Applicable To: All Sworn Employees assigned to SERFTF

Approval Authority:  Chief Richard J. Pennington

Signature:  Signed by RJP

Date Signed:  1/7/07

1.          PURPOSE  PAGEREF _Toc153364757 \h 1

2.          POLICY   PAGEREF _Toc153364758 \h 1

3.          RESPONSIBILITIES  PAGEREF _Toc153364759 \h 1

4.          ACTION  PAGEREF _Toc153364760 \h 2

4.1        Internal administrative matters  PAGEREF _Toc153364761 \h 2

4.2        Communication between SERFTF and APD  PAGEREF _Toc153364762 \h 2

4.3        Equipment and Vehicles  PAGEREF _Toc153364763 \h 2

4.4        SERFTF Case Management PAGEREF _Toc153364764 \h 3

4.4.2      Requests for technical assistance  PAGEREF _Toc153364765 \h 3

4.5        Local Case Management PAGEREF _Toc153364766 \h 3

4.6        Annual Evaluation  PAGEREF _Toc153364767 \h 4

5.          DEFINITIONS  PAGEREF _Toc153364768 \h 4

6.          CANCELLATIONS  PAGEREF _Toc153364769 \h 4

7.          REFERENCES  PAGEREF _Toc153364770 \h 4

1.               PURPOSE

This SOP establishes the proper procedures for all Atlanta Police officers assigned to or working with the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF).

2.               POLICY

The Atlanta Police Department works in conjunction with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) for the purpose of locating and apprehending the most dangerous federal, state and local fugitives on a regional basis.
 

3.               RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1              The Atlanta Police Chief and Assistant Chief will be responsible for entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and may terminate such agreement at any time with a 30 day advanced written notice.

3.2              The Major Crimes Section (MCS) commander will be responsible for the annual audit of task force results and continued necessity.

3.3              The USMS Task Force Chief will have full direction and coordination responsibilities for the task force and all personnel assigned to the SERFTF.

3.4              The Atlanta Police Department supervisor(s) assigned to the task force will be responsible for supervising, managing and recording all APD task force members’ time, handling all administrative matters including but not limited to: performance evaluations, sick leave requests, vacation requests, reviewing all APD reports and any other pertinent administrative matters. 
 

3.4.1           The APD task force supervisor will be responsible for maintaining a record of all APD warrants assigned to the task force, completing monthly performance reports on all of the APD employees assigned to the task force and attending appropriate APD meetings as determined by the MCS commander and the Fugitive Unit commander. 

3.4.2           The APD task force supervisor will ensure that whenever an APD warrant is served, ACIC and the APD investigator or supervisor of the unit which obtained the warrant, are notified at the time of arrest.

 3.5             All APD officers and investigators assigned to the SERFTF will be deputized as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals. The officer will apprehend wanted persons and notify ACIC and the appropriate APD investigator when suspects are apprehended.  All APD task force members are responsible for complying with all APD rules, regulations and training including use of force and firearms usage reports.  
 

4.               ACTION

4.1              Internal administrative matters

4.1.1           All internal administrative matters will remain the responsibility of the participating agency.  The APD task force supervisor will ensure all the appropriate administrative documentation is accurately completed in a timely manner for APD task force members.
 

1.    The APD task force supervisor will ensure all APD task force employees are properly notified, inspected and informed of APD issues, guidelines, SOPs and other important matters. 

2.    The APD task force supervisor will provide current copies of all applicable firearms and deadly force rules to the SERFTF task force Chief.

4.2              Communication between SERFTF and APD

4.2.1           The Fugitive Unit commander will ensure that new warrants assigned to the SERFTF are picked up or delivered to the SERFTF within 12 hours of their assignment. Homicide warrants will be picked up or delivered immediately.

The APD task force supervisor will meet weekly with the APD Fugitive Unit commander. The task force supervisor will keep the APD Fugitive Unit commander current on the status of open warrants.

