572 Professional Oversight

Question 1

Professional Oversight

Answer 1

A. Oversees Response-to-Resistance (RTR) administrative cases and the RTR Review Board process.
B. Oversees Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) vehicle administrative cases and the Safety Review Board process.
C. Oversees the Personnel Early Intervention Program.

Question 2

Facilitates the continuous improvement and project management functions for JSO, which include:

Answer 2

1. Conducting research and development projects;
2. Overseeing the member suggestion process;
3. Managing approved process-improvement projects;
4. Facilitating changes to agency policy and procedures;
5. Ensuring the implementation of the Sheriff’s strategic plan and initiatives; and
6. Reviewing critical incidents to ensure adherence to best-practice standards.

Question 3

Callout criteria

Answer 3

1. The Professional Oversight Unit (POU) Lieutenant shall be notified, via the Investigative Police Emergency Communications Officer (PECO), of any officer-involved shooting or in-custody death.
2. The POU Sergeant shall be notified, via the Investigative PECO, of any unintentional discharge outside of approved training.

Question 4

1. POU reviews all finalized RTR reports and establishes an RTR case for any incident that involved:

Answer 4

a. The discharge of a firearm by a member;
b. An in-custody death that was preceded by a member’s use of force; or
c. Other circumstances necessitating an administrative inquiry.

Question 5

2. The Director of Personnel & Professional Standards reviews each RTR case and selects one of the following options based on the specific circumstances of the case:

Answer 5

a. Convene the RTR Review Board to review the incident (every incident involving the discharge of a firearm at an individual automatically qualifies);
b. Refer the incident to the Internal Affairs Unit (IA) for further investigation; or
c. No further action is necessary due to the RTR being within policy.

Question 6

1. The RTR Review Board conducts formal administrative inquiries into RTR incidents to determine if a member’s use of force was within JSO policy and training standards.
2. Member composition for police-Involved incidents

Answer 6

a. Director of Personnel & Professional Standards (chairperson);
b. Chief of Professional Standards;
c. Commanding Officer of (POU);
d. A Chief or Assistant Chief; and
e. A police lieutenant.

Question 7

RTR Review Board Hearing [CALEA 11.3.4]

a. The (POU) coordinates the RTR Review Board hearing process, including setting up the hearing facility, determining the date of the hearing, and arranging for the distribution of case-related material to involved members.
b. Since the hearing is a part of an administrative investigation of an officer, it must adhere to all provisions outlined in the…………………………………., as well as any other laws governing the administrative questioning of a government employee.

Answer 7

Law Enforcement and Correctional Officer Bill of Rights (Florida State Statute [F.S.S.] 112)

Question 8

After hearing testimony from investigators, witnesses, and the principal members, the RTR Review Board determines the following for each member involved in an incident:

Answer 8

(1) Was the member’s use of force within departmental policy?
(2) Does the member need any additional situational training?
(3) Should this case be referred to the IA for any further investigation?
d. The determinations made by the RTR Review Board are submitted to the Sheriff, who ultimately decides the disposition of the RTR case. When the Sheriff determines that additional situational training or further investigation is needed, POU will coordinate with the appropriate unit to ensure the RTR case is handled accordingly

Question 9

1. Administrative investigations of JSO-related vehicle crashes and incidents a. Supervisors are required to conduct an administrative investigation for any crash or incident that involved any vehicle being operated by a JSO member in his official capacity and:

Answer 9

(1) Any observed or alleged personal injury;
(2) Any property damage;
(3) Any unintentional vehicle-to-vehicle contact; or
(4) The use of that JSO vehicle to move another vehicle without a push bumper.

Question 10

The responding supervisor will document the results of the investigation on a BlueTeam Vehicle Accident/Incident Report within 24 hours of the incident. For incidents being investigated by the Traffic Homicide Unit, the Traffic Homicide detective will complete this report instead of the responding supervisor and must do so within 14 days. This report must include:

Answer 10

(1) Details of the crash or incident, including all contributing factors;
(2) Details of any observed or alleged injuries;
(3) Details of all property damage; and
(4) Photographs of the scene and all damage, unless a Crime Scene Unit detective has responded to photograph the scene.

Question 11

Upon approving a BlueTeam Vehicle Accident/Incident Report, the commanding officer must:

Answer 11

(1) Route the report to the Safety Review Board detective; and
(2) Send a copy of the report to the involved member(s).

Question 12

At ……………………………………. following any crash or incident involving a JSO-owned/JSO-leased vehicle, the member must ensure that the vehicle is taken to the City of Jacksonville (COJ) Fleet Management Division (2581 Commonwealth Ave) for an appraisal. Members must obtain permission from their supervisors to delay this appraisal.

Answer 12

1300 hours, on the Wednesday

Question 13

For incidents involving only damage to the windshield or windows of a JSO vehicle, the member will contact the COJ Fleet Management Division for instructions on having the damaged repaired; an …………..

Answer 13

appraisal at the Fleet Management Division is not needed

Question 14

Reviews of Vehicle Pursuits
a. POU reviews all finalized vehicle pursuit reports and establishes a Vehicle Pursuit case number (VPYY-00000) for any pursuit that:

Answer 14

(1) Was identified as not being within policy by the commanding officer or zone commander that approved the report; and/or
(2) Appears to not be within policy based on subsequent information obtained by POU.

Question 15

Vehicle pursuit cases determined to be out of policy are forwarded to… for further investigation.

Answer 15

IA

Question 16

Any potential gaps in policy and/or training that were revealed by a vehicle pursuit review will be addressed by …………………..

Answer 16

POU or the Safety Review Board.

