City of Somers Point, NJ Powers and Duties

§ A267-16 Chief of Police.

The Chief of Police shall be the head of the Department and shall be the final Department authority in all matters of policy, operations and discipline and shall be answerable only to the Mayor. The Chief shall also:

Be the chief executive officer of the police force.

Administer and enforce rules and regulations for the control, disposition and discipline of the Department and its officers and employees.

Administer procedures consistent with state law for the hearing and determination of charges of violation of Department rules and regulations by any member of the police force.

Have and exercise all of the functions, powers and duties delegated to him by the governing body.

Prescribe the internal organization of the Department and the duties of his subordinates and assistants.

Administer the work of the Department through the Divisions established and such other units of administration as he may find necessary or desirable.

Assign functions, powers and duties to members and employees of the Department.

Delegate such of his powers as he may deem necessary for the efficient administration of the Department to be exercised under his direction and supervision by Division heads.

Report at least annually to the Mayor and Council, in such form as shall be approved by the governing body on the work of the Department during the preceding year.

§ A267-17 Commanding officers.

Subject to direction from higher command, a commanding officer has direct control over all members and employees within his command. In addition to the general and individual responsibilities of all members and employees and supervisory officers, a commanding officer is responsible for the following.

Command: the direction and control of personnel under his command to assure the proper performance of duties and adherence to established rules, regulations, policies and supervision in his absence.

Loyalty and esprit de corps: the development and maintenance of esprit de corps and loyalty to the Department.

Discipline and morale: the maintenance of discipline and morale within the command and the investigation of personnel complaints not assigned elsewhere.

Interdepartment action: the promotion of harmony and cooperation with other units of the Department, and initiation of proper action in cases not regularly assigned to his command when delay necessary to inform the proper unit might result in a failure to perform a police duty.

Organization and assignment: organization and assignment of duties within his unit to assure proper performance of Department functions and those of his command.

Reports and records: preparation of required correspondence, reports and maintenance of records relating to the activities of his command; and assurance that information is communicated up and down the chain of command as required.

Maintenance: assurance that quarters, equipment, supplies and material assigned to his command are correctly used and maintained.

§ A267-18 Shift commander.

The shift commander, during his tour of duty, exercises the same authority and has the same responsibilities as his commanding officer, subject to higher authority. In the absence of the shift commander, the senior available member of the shift is in charge unless otherwise provided. In addition to the general and individual responsibilities of all members and employees, the shift commander is specifically responsible for the following:

Good order: the general good order of his command during his tour of duty, to include proper discipline, conduct, welfare, field training and efficiency.

Roll call: communication of all orders or other information at roll call and inspection and correction of his command as necessary.

Reporting: reporting as required by a commanding officer.

Personnel complaints: inquiring into personnel complaints against members and employees under his command in accordance with the provisions of this manual.

§ A267-19 Supervisory officers.

In addition to the general and individual responsibilities of all members and employees, supervisory officers are specifically responsible for the following:

Supervision: closely supervising the activities of their subordinates, making corrections where necessary and commending where appropriate.

Leadership: providing on-the-job training as needed for efficient operation and coordination of efforts when more than one member or employee is involved.

Direction: exercise direct command in a manner that assures the good order, conduct, discipline and efficiency of subordinates. Exercise of command may extend to subordinates outside their usual spheres of supervision if the police objective or reputation of the Department so requires or if no other provision is made for personnel temporarily unsupervised. This authority shall not be exercised unnecessarily. If a supervisor requires a subordinate other than his own to leave a regular assignment, the supervisor so directing will inform the subordinate's own supervisor as soon as possible.

Enforcement of rules: enforcement of Department rules and regulations and requiring compliance with Department policies and procedures.

Inspection: inspection of activities, personnel and equipment under their supervision and initiation of suitable action in the event of a failure, error, violation, misconduct or neglect of duty by a subordinate.

Assisting subordinates: having a working knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of their subordinates; observing contacts made with the public by his subordinates; and being available for assistance or instruction as may be required. He shall respond to calls of serious emergencies, crimes in progress, assaults and others unless actively engaged in a police incident. He should observe the conduct of the assigned personnel and take active charge when necessary.

§ A267-20 Patrolmen.