2.    The APD task force supervisor will maintain a record of all APD warrants assigned to the    SERFTF task force, and the status of each.

3.    The APD task force supervisor and APD Fugitive Unit commander will act as a liaison between task force members and any APD employees to address questions, problems or the sharing of information.

4.3              Equipment and Vehicles

4.3.1           All equipment owned by the USMS and issued to participating agency personnel will remain the property of the USMS.

4.3.2           All equipment owned by the Department will remain the property of the Department.

4.3.3           The APD task force supervisor will ensure that all assigned APD equipment and vehicles are properly inspected and maintained.

4.3.4           All issued APD departmental vehicles and equipment are the responsibility of the assigned APD task force member. 

1.    The Department will provide one vehicle for each assigned APD task force member. 

2.    Non-APD task force members may not operate APD vehicles. 

3.    All APD vehicles will have approved current overnight authorization requests on file with the Atlanta Police Department.

4.4              SERFTF Case Management

4.4.1           The Atlanta Police Department will refer selected fugitive warrants to the SERFTF.  The Atlanta Police Department will remain responsible for those referred cases that are investigated by the SERFTF.

4.4.2           Requests for technical assistance

1.    If technical assistance (e.g. monitoring phone calls, etc.) is requested by APD from SERFTF, SERFTF will assign a lead investigator and take control of the case file until the requested investigative measures are completed.

2.    All information will be turned over to the SERFTF and all communication regarding the case file will be forwarded through the SERFTF investigator and the Fugitive Commander.

3.    Following the completion of the requested assistance, and if the warrant has not yet been executed, the SERFTF investigator will return the file to the investigator who requested the assistance.
 

4.4.3           USMS will enter the referred cases into the W.I.N. System and assign them to the appropriate Task Force officers.  Officers will be assigned federal, state and local fugitive cases for investigation.

4.4.4           APD task force officers/investigators that are required to travel on official task force business will be reimbursed directly by the USMS for expenses in accordance with applicable federal laws, rules and regulations.

4.5              Local Case Management

4.5.1           The Task Force supervisor will ensure that the appropriate APD investigator has been advised that their warrant package has been assigned to SERFTF, within 24 hours of receipt by the SERFTF investigator.  The Task Force member will confirm that the originating investigator has put the case into the pending file at the Fulton County Complaint Room. The Task Force member will request the originating investigator to forward any further information concerning the case and advise the Task Force member of any other involvement the originating investigator or others may have in the case.

4.5.2           Upon apprehending wanted subjects whose warrants originate from the Department, Task force officers will immediately notify ACIC via radio or phone to verify the warrant and to have the warrant taken out of the system.
 

4.5.3           Task force officers will arrange for the suspects to be transported to the Fulton or Dekalb County Jail for holding. The arrest citation will be turned in to the jail at the same time.

4.5.4           The APD task force supervisor will ensure that whenever an APD warrant is served, the appropriate APD investigator or supervisor is notified at the time of arrest for the purpose of a debriefing to be conducted by an APD investigator. If an investigator or supervisor is unavailable, the Fugitive Unit commander will be notified.

4.5.5           The Task force investigator will complete a USMS arrest report (USM-11) and forward the report to the originating Investigator. The Task Force investigator will remind the originating investigator to complete the APD arrest report and have the Complaint Room move the suspect’s file forward from the pending file.

4.5.6           The originating APD Investigator will prepare all incident and supplemental reports (including an arrest report).

4.6              Annual Evaluation

4.6.1           The MCS commander or his/her designee will conduct an annual evaluation of the task force results and its continued necessity.  Forward the evaluation to the CID commander and to the Planning and Research/Accreditation Unit and keep a copy on file for three years.

5.               DEFINITIONS

5.1              W.I.N. System:  The USMS warrant information network.

6.               CANCELLATIONS

                  APD.SOP.5191 Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF), effective August 16, 2004

7.               REFERENCES

                  Regional Fugitive Task Force Memorandum of Understanding