To provide a process for an employee to file a grievance where he/she believes they have been the object of unfair treatment in an area subject to departmental control and to establish a process for the resolution of such grievances at the lowest possible supervisory level. Employees will have the right to utilize the grievance procedure with complete freedom from fear of reprisal or harassment by peers, supervisors, or members of the administration.
1.1 Office Roll
POLICY: The Sheriff's Office shall establish reasonable goals and objectives in the pursuit of professional standards and improved service to the community
1.2 Limits of Authority
POLICY: The Sheriff's Office shall impartially enforce the laws of the United States, the State of Maryland, and the laws and ordinances of Washington County.
10.0 County Computers, Cell Phones and Social Media Policy
The purpose of this policy is to provide instructions for agency personnel regarding the use of county owned computer equipment, software, Internet, Electronic Mail (E-Mail), cell phone and social media use.
11.0 Organization and Administration
The Sheriff’s Office wishes to be the most effective and efficient agency, while living within the fiscal limits of the citizens and community.
12.0 Direction
The Sheriff is responsible for the management, direction, and control of the Washington County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff may delegate these responsibilities in his absence.
15.1 PLANNING AND RESEARCH, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, AND CRIME ANALYSIS
It shall be the policy of the Washington County Sheriff's Office to have a planning and research component. Planning and research activities are essential for the continued development of an agency experiencing growing demands.
16.0 Allocation and Distribution of Personnel and Personnel Alternatives for Patrol, Judicial, and Detention
POLICY: The Washington County Sheriff's Office strives for maximum efficiency of its personnel resources through allocation of manpower based on a combination of factors, including specific needs verses available resources.
17.0 Fiscal Management, Budgetary Process, and Internal Audits
To provide efficient management, control and accounting of Sheriff’s Office budgetary funds.
2.0 Agency Jurisdiction and Mutual Aid For Law Enforcement Services
POLICY: The Sheriff’s Office shall establish policy regarding jurisdiction within the boundaries of Washington County, Maryland; operational parameters in relation to other enforcement agencies within the county, and mutual aid agreements between the Sheriff’s Office and other agencies.
3.1 Contractual Agreements for Law Enforcement Services
POLICY: To establish conditions governing the formation of Contractual Agreements for Washington County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Services.
33.0 Training and Career Development
To establish guidelines for a training function that will be responsible for coordinating, formulating, and procuring departmental training.
34.0 Promotions
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office shall be responsible for not only administering the promotional process for all Sheriff’s Office personnel, but to also establish promotional criteria that will ensure consistency, fairness, and be non- discriminatory in nature.
37.0 Employee Alcohol and Drug Testing Policy
To describe the Alcohol and Drug Testing Policy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
40.0 Use of Force
Policy: The Sheriff’s Office shall establish policy governing the use of force, escalation of the use of force, reporting use of force incidents, use of firearms and departmentally issued/sanctioned weapons and necessary training.
41 Patrol
To define responsibilities of the Patrol Division and to establish procedures for its efficient administration.
44.0 Juvenile Operations
To establish reporting procedures and arrest guidelines during contact with juveniles either through arrest, detention, or field contact. To commit the Sheriff’s Office to the planning and operations of anti-delinquency programs
45.0 Crime Prevention and Community Involvement
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is committed to serving the community through proactive programming and public empowerment, with the goal of reducing criminal opportunity throughout Washington County.
46.0 Critical Incidents
To establish guidelines for departmental operations during emergency situations. These procedures are not intended to limit initiative, judgment, or independent actions necessary for effective response.
52.0 Internal Affairs
Public Safety Article, Title 3, Subtitle 1, of the Annotated Code of Maryland, ensures sworn personnel, except probationary deputies, procedural safeguards during investigations alleging charges of misconduct.
53.0 INSPECTIONAL SERVICES
To establish a Departmental Inspection function responsible for conducting Line Inspections.
54.0 Public Information
To establish procedures for the timely release of appropriate information on the events of public interest to members of the News Media. To emphasize the department’s commitment to consider community opinion/desires in the formulation of departmental policy.
55.0 Victim – Witness Assistance
To establish procedures aimed at assisting witnesses and victims of crime through information and departmental action as specified by law and departmental policy.
6.0 Departmental Vehicles, Garage, and Personal Use
PURPOSE: To establish Departmental Policy regarding the care, maintenance, and use of departmental and personal vehicle use
61.0 Traffic
In order to facilitate the effective allocation of resources to traffic enforcement, the Assistant Patrol Commander will conduct an annual analysis of traffic collisions and traffic enforcement activities.
7.0 Tobacco Free Facility
On and after January 1, 2008, no employee or visitor to the facilities may smoke on Sheriff’s Office property. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is concerned for the well being of its employees and visitors to its facilities.
70.0 DETAINEE TRANSPORTATION
Guidelines to insure safety and security during transports
71.0 PROCESSING AND TEMPORARY DETENTION AND PATROL FACILITIES
The purpose of this policy is to establish policies and procedures for the processing and temporary detention of prisoners at the Patrol Division and detailed information about the Patrol Facilities.
73.0 Court Security
In Maryland, the Sheriff is a constitutional officer. A partial list of the Sheriff’s responsibilities includes the enforcement of laws, the arrest of criminal offenders, the service of process, and the return of impartial juries.
74.0 Legal Process
The Sheriff’s Office receives criminal and civil process through the court clerks for service. The clerk delivers the legal process to the Judicial Division office associates to be recorded, and distributed to the judicial deputies or process servers for service.
8.0 Bloodborne Pathogens
To minimize health risks associated with exposure to blood-borne pathogens and other infectious materials, employees will be provided with:
81.0 Communications
To maintain a 24-hour communications operation designed to receive citizens’ calls for service, dispatch deputies as needed, and to provide information to the public as well as to deputies. Coordination and routing of general departmental inquiries and messages will also be performed by the communications function.
82.0 Central Records
The Sheriff’s Office will maintain a Central Records Unit to retain, archive, and retrieve all law enforcement related operational records, reports, forms and files in an efficient manner and in compliance with governing law.
83.0 Collection of Evidence
Qualified personnel will be available on a 24-hour basis to process serious crime or accident scenes.
9.0 ADA Policy – Applicants and Employees with Disabilities
To affirm Sheriff’s Office Policy of conducting personnel actions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
90.0 Sex Offender Registration
To comply with Maryland Law by initiating actions regarding the tracking of known sex offenders who have been convicted of qualifying crimes regarding registration.
92.0 Domestic Violence Calls
To establish policy governing Sheriff’s Office responses to Domestic Violence
93.0 Project Lifesaver
To provide a safe return of wanderers that maybe suffering from Autistic, Alzheimer, Dementia, and related brain disorders.
94.0 Overdose Response Program
The purpose of this policy is to reduce the number of fatalities which occur as a result of opiate overdose emergencies by the proper pre-hospital administration of nasal naloxone (Narcan), and to establish guidelines and regulations governing the utilization of the nasal naloxone administered by deputies of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.