Title
Recommendation to Authorize Updates to the Existing Alameda Police Department Policy Manual to Conform with New Law and Best Practices and to Authorize the Chief of Police to Make Future Policy Updates Without Prior City Council Approval. (Police 10031100)
Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Alameda Police Department (APD) contracts with Lexipol for the generation, retention, updating, and publishing of our policy manual. Part of the contract includes periodic review and revision of the policy manual to reflect current best practices, emerging case law, and new legislative changes/mandates. In additional Lexipol, the PD further engages in regular review and proposes policies modifications when operational changes occur or when the need for new internal procedures are identified. This report provides recommended changes to various policies based on legal developments and/or recommended best practices. This report also recommends that the City Council authorize the Police Chief to make future updates to police policies without prior City Council approval, which is in line with industry standards.
BACKGROUND
Before Lexipol, the PD operated on a set of General Orders that functioned as a policy manual for the Police Department. The APD and the City Attorney's Office were required to monitor evolving best practices, new case law, and changes in legislation. Those new practices and laws would then have to be distilled into a new or modified General Order, which would then be printed and disseminated for training at the APD. This was a time-consuming and cumbersome process that required a tremendous amount of City of Alameda (City) resources.
Approximately eleven years ago, the APD entered into an agreement with Lexipol to create, maintain, update, and publish a policy manual. Lexipol is a risk management company that specializes in the creation of electronic public safety policy manuals. It currently serves approximately 8,100 public safety agencies/mun...
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