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Applicable To: Division, section, and unit commanders; retired police officers |
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Approval Authority: Chief George N. Turner |
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Signature: Signed by GNT |
Date Signed: 5/16/11 |
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| Table of Contents | |||
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4.1 Minimum Qualifications and Application |
4.7 Communications and Radio Numbers |
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This directive establishes the Atlanta Retired Police Reserve (ARPR) and sets procedures for it.
2.1 Retired police reserve officers shall be certified as required by the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Council of Georgia and their training shall be equivalent to that training statutorily required for full-time active officers.
2.2 Individuals who are members of the ARPR are authorized to act as “peace officers” when serving in a law enforcement related activity which could reasonably be expected to require the assertion of police powers.
2.3 Retired police officers may not work in an Atlanta Police Department uniform, or represent themselves as police officers or retired police reserve officers, unless they are members of the ARPR.
2.4 All members of the Atlanta Retired Police Reserve (ARPR) shall serve at the discretion of the Chief of Police.
3.2 The Staff Inspection Unit (SIU) commander shall manage and direct the activities of the ARPR on behalf of the Chief of Police. The SIU commander shall designate a sworn employee to act as the ARPR coordinator. 3.3 The ARPR coordinator shall monitor the P.O.S.T. certification status of retired reserve police officers and related personnel matters, as well as maintain a directory and personnel file of all retired reserve members. The ARPR coordinator shall also monitor the on-duty status of retired police reserve officers and submit an annual report to the Chief of Police.
3.4 The Training Section commander shall be responsible for the training of all retired reserve police officers. The Training Section commander shall coordinate and schedule the annual training for each retired police reserve officer as mandated by the Georgia POST Council and Departmental requirements.
3.5 Active duty supervisors at any level shall take appropriate action when they observe a retired police reserve officer failing to conform to a Departmental written directive or in a lawful and proper order.
3.6 Retired police reserve officers are required to meet the professional standards and the volunteer service requirements established by the Chief of Police. Retired police reserve officers are subject to emergency call-up at the discretion of the Chief of Police.
3.7 The Office of Professional Standards (OPS) commander shall investigate all priority one disciplinary matters involving reserve police officers. An ARPR supervisor shall investigate all other disciplinary matters involving retired police reserve officers. The OPS commander shall make the final determination as to who shall be responsible for an internal investigation.
4.1 Minimum Qualifications and Application
4.1.1 Any active Atlanta police officer applying for retirement on a police service pension with 15 or more years of sworn service may apply for membership 14 days prior to their retirement date or anytime within 1 year of retirement. For periods in excess of 1 year, applicants shall adhere to section 4.1.4 of this directive for program requirements. Retired police officers shall submit their application (Form APD 216) for membership in the ARPR to the ARPR coordinator.
4.1.2 An Atlanta police officer applying for membership in the ARPR must have been on active duty status without duty restrictions for the six months immediately preceding their date of retirement.
4.1.3 Police officers who have been retired for less than one year must meet the following criteria when applying for membership in the ARPR:
1. There are no more than 15 days suspended on a continuous or accumulative basis during the last five years of police service prior to retirement (based on a review of the police officer’s OPS complaint history).
2. At time of retirement, there were no open or exceptionally closed OPS complaints or files. Moreover, the officer was not enrolled in early warning or failed to adhere to a mandated psychological screening or a physical Fitness for Duty exam.
3. The applicant is certified as a “peace officer” in the state of Georgia and has met all P.O.S.T. requirements for certification at the time of application. The applicant must not have been placed on probation, restriction, or a mandate by P.O.S.T., (e.g.) requiring completion of a specified training course at the officers’ expense within a specified period.
4. The police officer has an overall annual rating not less than “satisfactory” or “effective” for each of the last two years prior to retirement or, if these annual ratings are not available, receives a “satisfactory” or “effective” rating from their immediate supervisor at the time of retirement.
