Battlefield Police Policies

Policy is defined as

A plan...intended to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matters.

A course of action, guiding principle, or procedure considered expedient, prudent, or advantageous...

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition; Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992.

Policies are designed to provide members of the Battlefield Police Department with general information about legal principles, administration expectations, and broad guidelines for conduct. It is not intended to cover every topic or situation you may encounter.

Policies should provide general guidance for major issues allowing for officer discretion as circumstances dictate; however, policies should not be so lax as to fail to provide guidance so personnel will know what is expected in various situations of similar circumstances.

Policies do not address every day-to-day duty or activity, and do not encompass training issues. These are separate concerns that can be addressed in memorandums, procedure manuals, verbal instructions, education, and your knowledge and work experience.

Policies and procedures should be clear and concise enough for a person to remember and provide a working knowledge for field use. It is not practical, for example, for an officer to look up a Use of Force Policy while an event is unfolding. The policy must be concise enough for an officer to remember long-term and apply to daily activities.

No policy can mandate or substitute for rational thinking, ethical conduct, and civil behavior. Every member of the Department including administration must make a diligent effort to do the right thing under the circumstances. As a test, ask yourself if this appears in the media what would public reaction be, or would my peers or even my parents approve.

Administration should not attempt to provide a new or revised policy every time an event occurs or for every scenario. Policies should be re-evaluated and updated regularly, but only changed for significant impact.

These policies are intended for members of the Battlefield Police Department – paid or volunteer, sworn or civilian.

Policies

• Emergencies
• Ethics
• Public Information
• Records