Reporting of Employee Convictions
1010.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Convictions of certain offenses may restrict or prohibit an employee’s ability to properly perform official duties. Therefore, all employees shall be required to promptly notify the Department of any past and current criminal convictions.
The Administration Supervisor shall submit in a timely manner a notice to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) of any appointment, termination, reinstatement, name change or status change regarding any peace officer, reserve peace officer, public safety dispatcher and records supervisor employed by this department (11 CCR 1003).
The Administration Supervisor shall submit in a timely manner a notice to POST of a felony conviction or Government Code § 1029 reason that disqualifies any current peace officer employed by this department or any former peace officer if this department was responsible for the investigation (11 CCR 1003).
1010.2 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CONVICTIONS, OUTSTANDING WARRANTS AND RESTRAINING ORDERS
California and federal law prohibit individuals convicted of, or having an outstanding warrant for, certain offenses and individuals subject to certain court orders from lawfully possessing a firearm. Such convictions and court orders often involve allegations of the use or attempted use of force or threatened use of a weapon on any individual in a domestic relationship (e.g., spouse, cohabitant, parent, child) (18 USC § 922; Penal Code § 29805).
All members are responsible for ensuring that they have not been disqualified from possessing a firearm by any such conviction or court order and shall promptly report any such conviction or court order to a supervisor, as provided in this policy.
1010.3 OTHER CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS AND COURT ORDERS
Government Code § 1029 prohibits any person convicted of a felony from being a peace officer in the State of California. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the guilt was established by way of a verdict, guilty or nolo contendre plea.
Convictions of certain violations of the Vehicle Code and other provisions of law may also place restrictions on an employee’s ability to fully perform the duties of the job.
Outstanding warrants as provided in Penal Code § 29805 also place restrictions on a member’s ability to possess a firearm.
Moreover, while legal restrictions may or may not be imposed by statute or by the courts upon conviction of any criminal offense, criminal conduct by members of this department may be inherently in conflict with law enforcement duties and the public trust.
1010.4 REPORTING PROCEDURE
All members of this department and all retired officers with an identification card issued by the Department shall promptly notify their immediate supervisor (or the Chief of Police in the case of retired officers) in writing of any past or current criminal arrest, outstanding warrant or conviction regardless of whether or not the matter is currently on appeal and regardless of the penalty or sentence, if any.
All members and all retired officers with an identification card issued by the Department shall further promptly notify their immediate supervisor (or the Chief of Police in the case of retired officers) in writing if the member or retiree becomes the subject of a domestic violence restraining order or similar court order or becomes the subject of an outstanding warrant.
Any member whose criminal conviction unduly restricts or prohibits that member from fully and properly performing his/her duties may be disciplined including, but not limited to, being placed on administrative leave, reassignment and/or termination. Any effort to remove such disqualification or restriction shall remain entirely the responsibility of the member on his/her own time and expense.
Any member failing to provide prompt written notice pursuant to this policy shall be subject to discipline.
1010.5 PROCEDURE FOR RELIEF
Pursuant to Penal Code § 29855, a peace officer may petition the court for permission to carry a firearm following a conviction under state law. Federal law, however, does not provide for any such similar judicial relief and the granting of a state court petition under Penal Code § 29855 will not relieve one of the restrictions imposed by federal law. Therefore, relief for any employee falling under the restrictions imposed by federal law may only be obtained by expungement of the conviction. Each employee shall seek relief from firearm restrictions on their own time and through their own resources.
Pursuant to Family Code § 6389(h), an individual may petition the court for an exemption to any restraining order, which would thereafter permit the individual to carry a firearm as a part of their employment. Relief from any domestic violence or other restriction shall also be pursued through the employee’s own resources and on the employee’s own time.
Pending satisfactory proof of relief from any legal restriction imposed on an employee’s duties, the employee may be placed on administrative leave, reassigned or disciplined. The Department may, but is not required to return an employee to any assignment, reinstate any employee or reverse any pending or imposed discipline upon presentation of satisfactory proof of relief from any legal restriction set forth in this policy.