4.1.4 Police officers who have been retired for more than one year or who have been resigned from the ARPR for more than one year shall need to meet the requirements listed in § 4.1.3 numbers 1, 2, and 4, complete a new employment application, and submit it to the Background/Recruitment Unit for processing --which includes the following steps:
1. background check
2. CVSA or polygraph examination
3. drug test
4. letter from personal doctor, certifying physical/psychological fitness
5. physical exam
6. proof of education
7. references
4.1.5 Police officers who have been resigned from the ARPR for less than one year and request reinstatement must make up the voluntary service hours before they may be scheduled for their annual in-service training. The voluntary service hours shall be pro-rated based on the ARPR calendar year.
4.1.6 A retired police officer whose POST certification has lapsed shall not be considered for membership in the ARPR until he or she has received POST certification.
4.1.7 The ARPR coordinator shall review all applications to determine if each applicant has met the minimum qualifications described in § 4.1 of this written directive. The ARPR coordinator shall notify applicants in writing if they do not meet the minimum qualifications. The ARPR coordinator shall advise the SIU commander of the status of all applicants.
4.1.8 The SIU commander shall request an OPS complaint history or documentation of any citizen complaints received after the officer retired on a police service pension upon receiving their application into the ARPR.
4.1.9 Based on the review of the applicant’s file, the SIU commander shall recommend acceptance or rejection to the Assistant Chief, who shall determine acceptance or rejection for each applicant.
4.1.10 If the applicant is accepted, the ARPR coordinator shall contact the applicant and explain his or her responsibilities in the ARPR.
4.1.11 Upon acceptance in the ARPR, the applicant shall contact the ARPR coordinator and schedule an appointment to have an equipment check (APD Form 217) prior to assuming any duties in the ARPR as directed in APD.SOP.2131, Section 4.4.
4.1.12 If the applicant is rejected, the ARPR coordinator shall notify the applicant in writing via certified mail. The letter shall state the reason for rejection and provide for appealing the decision to the Chief of Police within 15 days.
4.2 Returning from Inactive Status
4.2.1 All officers returning from inactive status that does not exceed a period of 6 months shall conform to directives in sections 4.1 – 4.1.3 of this SOP for admission into the Atlanta Retired Police Reserve.
4.2.2 All officers returning from inactive status exceeding a period of 6 months shall be required to complete 6 months active service prior to their date of retirement to qualify them for admission into the ARPR.
4.2.3 All officers returning from inactive status exceeding a period of 6 months and have not attended in – service training in one calendar year, shall be required to complete 16 hours of In-service Training and 8 hours of Firearms Qualification as well as conforming to directives in sections 4.1 – 4.1.3 of this SOP for admission into the Atlanta Retired Police Reserve.
4.3 Volunteer Service
4.3.1 Retired police reserve officer’s duties shall vary in accordance with the needs of the Police Department. Generally, retired police reserve officers shall perform their volunteer service duties in support of active duty police officers, but retired police reserve officers may work without direct supervision in some situations.
4.3.2 The duties of retired police reserve officers shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. Traffic and security support at special events that occur within the City limits.
2. Security support at police facilities as well as City buildings or City property.
3. Support of follow-up investigations by canvassing an area, processing large quantities of property or evidence, searching a large area, or answering calls on a tip line.
4. Support the Police Department’s training mission as a guest instructor in a subject matter in which the retired police reserve officer has demonstrated a suitable level of proficiency.
5. Support administrative activities such as communications, tele-serve, central records, or property.
4.3.3 Prohibited duties while performing volunteer service hours.
1. Riding in or operating a city vehicle, marked or unmarked,
2. Performing any type of patrol function, including, but not limited to, patrolling (vehicle, motor, or foot patrol), the answering 911 calls to service, or the transporting of prisoners.
4.3.4 All retired police reserve officers shall perform their voluntary service in law enforcement related activities, under the direction of the Police Department:
1. All retired police reserve officers under the age of 65, and all retired police reserve officers 65 years of age or older who work extra jobs, must perform 120 hours of voluntary service per year.
2. Retired police reserve officers 65 years of age or older who do not work extra jobs must complete their annual in-service training and perform 12 hours of voluntary service per year, to remain active in the ARPR.
