Model Policies for Law Enforcement

Establishes the department's use-of-force philosophy, proportionality standards, and officer obligations before, during, and after any use of force.

Requires officers to use de-escalation techniques when safe and feasible before resorting to force, with specific tactics and documentation requirements.

Defines the legal and policy standards for the use of deadly force, consistent with Tennessee v. Garner and Graham v. Connor.

Governs the authorized use of tasers, OC spray, impact munitions, and other less-lethal tools, including training and deployment requirements.

Requires officers to intervene when witnessing another officer using excessive force, with protections for officers who report violations.

Establishes mandatory reporting, supervisory review, and administrative investigation procedures for all use-of-force incidents.

Defines the reasonable articulable suspicion standard, permissible scope of a Terry stop, and documentation requirements.

Covers traffic enforcement stops, consent searches, plain view doctrine, and officer safety procedures during vehicle contacts.

Outlines warrant application procedures, exceptions to the warrant requirement, and evidence handling after seizure.

Establishes voluntary consent standards, documentation requirements, and prohibitions on coercive consent practices.

Governs the seizure and forfeiture of property, consistent with state law and due process requirements.

Articulates the department's commitment to community policing principles, partnership, problem-solving, and organizational transformation.

Establishes structure, membership, authority, and operating procedures for community advisory or oversight boards.

Requires officers and supervisors to apply the Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment model to recurring problems.

Guides officers in engaging with homeless individuals, persons in mental health crisis, youth, and other vulnerable community members.

Prohibits enforcement decisions based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics.

Defines racial profiling, establishes reporting requirements, and creates accountability mechanisms for violations.

Requires collection and periodic analysis of stop, search, and use-of-force data disaggregated by race and ethnicity.

Comprehensive policy covering activation requirements, prohibited recordings, data storage, retention schedules, and public records obligations.

Addresses when and whether officers may review their own footage before writing reports, with guidance on competing policy considerations.

Governs who may access BWC footage, under what circumstances, and procedures for responding to public records requests.

Establishes CIT training requirements, dispatch protocols, and procedures for encounters with persons experiencing mental health crises.

Governs partnerships with mental health clinicians who respond alongside officers to behavioral health calls.

Addresses psychological support resources, peer support programs, and supervisor responsibilities for officer mental health.

Establishes department obligations to identify at-risk officers, provide resources, and reduce stigma around mental health treatment.

Covers mandatory arrest provisions, evidence collection, victim safety planning, and referral to advocacy services.

Requires officers to administer a validated lethality assessment tool at domestic violence calls and connect high-risk victims to services.

Establishes procedures for receiving, documenting, and investigating stalking complaints, including digital stalking.

Addresses allegations of domestic violence by department employees, including reporting obligations, administrative leave, and firearms restrictions.

Establishes criteria for initiating and continuing pursuits, supervisor authority to terminate, and mandatory post-pursuit review.

Governs authorized use of PIT maneuvers, training requirements, and documentation obligations.

Establishes minimum standards for case assignment, documentation, supervisor review, and case closure in criminal investigations.

Governs the collection, packaging, labeling, storage, and disposition of physical evidence.

Requires blind or blinded administration of photo arrays and live lineups, with documentation of witness confidence statements.

Covers Miranda advisements, waiver documentation, recording requirements, and prohibitions on coercive interrogation tactics.

Addresses the seizure, preservation, and forensic examination of digital devices, consistent with Riley v. California.

Governs authorized uses of facial recognition, prohibitions on real-time surveillance, human review requirements, and audit obligations.

Establishes authorized uses, data retention limits, access controls, and audit requirements for ALPR systems.

Covers authorized deployment scenarios, warrant requirements, data retention, and FAA compliance for drone operations.

Addresses officer personal social media conduct, department social media accounts, and use of social media in investigations.

Establishes transparency, bias auditing, and human oversight requirements for algorithmic and predictive policing tools.

Establishes procedures for receiving, classifying, and investigating complaints from the public and department members.

Requires use of an early warning system to identify officers with patterns of complaints, use of force, or other performance indicators.

Provides a structured framework for consistent disciplinary decisions based on offense severity, prior history, and mitigating factors.

Establishes procedures for identifying, tracking, and disclosing officer credibility information to prosecutors as required by Brady and Giglio.

Establishes minimum qualifications, background investigation standards, and non-discrimination requirements for officer hiring.

Governs the structure, documentation, and evaluation standards for field training officer (FTO) programs.

Establishes minimum annual training hours, mandatory topic requirements, and documentation standards.

Defines circumstances requiring a fitness-for-duty evaluation, selection of evaluators, and return-to-duty procedures.

Establishes procedures for contacts with minors, including diversion options, parental notification, and custodial interrogation safeguards.

Covers ADA compliance, communication accommodations, and procedures for encounters with individuals with physical, cognitive, or sensory disabilities.

Defines the department's role in civil immigration enforcement, ICE detainer response, and community trust considerations.

Addresses respectful interactions, use of preferred names and pronouns, search procedures, and bias-free enforcement for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Establishes a graduated response framework for managing public assemblies, with emphasis on facilitating lawful protest.

Defines press access rights at incident scenes, media liaison procedures, and prohibitions on interfering with lawful newsgathering.

Guides officers in responding to individuals recording police activity in public, consistent with First Amendment protections.

Requires publication of an annual report including use-of-force data, complaint statistics, arrest demographics, and budget information.

Establishes data collection fields, reporting timelines, and public release requirements for use-of-force incidents.

Governs the department's obligations under state open records laws, including response timelines and exemption determinations.