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Administration ] [
Personnel ] [
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Field
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Applicable
To: All employees |
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Approval
Authority: Chief Richard J.
Pennington |
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Signature: Signed by RJP |
Date Signed: 11/18/08 |
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To establish transfer procedures within the Atlanta Police Department.
Transfers between watches, zones, units, sections, divisions, and bureaus will be made impartially and in the Department's best interest. The personal preferences of employees will be accommodated when possible.
3.1 The Chief of Operations will have final authority for approving or disapproving all transfers between divisions within the Department. See definition of "division" in Section 5.1
3.2 Division, section, and unit commanders are responsible for approving or disapproving transfers within their respective commands.
3.2.1 In the patrol force, the division, and zone commander(s) will be responsible for determining staffing requirements. They will monitor the scheduling of watch assignments, watch rotations, zone assignments, and days off based on determined staffing needs. The commander(s) will also be responsible for assigning watches, service areas, and days off to their supervisors in accordance with proper supervisory coverage of service areas. The FOD commander must specify in a command memorandum how they will implement section 4.4.4.paragraph 2.
3.2.2 In the patrol force, supervisors will be responsible for assigning officers to service areas and days off under his or her command in accordance to the workload requirements of the watch and the zone.
3.3 Employees will be responsible for adhering to their assigned watch, service area, and days off. 4. ACTION
4.1.1 An employee desiring a transfer within the Department will complete a transfer request (Form APD-735) and submit it to their immediate supervisor who will be responsible for forwarding the request through the chain of command up to the commander responsible for approval. Each successive commander will forward the request through the chain of command.
4.1.2 Requests for transfer will be active for 90 calendar days from the date of the original request.
4.1.3 Section and unit commanders will forward a copy of all transfer requests to their respective division commander.
4.1.4 A central file will be maintained at the division level on transfers granted or denied within a division, or from the division to another division for a period of 12 months.
4.1.5 All transfer requests will be archived and retained at the division level for 12 months. At the end of each calendar year, transfer requests will be forwarded to Records Management for storage and destruction in 3 years from the date of storage, in accordance with APD.SOP.1050 “Records Management and Retention”.
4.1.6 Transfers from one unit to another unit within a section:
1. Will be acknowledged on Form APD-735 by the current and requested unit commanders.
2. The transfer will be approved or denied by the section commander.
4.1.7 Transfers from one section to another section within a division:
1. Will be acknowledged on form APD-735 by the current and requested section commanders.
2. The transfer will be approved or denied by the division commander.
4.1.8 Transfers from one division to another division:
1. Will be acknowledged on Form APD-735 by the current and requested division commanders.
2. Transfers from one division to another division will be approved or denied by the Chief of Operations.
4.1.9 Division and section commanders will keep active, unfulfilled transfer requests on file for 90 calendar days and will fulfill them in the order received unless there are overriding operational concerns.
1. Employees who submit a voluntary transfer request to a specific assignment which is subsequently denied will not be placed into a general "transfer pool" where they would be transferred to another assignment they did not request.
2. Employees with active voluntary transfer requests on file can be involuntarily transferred to an assignment which they did not request if the operational needs of the Department outweigh the need to approve a voluntary request.
3. Employees who submit a voluntary transfer request will be notified whether the request is approved or denied within 30 calendar days of the original request date. A denied request will be kept on file for 90 calendar days and if circumstances permit, the denial can be reversed at the appropriate commander's discretion.
4.2 Administrative Transfers
4.2.1 Based upon the needs of the Department, employees will be involuntarily transferred with the following notification:
1. Any employee who is involuntarily transferred will be given a seven-calendar day notice of transfer unless this notice is waived by the affected employee, or in rare cases when the immediate operational needs of the Department outweigh the employee’s need for advance notification as determined by the Chief of Police.
2. This notification may be given verbally to effect the seven-day notification requirement; however, that notification will be immediately issued in writing to the transferred employee.
4.2.2 Involuntary transfers are not disputable under the employee grievance procedure.
4.3 Effective Date and Reporting
4.3.1 All transfers will be made effective at the beginning of a pay period unless otherwise directed by the Chief of Police.
4.3.2 The original copy of the Personnel Order for all approved
transfers will be forwarded to the Personnel Services Unit prior to the
effective date of the transfer in accordance with APD.SOP.6080 “Personnel
Services Unit”. 4.3.3 All transfers will be approved by Personnel Order and distributed to the affected commanders by the approving commander.