3. The volunteer service for all reserve members age 65 years or older shall be in an administrative role.
4. All volunteer service hours worked shall be earned at a rate of one hour (1) for every hour (1) worked, with the exception of volunteer service hours performed on city holidays or special events (Section 4.3.10), which shall be earned at a rate of one and one half hours (1 ½ ) for each hour (1) worked.
5. Annual in service training hours cannot be used to fulfill any of the required voluntary service hours.
6. Retired police reserve officers cannot perform volunteer service hours at a location where they also work an extra job.
7. The voluntary service requirement must be completed during the ARPR calendar year, after the completion of the retired police reserve officer’s annual in-service training.
4.3.5 Section commanders shall accurately report retired police reserve officers’ service hours to the ARPR coordinator no later than seven days after the completion of a reserve assignment on Form APD 229.
4.3.6 The SIU commander has the discretion to make adjustments to the voluntary service hours set by the Chief of Police for retired police reserve officers that experience medical impairment. Retired police reserve officers shall be required to submit the appropriate medical documentation to the SIU commander for consideration.
4.3.7 ARPR members must document voluntary service hours using Form APD 229. This form must be signed by an active duty supervisor in the unit where the voluntary service hours were performed. It is the responsibility of the ARPR member to personally deliver the signed form to SIU personnel within seven days of the completion of their voluntary service. Only voluntary service hours documented and certified on Form APD 229 shall count towards the voluntary service hour requirement.
4.3.8 The ARPR calendar year shall begin on October 1st and end on September 30th at midnight of the following year. This shall allow ARPR in-service training to be completed at the beginning of the calendar year. Retired police reserve officers must complete all volunteer service hours by September 30th. The SIU commander may authorize a reserve member to carry over 24 hours into the next reserve year.
4.3.9 Retired police reserve officers, regardless of rank, have no supervisory authority over active or retired police reserve officers.
4.3.10 The voluntary service requirement does not become effective for a newly retired police officer until the ARPR calendar year immediately following his or her retirement. If the officer has not received their annual in – service training in one calendar year prior to the date of retirement, they shall be required to attend the ARPR in – service training prior to beginning their volunteer service hours.
4.3.11 Special Events Requirement
1. Retired police reserve officers shall be required to work at a minimum of TWO of the following events:
a. M.L. King March,
b. Georgia Right to Life March
c. St. Patrick’s Day Parade
d. Caribbean Parade
e. Peachtree Road Race
f. Latino Parade
g. 100 Black Men Parade
h. Atlanta Pride Parade
i. Veterans Day Parade
j. Christmas Parade
k. Chick-fil-A Parade
l. Peach Drop
2. The above list may be modified at the Special Operations Section Commander’s discretion.
3. Retired police reserve officers shall receive 12 hours of volunteer time for each event worked.
4. Retired police reserve officers shall sign up through SOS to work any of the listed events. Once SOS has reached the maximum number of reservists required for each event, no additional personnel shall be permitted.
5. SOS shall forward a roster of all individuals who worked a special event to the Staff Inspections Unit.
6. Working a minimum of two events from the list of 12 shall be a requirement to stay in the Reserve Program.
4.4.1 All retired police reserve officers must complete their APD annual in-service training requirement each year in order to maintain their “peace officer” certification as established by the Georgia POST Council.
4.4.2 Any member of the ARPR who has not performed the required hours of voluntary service shall not be allowed to attend annual in-service training and shall lose membership in the ARPR.
4.4.3 Retired police reserve officers shall be required to conduct themselves in a professional manner governed by city ordinance, state law, work rules, written directives, the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, the Ethics Code of the City of Atlanta, and any other requirements established by the Chief of Police.
4.4.4 Retired police reserve officers shall be subject to a progressive disciplinary process, consistent with APD.SOP.2020 “Disciplinary Process”, as determined by the SIU commander. In lieu of suspension, the SIU commander may suspend retired officers extra job privileges for one or more days they are scheduled to work on any approved extra job on file. The retired officer may also be required to perform additional voluntary service hours in lieu of the suspension day(s).
4.4.5 A failure to meet minimum qualifications, including but not limited to, training requirements, firearms proficiency, volunteer services requirements, or adherence to written directives, may result in the loss of membership in the ARPR.
