Standard 1.24

Standard statement

The agency shall have a written directive that requires the removal from line-duty assignment, pending administrative review, any employee whose actions or use of force results in a death or serious injury.

Discussion

The purpose of this standard is twofold: to protect the community's interest when officers may have exceeded the scope of their authority in their actions or in their use of force, and to shield officers who have not exceeded the scope of their authority from possible confrontations with the community. The agency should consider removing from line-of-duty status all officers involved in a critical or traumatic incident, not limited to shootings and may include incidents such as a fatal motor vehicle collision involving an employee. The agency should consider provisions for post incident debriefing or counseling for those employees involved, as needed. In some critical incidents, the employee's family may require assistance also. The removal process may have a detrimental effect on employees involved. Agencies may wish to routinely include a review of these procedures during in-service training sessions to enhance understanding of this procedure.

The discussion clarifies intent and is not a binding part of the standard. For assessment purposes you are required to comply only with the standard statement.