Question 17

Recommended corrective actions are sent to the member’s commanding officer for implementation unless any of the following extenuating circumstances exist, in which case the Safety Review Board conducts an initial review beforehand:

Answer 17

(1) Aggravating factors – the member’s actions demonstrated gross negligence;
(2) Mitigating factors – conditions beyond the member’s control were potentially a contributing factor;
(3) Point frequency – the member has received three or more JSO-vehicle points within the last year;
(4) Probationary status – the member is currently on probation and has received two or more JSO-vehicle points within 12-month probationary period;
(5) Qualifies for discipline – the recommended corrective actions include the issuance of a Written Reprimand Level One or higher;
(6) Reported mechanical failure – the member reported some form of mechanical failure, supported with proof the failure occurred with data obtained by POU; and/or
(7) Serious injury – the incident involved serious injury.

Question 18

The commanding officer will present the recommended corrective actions to the member, who may elect to:

Answer 18

(1) Accept the corrective actions, in which case the commanding officer will ensure they are implemented; or
(2) Appeal the corrective actions to the Safety Review Board.

Question 19

Safety Review Board

1. The Safety Review Board conducts reviews of JSO-vehicle administrative cases and conducts formal policy and training reviews for safety-related matters.
2. Member Composition:

Answer 19

a. Chief of Professional Standards (chairperson);
b. Chief of Patrol;
c. Chief of Patrol Support;
d. Chief of Support Services; and
e. Chief of Investigations.

Question 20

Policy and training reviews

(1) During the final phase of the hearing, the…………….conducts formal policy and training reviews for matters related to vehicle operations, injuries-on-duty, or other safety-related matters.
(2) The Safety Review Board will determine what actions should be implemented, including revising JSO policy, modifying JSO training, or distributing refresher material to members.

Answer 20

Safety Review Board

Question 21

The JSO Personnel Early Intervention Program (PEIP) is a system that uses observations and data to identify members who may require intervention efforts by the agency. The two primary components of the PEIP are …………….AND THE ……………

Answer 21

supervisor monitoring and the automated Three-Month Proactive Report.

Question 22

2. Supervisor Monitoring
   a. The most effective way to identify members who need early intervention efforts is the supervisor’s daily observation of, and interaction with, his subordinates.
   b. Supervisors must be mindful of any factor that could indicate the need for intervention efforts, including:

Answer 22

(1) Allegations of misconduct;
(2) Chargeable vehicle crashes or incidents;
(3) Chronic sick leave;
(4) Chronic tardiness;
(5) Civil litigation;
(6) Critical incidents;
(7) Disputes with other members;
(8) High frequency of arrests with “resisting” charges;
(9) High number of overtime or secondary employment hours;
(10) Injuries on duty;
(11) Personal issues;
(12) Poor work performance;
(13) RTR incidents;
(14) Signs of chronic fatigue;
(15) Unusual behavior;
(16) Unusual patterns in enforcement actions; and
(17) Vehicle pursuits.

Question 23

3. Three-Month Proactive Report
   a. To assist supervisors in identifying members who may need intervention efforts, POU generates a monthly report that lists members who, within the previous three calendar months, have had three or more occurrences of being:

Answer 23

(1) The subject of an allegation of misconduct;
(2) The primary officer in an RTR incident;
(3) The primary officer in a vehicle pursuit;
(4) Deemed chargeable in a JSO vehicle crash or incident; or
(5) Exceeds 120 hours of secondary employment in a month.
b. POU will perform a manual check on the monthly list to eliminate names that resulted from false-positive calculations, such as two occurrences related to the same incident, and will then send an Employee Awareness/Tracking Notification Form (P-0410) to the commanding officer and supervisor of each remaining person on the list

Question 24

Early Intervention Meetings [CALEA 26.1.4]
a. Whenever supervisors identify factors that could indicate the need for early intervention efforts, or whenever supervisors are sent a Personnel Early Intervention Notification and Tracking form (P-0410) from POU, they will hold a meeting with the involved member and the member’s commanding officer. During the meeting, the commanding officer will complete the Personnel Early Intervention Program Questionnaire (P-0788) and will discuss the following:

Answer 24

(1) The factors that led to the meeting;
(2) Resources available to provide assistance to the member;
(3) Additional training needed to improve the member’s job performance; and
(4) Other strategies designed to reduce citizen complaints, reduce exposure to liability, and improve morale.

Question 25

When a member is listed on ……………………..within a 12-month period, the Commanding Officer of POU will review the reports to determine if a meeting should be convened with the member’s chain of command to establish the most appropriate intervention efforts.

Answer 25

three or more Three-Month Proactive Reports

Question 26

5. Project Management
   a. POU is responsible for tracking and coordinating all process improvement projects within JSO that involve more than one unit. Projects are established by POU after:

Answer 26

(1) The Core Review Committee has approved a suggestion for further research; or
(2) A commanding officer or Sheriff’s staff member has requested that a project be considered.

Question 27

Phases of JSO projects

(1) Phase One: Once the terms of a project are determined (the owner, scope, estimated costs, and units involved), POU assigns a project number (POU Project # YY-00000) and places the project on the Master Project List. Each project on the Master Project List is submitted to the ………………and/or affected director(s) for approval and prioritization.
(2) Phase Two: Once the project has been approved and is ready to proceed, POU assists the designated owner of the project in coordinating with other units, as well as establishing timelines with progress benchmarks and deadlines.
(3) Phase Three: Once the project is ready for implementation, POU ensures the appropriate training is adopted, the relevant written directives are revised by the respective owners, and necessary follow-up activities are scheduled.

Answer 27

Undersheriff