Seattle Police Manual

9.110 – Care and Use of City Equipment and Property

Effective Date: 11/9/2007

POLICY

All employees having or using any equipment or property belonging to the City of Seattle shall be charged with proper care and handling of that equipment or property. City equipment shall not be used for other than assigned purposes without prior permission of the concerned section Captain. Equipment or property that is lost, wasted, or damaged through negligence, carelessness, or improper use may be charged against the employee responsible.

All equipment that is damaged or malfunctioning shall be turned in before new equipment is issued (cloth name tags, plastic name tags, shoulder patches, and buttons are exempt from this entire procedure). Immediate reissue of essential equipment shall be accomplished through the Quartermaster as described below.

Depending on the circumstances, officers may be required to pay for issued equipment that has been damaged, lost or stolen. Final determination of officer liability shall be the responsibility of the Deputy Chief of Administration.

I. Reporting Defective Equipment

A. A Report of Defective Equipment (form 5.15) shall be completed when reporting needed repairs for all types of equipment (except vehicles), including building repairs.

II. Reporting Damaged, Destroyed, Lost, or Stolen Equipment

A. In the event of damage or loss to Department property or equipment, the person responsible shall report the damage or loss to their supervisor, who in turn, shall thoroughly investigate the situation. The employee may be required to replace the item or pay a portion of the replacement cost as determined by the Department.

B. When requesting replacement of issued equipment officers shall:

1. Complete a Request for Replacement of Issued Equipment (form 13.18, Side A),

a. Employees may refer to the General Offense Report in the “Explain the Circumstances” section, provided that the report gives a detailed account of how the equipment was damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen and the General Offense Number is listed.

2. Complete a General Offense Report as required,

3. Forward the Request for Replacement of Issued Equipment (form 13.18) through the chain of command to the Section or Precinct Captain for recommendations. The Director of Fiscal, Property, and Fleet Management determines the value of the equipment to be replaced. The Deputy Chief of Administration reviews the circumstances, and determines the employee’s liability, and

4. The Quartermaster issues replacement equipment once the Request for Replacement of Issued Equipment (form 13.18) has been received from the Deputy Chief of Administration. The replacement items shall be recorded on the officer’s equipment record along with the employee’s signature.

5. Report lost or stolen guns and badges as described above within 72 hours of discovering the loss. The officer shall notify a sergeant immediately. In addition, a VMAIL containing the General Offense Number will be sent to the Quartermaster.

6. Provide the Quartermaster copies of an initiated Request for Replacement of Issued Equipment (form 13.18) and/or the General Offense Number in the event a “critical Item” of issued equipment needs to be replaced immediately.

III. Safeguarding Equipment

A. The Department has consistently provided reimbursement for issued and non-issued equipment that has been damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen in the performance of duty. However, officers have occasionally requested reimbursement for items that have been taken from their homes, personal vehicles, or unsecured areas of the workplace. The Department cannot cover the cost of items lost under these circumstances. Additionally, items damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen during the employee’s shift cannot be reimbursed if proper care was not taken to safeguard the property. Other than assigned lockers, most areas of the workplace should be considered unsecured.