminal court cases.

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