Applicable To: All employees

Approval Authority:  Chief Richard J. Pennington

Signature:  Signed by RJP

Date Signed:  7/1/2004

1.               PURPOSE

To establish procedure to revise and reissue all written directives in preparation for accreditation. 

2.               POLICY

On July 1, 2004, all directives previously in force will be canceled and replaced by new directives.  This process eliminates the separate publication of the Work Rules, Discipline Manual, and Field Manual, with all of that material incorporated into the new Standard Operating Procedures. 

3.               RESPONSIBILITIES

                  N/A

4.               ACTION

4.1              APD.SOP.1030 governs the written directive system.  “The Atlanta Police Department uses its written directive system to provide employees with a clear understanding of the constraints and expectations relating to the performance of their duties. The written directive system will permit rapid access to individual policies, procedures, and rules and regulations.”

4.2              The Department is shifting away from reliance on paper documents toward the use of electronic means of storing, finding, and presenting its directives. 

4.2.1           The Department will issue a hardcopy edition of the SOP’s to each work site, but will expect employees to use their issued CD or the Horizon website to find and read a directive. 

4.2.2           As new or revised SOP’s are authorized, the update will be distributed in hardcopy form, as in the past, and Horizon will be updated. 

4.2.3           At the end of each year, a new CD will be issued incorporating all of the year’s changes and additions, and employees may discard the hardcopy updates that were issued to them during the year.

4.3              The CD and Horizon are designed to make referring to directives easy.  There are multiple ways to locate the directive of interest, and related directives are hyperlinked for ease of cross-reference. 

5.               DEFINITIONS

                  N/A

6.               CANCELLATIONS

                  Atlanta Police Department, Field Manual, dated 3/1/1995

                  Atlanta Police Department, Disciplinary Manual, dated May 2004

                  Atlanta Police Department, Standard Operating Procedures and Special Orders issued before July 1, 2004

7.               REFERENCES

N/A