Policy Manual
106.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The manual of the University California Santa Cruz Police Department is hereby established and shall be referred to as "The Policy Manual." The Policy Manual is a statement of the current policies, procedures, rules, guidelines and directives of this department. All employees are to conform to the provisions of this manual. This manual supplements the campus wide Policy and Procedure Manual, and the University wide Police Policies and Administrative Procedures Manual.
All prior and existing manuals, orders, directives and regulations which are in conflict with this manual are revoked, except to the extent that portions of existing manuals, orders, directives and other regulations which have not been included herein shall remain in effect where they do not conflict with the provisions of this manual.
Except where otherwise expressly stated, the provisions of this manual shall be considered as guidelines. This Policy Manual is intended to be a "living document," continually edited and updated to support a foundation based on legal and best practices. This foundation is derived state and Federal law, POST guidelines, police ethics and experience, the desires of the community, and University of California policy and regulations. It is recognized, however, that police work is not always predictable and circumstances may arise which warrant departure from these guidelines.
It is the intent of this manual to be viewed from an objective standard, taking into consideration the sound discretion entrusted to members of this department under the circumstances reasonably available at the time of any incident.
The Administrative Lieutenant or Chief of Police designee will be responsible for maintaining this Policy Manual. They will form a Policy Manual Review Committee to assist with the review of any Lexipol updates, or any other required changes in the Policy Manual that need to conform to University Policy, law changes or new POST guidelines.
The Administrative Lieutenant or Chief of Police designee is required to notify and extend an invitation to a representative of the following members of the University community at least one week prior to the review of policy:
(a) Members of the UC Santa Cruz Police Department
(b) Staff Human Resources
(c) Legal counsel
106.2 POLICY
Except where otherwise expressly stated, the provisions of this manual shall be considered as guidelines. It is recognized that the work of law enforcement is not always predictable and circumstances may arise which warrant departure from these guidelines. It is the intent of this manual to be viewed from an objective standard, taking into consideration the sound discretion entrusted to members of this department under the circumstances reasonably available at the time of any incident.
106.2.1 DISCLAIMER
The provisions contained in the Policy Manual are not intended to create an employment contract nor any employment rights or entitlements. The policies contained within this manual are for the internal use of the University of California Santa Cruz Police Department and shall not be construed to create a higher standard or duty of care for civil or criminal liability against the University of California, its officials or members. Violations of any provision of any policy contained within this manual shall only form the basis for department administrative action, training or discipline. The University of California Santa Cruz Police Department reserves the right to revise any policy content, in whole or in part.
106.3 AUTHORITY
The Chief of Police shall be considered the ultimate authority for the content and adoption of the provisions of this manual and shall ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws. The Chief of Police or the authorized designee is authorized to issue Special Orders, which shall modify those provisions of the manual to which they pertain. Special Orders shall remain in effect until such time as they may be permanently incorporated into the manual.
106.4 DEFINITIONS
The following words and terms shall have these assigned meanings throughout the Policy Manual, unless it is apparent from the content that they have a different meaning:
Adult - Any person 18 years of age or older.
CCR - California Code of Regulations (Example: 15 CCR 1151).
CHP- The California Highway Patrol.
CFR - Code of Federal Regulations.
University of California - The University of California of UC Santa Cruz.
Professional Staff - Employees and volunteers who are not sworn peace officers.
Department/UCPD - The University of California Santa Cruz Police Department.
DMV - The Department of Motor Vehicles.
Employee - Any person employed by the Department.
Juvenile- Any person under the age of 18 years.
Manual - The University of California Santa Cruz Police Department Policy Manual.
May - Indicates a permissive, discretionary or conditional action.
Member - Any person employed or appointed by the University of California Santa Cruz Police Department, including:
- Full- and part-time employees
- Sworn peace officers
- Reserve, auxiliary officers
- Professional Staff employees
- Volunteers.
Officer - Those employees, regardless of rank, who are sworn peace officers of the University of California Santa Cruz Police Department.
On-duty - A member’s status during the period when he/she is actually engaged in the performance of his/her assigned duties.
Order - A written or verbal instruction issued by a superior.
POST - The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
Rank - The title of the classification held by an officer.
Shall or will - Indicates a mandatory action.
Should - Indicates a generally required or expected action, absent a rational basis for failing to conform.
Supervisor - A person in a position of authority of other department members, and directing the work of other members. The supervisory exercise of authority may not be merely routine or clerical in nature but requires the use of independent judgment.
The term "supervisor" may also include any person (e.g., officer-in-charge, lead or senior worker) given responsibility for the direction of the work of others without regard to a formal job title, rank or compensation.
When there is only one department member on-duty, that person may also be the supervisor, except when circumstances reasonably require the notification or involvement of the member’s off-duty supervisor or an on-call supervisor.
USC - United States Code.
106.5 ISSUING THE POLICY MANUAL
An electronic version of the Policy Manual will be made available to all members on the department network for viewing and printing. No changes shall be made to the manual without authorization from the Chief of Police or the authorized designee.
Each member shall acknowledge that he/she has been provided access to, and has had the opportunity to review the Policy Manual and Special Orders. Members shall seek clarification as needed from an appropriate supervisor for any provisions that they do not fully understand.
106.6 PERIODIC REVIEW OF THE POLICY MANUAL
The Chief of Police will ensure that the Policy Manual is periodically reviewed and updated as necessary.
106.7 REVISIONS TO POLICIES
All revisions to the Policy Manual will be provided to each member on or before the date the policy becomes effective. Each member will be required to acknowledge that he/she has reviewed the revisions and shall seek clarification from an appropriate supervisor as needed. Members are responsible for keeping abreast of all Policy Manual revisions.
The Division Commander and/or each manager will ensure that members under his/her command are aware of any Policy Manual revision. All department members suggesting revision of the contents of the Policy Manual shall forward their written suggestions to their Division Commanders, who will consider the recommendations and forward them to the command staff as appropriate.
