400-12 Surveillance Equipment Flashcards
The Houston Police Department shall uphold the values enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and follow all federal, state, and local laws governing the use of surveillance equipment. HPD employees utilizing surveillance equipment shall remain cognizant and mindful of the implications of the _____Amendment in their use of such equipment.
Fourth
GENERAL PROVISIONS
All employees using any type of surveillance equipment shall be properly trained in its operations and legal restrictions. _____ shall ensure their personnel are properly trained by the appropriate entity before officers are allowed to seek or operate surveillance equipment (e.g., the District Attorney’s Office for legal issues and the equipment vendor or qualified department personnel for proper operational use).
Employees who are not properly trained shall not use surveillance equipment.
Division commanders
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Only authorized divisions and personnel are permitted to purchase or receive surveillance equipment. Whenever the use of surveillance equipment is required in an investigation, divisions and personnel not authorized by this policy shall utilize the services of the…
Technical Surveillance Detail (TSD) of the department’s Criminal Intelligence Division (CID).
GENERAL PROVISIONS
The use of any audio or video equipment by an employee for department purposes shall be governed by all applicable laws and department policy. Such use must also be approved by _____
the employee’s immediate supervisor.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Covert surveillance equipment shall only be used…
as part of a criminal investigation
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Equipment for personal use or equipment not specifically designed for covert use (e.g., video equipment used in marked patrol vehicles, manned cameras, personal recording devices, home surveillance equipment, or exposed monitoring, building security, audio, and video interview systems) are not governed by this General Order. If there is a question concerning a piece of equipment, employees shall contact _____.
CID
Criminal Intelligence Division
AUTHORIZATION
The following divisions are authorized by the Chief of Police to acquire surveillance equipment in compliance with normal equipment procurement policies:
a. ____Support
b. ____Theft
C. ____Intelligence
d. ____
e. _____ Division
f. ____Offenders
g. _____
h. _____Operations
i. _____
All other divisions or personnel shall seek written authorization from the Chief of Police on a case-by-case basis to acquire or utilize surveillance equipment. Once approved, the division shall coordinate the acquisition of the surveillance equipment with the assistant chief of Homeland Security Command and CID’s Technical Surveillance Detail (TSD).
a. Air Support
b. Auto Theft
C. Criminal Intelligence
d. Gang
e. Internal Affairs Division (IAD)
f. Major Offenders
g. Narcotics
h. Tactical Operations
i. Vice
TECHNICAL SURVEILLANCE DETAIL RESPONSIBILITIES
CID’s TSD shall be considered the department’s Subject Matter Expert (SME) regarding surveillance equipment. As the SME, TSD is responsible for all of the following:
a. Keeping abreast of _____ in the surveillance equipment industry.
b. Ensuring the department has sufficient _____.
c. Maintaining a master database of all department surveillance equipment except equipment assigned to ____.
d. Monitoring and controlling surveillance equipment used by divisions that are…
1) emerging technology
2) surveillance equipment
3) IAD
4) not authorized to acquire or maintain surveillance equipment.
DIVISION RESPONSIBILITIES
All divisions except IAD shall:
a. Notify TSD of any _____.
b. Maintain a current, detailed, and accurate inventory of that division’s _____.
c. Forward a copy of that division’s surveillance equipment inventory to TSD by _____ of each year.
d. Utilize the _____ to ensure there are no conflicts during an investigation.
1) surveillance equipment acquisitions
2) surveillance equipment
3) January 15
4) Narcotics Operations Control Center (NOCC)
COVERT VIDEO RECORDING
_____is responsible for conducting all covert video recording assignments for all divisions not authorized to maintain covert video recording equipment. Authorized divisions not having the required equipment to complete the assignment shall utilize TSD.
This policy shall not restrict classified personnel from…
1) TSD
2) using manned video equipment not specifically designed for covert use.
COVERT AUDIO RECORDING
Audio surveillance equipment (e.g., body microphones and disguised audio transmitters) are specifically intended for officer safety as well as the collection of critical evidence. Except as provided below, only the _____ may authorize the placement of disguised audio transmitters and/or covert audio equipment on civilians or citizens. In the absence of the assistant chief of Homeland Security Command, the _____ may give authorization.
Proactive Internal Affairs investigators shall seek approval from the IAD commander prior to the use of audio surveillance equipment. IAD is not required by this General Order to obtain an assistant chief’s authorization when using audio surveillance equipment. If the requirements of the investigation are so time sensitive that waiting for approval would hamper the investigation, notification to the IAD commander shall be made as soon as practicable after its use.
All other divisions not approved to have audio surveillance equipment on a permanent basis shall utilize the services of _____ whenever a covert audio surveillance recording device is required during an investigation. This policy does not restrict classified personnel from using personal recording devices not specifically designed for covert use (e.g., non-disguised digital voice recorders).
1) assistant chief of Homeland Security Command
2) commander of CID
3) TSD
ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES
____is the only department entity authorized to acquire or use electronic countermeasure equipment. Electronic countermeasure sweeps shall be used only for department and local government personnel and facilities, or as directed by the Chief of Police.
Requests for electronic countermeasure sweep operations involving the department must be made by officers holding the rank of _____ or above and approved by the _____. Operations involving local government facilities or personnel shall be approved by the Chief of Police or his designee. Any requests for electronic countermeasure sweeps not falling within these parameters must be approved by the Chief of Police before the operation commences.
1) TSO
2) commander
3) division commander of CID
SURVEILLANCE EVIDENCE
Each division is responsible for maintaining the proper chain of custody of evidence created as a result of that division’s surveillance activity. Any surveillance evidence created shall be retained by the investigative division and evidence control procedures shall be established and documented in that division’s _____. To ensure compliance, the entire created video evidence shall be preserved in accordance with General Order 700-01, Property and Evidence Control Regulations.
standard operating procedures
RADIO FREQUENCIES AND MICROWAVE SITE RECEIVERS
All authorized divisions utilizing surveillance equipment requiring the use of radio frequencies shall use only frequencies authorized by TSD. Only ____, ____, ____, ____, and _____ divisions are authorized to maintain permanent microwave site receivers for surveillance purposes. All other divisions must contact TSD for assistance.
1) CID
2) Air Support
3) IAD
4) Narcotics
5) Special Operations
VEHICLE TRACKING
Only ____, ____, _____, _____, ____, ____, and ____ are permitted to maintain vehicle tracking systems on a permanent basis. If a division not permitted to maintain vehicle tracking devices requires the use of a vehicle tracking system, TSO shall be utilized. This section does not apply to global positioning system (GPS) equipment installed in department vehicles.
1) Auto Theft
2) Gang
3) Major Offenders
4) Narcotics
5) Vice
6) CID
7) IAD