4.4.6 The SIU commander and the ARPR supervisor / coordinator shall be responsible for an annual performance evaluation of all reserve police officers. The annual performance evaluation shall review the eligibility requirements listed above. Also, the reserve officer’s evaluation shall be based upon compliance with on-site extra job inspections, APD.SOP.2130 governing personal appearance and the Reserve Officer’s maintenance of the physical and mental requirements necessary to perform the duties of a law enforcement officer. POST required training and any complaints to the Office of Professional Standards shall be reviewed.
1. The annual evaluation shall be documented on APD Form 273 “Retired Reserve Officer Annual Evaluation Form”. Should the Reserve Officer be rated as “unsatisfactory” or “outstanding”, the reviewer is required to provide written comment on Form 273, justifying such a rating. Also, the reviewer’s supervisor shall sign the evaluation upon its completion.
2. The Reserve Officer under review shall be given the opportunity to make written comments that supplement the written review and shall be given the opportunity to sign the completed review. A copy of the completed evaluation shall be made available to the Officer. The Officer shall be afforded an appeal to the Chief of Staff in incidents of contested reviews.
3. SIU shall retain Reserve Officer’s reviews for a period of 3 years after the Officer’s separation from the Reserve program. (CALEA 5th ed. Standard 16.3.8 and 35.1.5)
4.4.7 The SIU commander, ARPR supervisor and the ARPR coordinator shall also be reviewed by their commanding officer regarding the quality of ratings given to Reserve Officers. (CALEA 5th ed. Standard 35.1.8)
4.4.8 Any member of the ARPR may resign from the program at any time with written notice to the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police shall notify the SIU commander and the ARPR coordinator.
4.6 Secondary Law Enforcement Employment
4.6.1 Retired police reserve officers shall be approved to work extra jobs in accordance with APD.SOP.2060 “Extra Jobs”.
4.6.2 Retired police reserve officers must submit an extra job request to the ARPR coordinator. The street address of the in-city location, street type, quadrant, and beat number shall be included on the extra job request.
4.6.3 The ARPR coordinator shall maintain a database of all extra jobs approved for members of the ARPR. At a minimum, the database must be designed so it can be queried by an officer’s name, address of extra job, beat, and zone.
4.6.4 All extra job requests must be approved by the SIU commander or his or her designee before the ARPR member can work at the requested location. Any extra job requests approved prior to retirement must be renewed with the SIU commander. All extra job requests expire on September 30th of the ARPR calendar year.
4.6.5 Retired police reserve officers must comply with all police department written directives governing sworn employees at the time he or she requests permission to work an extra job and while working the requested extra job.
4.6.6 A retired police reserve officer is prohibited from assuming a roll as coordinator of any approved extra job but, is permitted to be a “point of contact”.
4.6.7 Any retired reserve police officer acting in the roll of “point of contact”, shall have their name and rank written with “retired” in parenthesis to the right of their name in the “point of contact” space, located in the third section of APD Form 761, on every officer’s extra job permit that are employed at the approved worksite where they are acting in that capacity.
4.6.8 Retired police reserve officers engaged in secondary employment that is not law enforcement related, and who do not represent themselves as Atlanta police officers, are not required to submit extra job requests.
4.6.9 A retired police reserve officer may not work for another law enforcement agency.
4.7 Communications and Radio Numbers
4.7.1 Retired police reserve officers shall use the word “unit” before their assigned 4 digit ID number followed by “X” (Example: Unit 0234X) when transmitting over the radio in the performance of their duties on extra jobs or their volunteer service hours.
4.7.2 The SIU Commander and ARPR coordinator are responsible for implementing a procedure to ensure reserve police officers have access to portable radios when working extra jobs and performing volunteer service.
4.8.1 The ARPR duty uniform and equipment shall be identical to the uniform of the active duty police officer, except for the reserve and rank insignia as determined by the Chief of Police. The reserve and rank insignia must be worn on all APD uniform shirts and jackets in a manner determined by the Chief of Police. The retired police reserve officer shall wear the APD uniform in conformance with written directives established by the Police Department.