4.4. Patrol Assignments
4.4.1. Commanders will assign officers to watches, zones, and days off in a fair and consistent manner Commanders must balance the needs of community policing, effective coverage, accountability, and crime suppression objectives. The number of officers assigned will be based on the allocation of manpower (APD.SOP.2181 “Workload Analysis”).
(CALEA 5th ed. standard 41.1.1c)
1. Upon completion of field training, all newly sworn officers will be assigned to a specific zone based on the operational and staffing needs of the Department.
2. Only officers that have completed a minimum of two years sworn service will be eligible for employee initiated transfers between zones. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis taking into account the specific needs of the employee and the Department.
4.4.3 Watch Assignment in the zones (CALEA 5th ed. standard 41.1.1b)
1. Assignment of supervisors and police officers to watches will be primarily based on the workload requirements of the Department or a particular zone or section. The staffing needs of a zone are based on:
a. Crime suppression; and
b. Community policing objectives
2. Assignments to the Morning, Day, Evening Watch, or other specialized units (F.I.T., Bike, Crime Analyst, etc.) within the zone are at the discretion of the zone commander. Assignments to specialized units will be in accordance with APD.SOP.2101 “Specialized and Temporary Assignments”.
3. Each watch will be staffed with enough officers to cover all beats; two sector sergeants, an administrative sergeant, and a watch commander (lieutenant). Specialized units or discretionary units within the zone will be staffed with the appropriate number of officers and a supervisor to accomplish its objectives. However, these units can be used, at the zone commander’s discretion, to cover other service requirements such as answering calls for service or handling special events.
4. The zone commander has the authority to establish overlapping watches for specialized units or details.
4.4.4 Beat and Specialized Assignments in the zone (CALEA 5th ed. standard 41.1.1d)
1. As vacancies in the zones for beats or specialized assignments become available, the commander will post an announcement for candidate applications in the main precinct and sub-precincts and have it announced in all roll calls for 10 days. This announcement will outline application requirements, a deadline date for submissions, and a point of contact (POC).
2. Decisions on beat assignments or other specialized posts in the zone will be based on set criteria previously outlined by a command memorandum from the division commander. The following criteria will be used in the command memorandum:
a. Staffing: Above all else, the staffing needs for a beat or service area will be taken into consideration. When a beat or specialized vacancy comes open, the vacancy will be immediately filled with a qualified candidate as set forth in the command memorandum.
b. Annual or monthly performance evaluations: The officer must have at least an effective rating on his or her last annual evaluation or last three monthly evaluations.
c. Skill level: This will be evaluated based on the officer’s training record, work performance, experience with particular crime suppression measures, and community policing tactics.
d. Sustained disciplinary actions: The officer can have no more than one non-adverse action within the preceding six months of application and no more than one adverse action within the preceding year. Pending disciplinary action will be evaluated on a case-by-case base.
e. Seniority: Both within the Department and within the zone or watch will be taken into consideration if the qualifications of candidates are otherwise comparable.
3. Officers should have an opportunity to work a variety of zones, beats, units, and assignments to develop familiarity with the different criminal and community aspects of all service areas. The frequency of assignment rotation will be based on organizational needs, employee performance, and the employee’s willingness to seek transfers to other areas. When assigned to a regular beat, the officer will be encouraged to stay on that assignment for a year, to develop knowledge of the community and its needs. (CALEA 5th ed. standard 41.1.1e)
4. Decisions to assign an officer to a particular beat, roustabout, unit, or other work assignment are a command level and supervisory decision. However, all newly assigned officers to a zone, that are assigned to a watch, regardless of seniority, will be assigned as a “roustabout” or to a foot beat assignment. This will ensure that each new officer gains familiarity with the entire zone.
4.4.5 Watch Rotation in the zones (CALEA 5th ed. standard 41.1.1b)
1. The Atlanta Police Department uses permanent watch assignments and will not rotate officers systematically through different watches on a week-to-week or month-to-month basis. However, the division or section commander may change the start and end times of a watch or move an officer to a different watch in order to effectively meet crime suppression and community policing objectives.
2. Unless there are exigent circumstances, command staff will notify employees at least 72 hours prior to the following changes:
a. When the start and end times of an employee’s regular watch may be extended during planned special events; or
b. When an employee is assigned to other watches, zones, or sections outside of their regular assignment during planned special events.