Patrolmen are responsible for performing a variety of duties related to the protection of life and property, enforcement of criminal and traffic laws, prevention of crime, preservation of the public peace and the apprehension of criminals. They will perform these duties as prescribed in Department orders and as directed by their supervisors. In addition to these and the general and individual responsibilities of all members and employees, patrolmen are specifically responsible for the following:

Police mission. A patrolman is responsible for the accomplishment of the police mission during his tour of duty. He shall constantly be alert for violations of the laws and ordinances and shall make every effort to prevent breaches of the peace and offenses against persons and property. He shall be held accountable for crime, accidents, disorders and other criminal conditions during his tour of duty.

Reporting for duty. He shall report promptly at the designated hour and place, in proper uniform for assignment and inspection. He shall listen attentively to orders and instructions of his superior officers and read such materials as are made available to him. He shall make written memoranda of such information as necessary and shall immediately proceed on his tour of duty upon completion of these tasks.

Familiarization with the duty area. A patrolman shall reasonably familiarize himself with his duty area. He shall be familiar with all public businesses, offices and their entrances, exits, skylights, fire escapes and other possible means of escape. While making security checks of doors, he shall reasonably familiarize himself with the locations of safes and night-lights. Changes in night-lights will be particularly noticed.

[Amended 2-25-1999 by Ord. No. 2-1999]

Method of patrol. During his tour of duty, the patrolman shall continuously patrol every part of his beat, giving attention to and frequently rechecking locations where the crime hazard is great. As far as possible, he shall not patrol his duty area according to any fixed route or schedule but shall alternate frequently and backtrack in order to be at the location least expected.

Unlocked buildings.

(1)

When a door or window is found open under suspicious or unusual circumstances on any tour of duty, a patrolman shall make a thorough investigation and determine, if possible, whether a burglary or other crime has been committed and whether the door or window can be secured. He shall, if necessary, summon assistance to examine the premises and to secure such doors and windows. He shall notify his commanding officer and, if possible, the property owner.

(2)

Under circumstances indicating that an intruder may be inside the building, the officer discovering the same should immediately summon assistance and then stand guard. When the assistance arrives, he may enter and search the building.

Field interviews. At night, when the occasion demands it, the patrol shall courteously but firmly question persons on the public streets as to their names, addresses, reason for being on the street and other matters relating to the circumstances. In all cases, good judgment and discretion should be used in making a decision to arrest.

Vice suppression. Uniformed officers shall give particular attention to places where vice violations might congregate. They shall use every lawful means to suppress the illegal activities of such persons, prosecute them and require all such establishments to be conducted in accordance with municipal ordinances and state laws and shall report all violations.

Traffic law enforcement. Motorized patrolmen are charged with the enforcement of all provisions of local and state traffic codes. Failure to take appropriate action in traffic violations is considered neglect of duty.

Complaint action. A patrolman shall carefully investigate all complaints on or near his duty area which are assigned to him or which are brought to his attention by citizens. He shall take suitable action in those cases which come under his jurisdiction and inform interested parties of the laws or ordinances relative to the particular complaint or incident. If the legal remedy of the complaint lies outside of the jurisdiction of the Police Department he shall advise the complainant accordingly and refer him to the proper authority.

Preliminary investigations. At the scenes of major crimes, subject to direction of higher authority, the first officer at the scene, after it has been established that the perpetrator is no longer present, will begin the preliminary investigation, except in the case of homicide, suspicious deaths or suicides. In those instances, a member of the Detective Division will be called to the scene immediately. In all instances, members not assigned will not enter the premises or do any other thing that might interfere with the investigation or destroy evidence. In cases of homicide, the first duty of an officer is to guard the scene, excluding all unauthorized persons, and to detain all witnesses for interrogation.

[Amended 2-25-1999 by Ord. No. 2-1999]

Radio failure. Motorized patrolmen shall pay strict attention to all regular radio transmissions. When they fail to hear any radio transmissions or time signals for a reasonable period of time, they shall immediately call the dispatcher for a special test. If, after three attempts, he fails to receive an acknowledgement, he shall immediately contact the desk officer by telephone. In case of radio trouble, the officer shall notify his shift commander and/or dispatcher of the nature of the trouble.

[Amended 2-25-1999 by Ord. No. 2-1999]