HomeMy WebLinkAbout0041 - Officer Involved ShootingRed Wing Police Department
Policy
SUBJECT:
POLICY NUMBER
W
OFFICER INVOLVED SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH
41
Oxr,
INVESTIGATIONS
EFFECTIVE DATE
November 28, 2008
REFERENCE(S):
APPROVED BY:
Minnesota
CHIEF ROGER D. POHLMAN
PURPOSE: To define the procedure for investigation and review of an officer involved
serious injury or death incident. This order does not apply to destroying
dangerous or seriously injured animals.
POLICY: The Red Wing Police Department, shall investigate, or shall have
investigated, all incidents of a critical nature, where the involved employee
acted within the course and scope of employment, whether on or off duty.
These incidents shall include, but are not limited to:
1. Officer involved use of deadly force through the intentional or
accidental discharge of a firearm, and/or;
2. Intentional or accidental use of any other deadly or dangerous
weapon, which results in serious injury or death of any person as a
result of police involvement, and/or;
3. Attempts to affect an arrest or otherwise gain physical control over
a person for law enforcement purposes, which result in serious
injury or death, and/or;
4. Death of persons while in police custody or under police control
and/or;
5. Vehicular incidents related to police actions that result in serious
injury or death of any person.
1. PROCEDURES:
On Scene - Responsibilities
Officers involved at the scene of a shooting or critical incident shall take those
measures that are reasonably possible and appropriate to protect their safety
and to preserve evidence essential to the investigation. This includes the
following actions, undertaken in the order deemed appropriate:
A. Ensure that the threats to officer(s) safety and the safety of others are
over.
B. Secure and separate suspects.
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C. Request a supervisor and additional backup, emergency medical services,
if necessary, and any other assistance required immediately.
D. Relay information on fleeing suspects to communications and other field
units and work with them to establish containment area.
E. If injured, administer emergency first aid to oneself first if possible. Then,
administer basic first aid to suspects and others as necessary, pending
arrival of emergency medical assistance.
F. Holster/protect any involved handgun for later examination.
Secure/protect any long guns for later examination. Do not open, reload,
remove shell casing or in any manner tamper with involved firearms.
1. If at all possible, leave firearms or dangerous weapons where they
are found for investigators to secure. These items are of
evidentiary value and critical to the investigation.
G. Take note of the time, survey the entire area for relevant facts, individuals
who are present and who departed the scene, witnesses, potential
suspects, and suspect vehicles.
H. As time and capabilities permit before supervisory and other assistance
arrives:
1. Secure the area, establish a perimeter with crime scene tape and
limit access to authorized persons necessary to investigate the
shooting and assist injured.
2. Protect evidence from loss, destruction or damage that is likely to
occur before backup can arrive. Ensure that evidentiary items are
not moved or, if moved prior to scene containment, note the original
location and position of persons, weapons, and other relevant
objects and evidence.
3. Record the names, addresses and telephone numbers of all
witnesses and other persons present at the shooting or critical
incident scene and request that they remain on hand in order to
make a brief statement whether or not they saw the incident.
2. SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES AT SCENE
A. Ensure the safety and determine the condition of the officer(s), suspect(s)
and third parties. Summon emergency medical services if not yet
summoned.
B. Assume control of incident/scene and ensure scene is secure and
protected. Use crime scene tape and barriers/barricades as necessary.
C. If an officer has been shot or otherwise injured:
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OFFICER INVOLVED SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH INVESTIGATIONS -POLICY 41
1. Ensure that an officer accompanies and remains with the officer at
the hospital. Assigned officer shall not question officer about
incident.
2. Coordinate with supervisor to ensure that officer's family is notified
on a priority basis and in person. Ensure that they are assigned
transportation to the hospital or other location where they are
needed as soon as possible.
3. Do not release the officer's name to the media or unauthorized
parties.
4. Assign an officer to the family for security, support and control of
the press.
5. Ensure that the clothing of the officer and other injured persons is
collected for potential evidentiary purposes and that related
equipment of the officer is safeguarded.
D. If the officer is not injured, move him/her away from the center of activity
accompanied by another officer.
1. Assigned officer shall not question officer about incident. Purpose
of assigned officer is to supply support and security.
E. Establish a logging system for controlled area. Appoint a recorder to
make chronological record of activities at the scene, to include: persons
present, actions taken by police personnel and the identity of any
personnel who entered the incident crimes scene, to include emergency
medical and fire personnel.
F. Notify Chief of Police, Captain and on-call investigator. On-call
investigator shall be responsible for continuing to secure scene and to
begin identifying possible suspects and witnesses. It should be noted that
in the case of an officer involved shooting, BCA shall be contacted to
conduct the investigation and that the on-call investigator shall assist BCA
with their needs. Make notifications to other agency personnel, if
appropriate, to include:
1. Goodhue County Sheriff's Department
2. Coroner
3. BCA Crime Lab
4. Legal advisor
5. Red Wing Police Department Chaplain
G. Establish a command post if necessary.
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H. Establish media staging area as time permits. This area shall be a safe
distance from where the incident took place and shall not hinder the
investigation.
If suspect(s) are transported to a hospital, the supervisor shall assign an
officer(s) to accompany suspect. The officer will not interview the suspect,
but any voluntary statements will be recorded or handwritten by the
officer(s). Suspect clothing or any other property of the suspect will be
properly inventoried.
J. Officer(s) involved weapons shall only be inventoried after proper
weapons can be reissued to involved officer(s). The officer will be issued
a replacement weapon as soon as practical, and this determination will be
made by the Chief of Police or their designee after initial review of the
incident. In most cases this will take place after the officer(s) have been
brought back to the station where reissued weapons can be obtained.
K. Involved officer(s) will be allowed to phone family to advise of the
situation.
3. OFFICER(S) INVOLVED RELIEVED FROM DUTY
A. Officer(s) involved in death or serious injury resulting from a critical
incident will be relieved from active duty as soon as possible and may be
placed on paid administrative leave until such time that the interests of the
officer(s), the community and the department are best served. The Chief
of Police or their designee will determine the appropriateness and duration
of extended mandatory administrative leave, based upon the findings of
the preliminary criminal investigation and the recommendation of the
psychologist regarding the officer's readiness for duty.
1. During administrative leave, the officer(s) shall maintain regular
contact with the Chief of Police or their designee, and may, on a
voluntary basis, participate in follow-up contacts with the
psychologist.
2. Mandatory administrative leave and contacts with the psychologist
are intended for the benefit of the officer, and show no indication of
fault or responsibility, and shall in no way be related to the criminal
investigation of the incident which may be conducted. All contact
between the employee and the psychologist will be confidential.
3. In all cases where any person has been injured or killed as a result
of a firearm discharge by officer(s), the involved officer(s) will be
required to undergo a debriefing with a department furnished
psychologist as soon as possible, but no longer than 24 -hours after
the incident. The purpose of the debriefing will be to allow the
officer to express his/her feelings and to assist with the moral,
ethical, and/or psychological after effects of the incident. The
debriefing shall not be related to any department investigation of
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the incident and nothing discussed in the debriefing will be reported
to the department. The debriefing session will remain protected by
the privileged physician -patient relationship.
4. MEDIA CONTACTS
A. All contacts with the news media in officer involved critical incidents shall
be from the Chief of Police or their designee.
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