4.4.6 Days Off in the zones (CALEA 5th ed. standard 41.1.1f)
1. Watch supervisors will be responsible for determining days off based on workload requirements and maximum coverage of all service areas.
2. In determining days off, watch commanders must first consider anticipated day-to-day workload requirements for their particular watch. However, the decision should also consider seniority and productivity of the officer based on his or her performance evaluations.
3. Supervisors will allow officers under their command an opportunity to request preference for days off and may grant the request if staffing needs would be equitably and effectively covered.
4. The zone commander in accordance with policing goals and staffing needs will determine supervisors’ days off that will comply with supervisory coverage for all watches and service areas.
4.5 Airport Assignment Rotation
The purpose of this section is to establish a system for rotating sworn employees at the Airport Section. The Atlanta Police Department will provide opportunities for employees to experience different aspects of the Department’s policing mission and will select the most appropriate officers for assignment to the Airport Section.
1. A sworn employee assigned to the Airport Section qualifies for rotation out of the Airport Section if he or she:
a. Volunteers to transfer out;
b. Cannot adapt to the Airport policing environment;
c. Receives more than three courtesy complaints, sustained or not sustained, within a 12-month period; or
d. Has been assigned to the Airport for three or more years.
2. A sworn employee in a specialized assignment, such as bomb technician or K-9 officer, does not qualify for rotation.
3. A sworn employee qualifies for rotation to the Airport Section if he or she:
a. Has at least two years of service;
b. Understands and can implement the concept of customer service;
c.. Has exceptional communications skills;
d. Is attentive, self motivated, and has the ability to deal with large crowds and with a fast-paced, stressful, post-911 environment;
e. Presents a positive image, with no medical restrictions;
f. Has had no sustained courtesy or abuse of authority complaints within the previous 12 months and has no pending or open OPS investigations
g. Has no pattern of sick leave abuse;
4. The Airport Section commander will rotate at least 15% of the sworn employees out of the Airport Section each calendar year.
a. The employee and the employee’s supervisor will be notified of their rotation out of the Airport Section as soon as practical.
b. The FOD commander will be notified of upcoming vacancies as soon as practical.
5. The FOD commander and the Airport Section commander will coordinate the rotation of sworn employees at the Airport Section.
a. Vacancy announcements and the requirements for requesting an assignment at the Airport Section will be posted in the Daily Bulletin.
5. DEFINITIONS
5.1 Division - For the purpose of this procedure, any bureau, division, section, or unit whose commander reports directly to the Chief of Operations.
5.2 Involuntary Transfer - Reassignment of an employee which is not initiated by the affected employee.
5.3 Seniority- Time an officer has been employed by the Atlanta Police Department.
5.4 Service Area- A zone, beat, or specialized detail within the Department’s jurisdiction.
5.5 Skill Level- An employee’s level of competence and dedication in performing their assigned duties. The skill level can be based on such areas as training experience, frequency of specific on-duty situations, development of crime suppression measures, and community policing outreach.
5.6 Sustained Disciplinary Actions- Such actions taken by
the Department when there is sufficient evidence to support the finding an
employee has violated procedures, work rules, or state statute. Actions may
include: oral admonishment, written reprimand, suspension without pay,
demotion from an earned rank, or dismissal. 5.7 Transfer - Any reassignment of an employee between watches, units, sections, divisions, or bureaus; a change of regular off-days is not considered a transfer.
5.8 Zone/Watch Seniority- Amount of time an officer has been assigned to a particular zone or watch.
6. CANCELLATIONS
APD.SOP. 2102 “Patrol Assignments” dated November 1, 2004 APD.SOP. 2103 “Airport Assignment Rotation” dated October 10, 2005 APD.SOP.2120 “Employee Transfers” dated July 1, 2007
7. REFERENCES
APD.SOP.1050 “Records Management and Retention” APD.SOP.2020 “Disciplinary Process” APD.SOP.2040 "Grievance Procedure" APD.SOP.2101 “Specialized and Temporary Assignments” APD.SOP.2120 “Employee Transfers” APD.SOP.2180 “Utilization of Civilian Personnel” APD.SOP.2181 “Workload Analysis” APD.SOP.2090 “Performance Evaluation” APD.SOP.6080 “Personnel Services Unit” Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) 5th Edition Standard 41.1.1 |
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