4.8.2 Retired police reserve officers must carry the department issued identification card, which identifies them as ARPR members, while wearing the APD uniform.
4.8.3 Sworn employees who retire and enter the ARPR shall retain all Department-issued equipment in accordance with City Code §98-209 and APD.SOP.2131”Collection of Department Owned Equipment”. Upon separation from the ARPR, the reserve police officer must return Department-Issued property in accordance with APD.SOP.2131”Collection of Department Owned Equipment”. The ARPR coordinator shall monitor this process to ensure compliance.
4.8.4 A retired police reserve officer shall retain the highest civil service rank he or she held at the time they retired from the Police Department. The Police Department shall not recognize honorary or appointed rank for members of the ARPR: only permanent civil service rank can be displayed, and the APD uniform must conform to this rank.
4.9 Utilization or Deployment of ARPR Members
4.9.1 Special events handled by the Special Operations Section shall be given first priority regarding the use of reserve police officers. The SOS commander shall plan, and the ARPR coordinator shall coordinate, the hours and duties of the retired police reserve officers during these special events.
4.9.2 Any section commander with a special event planned in his or her area of responsibility may request the assistance of the retired police reserve officers. A written request for assistance must be made 30 days prior to the special event, through the chain of command to the ARPR coordinator. The written request must state: the number of officers needed; the numbers of hours officers are needed for; the dates, times and reporting locations for work; a description of applicable duties, and the person to contact.
4.9.3 Any sworn or civilian supervisors regardless of rank can request the assistance of retired police reserve officers to support any operational mission of the police department. The written request must be sent through the chain of command to the ARPR coordinator. The written request must state: the number of officers needed, the numbers of hours officers are needed, the dates, times and reporting locations for work, a description of applicable duties, and the person to contact.
4.9.4 Members of the ARPR possess a wealth of specialized skills, knowledge, abilities, training, and education. The retired police reserve officers, the ARPR coordinator, and all active duty commanders should utilize those special individual talents to support the police department’s missions and enhance the level of police services.
1. The ARPR coordinator shall poll the members of the ARPR regarding their special individual talents and establish a database.
2. It is the responsibility of the retired police reserve officers to inform and update the ARPR coordinator of any special individual talents they possess in order to maximize their work experience and their voluntary service in the ARPR.
5.1 ARPR Calendar Year: The Atlanta Retired Police Reserve calendar year begins on October 1st and ends on September 30th.
5.2 Coordinator: An active `police officer that acts as a point-of-contact or liaison regarding an extra job location or business. Typically, the coordinator’s role involves scheduling, timekeeping, and payroll issues. The coordinator can work a post or shift at an extra job. The coordinator may act as a supervisor only if the coordinator is an active duty supervisor of the rank of sergeant or above.
5.3 Extra Job Employment: Any employment of a Police Department employee or retired reserve police officer for which compensation is provided by a person, business, organization, or commercial entity other than the Police Department.
5.4 Point of Contact: an employee who assists an extra job employer in scheduling of employees but is not responsible for their employment or their supervision with the extra job employer.
5.5 Retired Police Reserve Officer: Any Atlanta police officer that retires on a police service pension who is certified as a “peace officer” by the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Council of Georgia and is a current member of the Atlanta Retired Police Reserve.
5.6 Supervisor: A sworn active duty supervisor of the rank of sergeant and above that can supervise active duty police officers below their rank and all retired police reserve officers regardless of rank. A supervisor shall act to insure compliance with all Departmental written directives.
APD.SOP.2190 “Atlanta Retired Police Reserve” issued October 27, 2009
Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council; Administrative Manual, Chapter 464 City of Atlanta Code of Ordinances, § 98-209, “Police Reserve Program” City of Atlanta Code of Ordinances, § 114-569 through 114-575 APD.SOP.2060 “Extra Jobs” APD.SOP.2130 “Dress Code” APD.SOP.2131 “Collection of Department Owned Equipment” CALEA 5th edition Standards 16.3.1; 16.3.2; 16.3.3; 16.3.4; 16.3.5; 16.3.6; 16.3.7, 16.3.8, 35.1.5, 35.1.8 |