Seattle Police Manual

14.070 – Serious Injury or Fatality to Officer

Effective Date: 7/22/2010

I. Officer Responsibilities

A. Notify Radio of "Officer Down" or "Officer Injured", request SFD Medics, and provide necessary first aid until medics arrive.

B. Assign at least one officer to accompany victim officer to the hospital for security and to obtain:

1. Information about the incident,

2. Evidence, and

3. Personal effects.

C. If the victim officer is clearly deceased, crime scene preservation must take precedence over the desire to quickly remove the body from the scene. Efforts to shroud the crime scene from public view must not encroach on the scene itself.

D. Set up a perimeter around the crime scene. See Seattle Police Manual Section 14.060 - Serious Incident Plan

E. Detain witnesses until released by a patrol sergeant or Follow-up Detective.

F. Ensure that a patrol sergeant is enroute.

G. Complete necessary paperwork.

II. Patrol Sergeant Responsibilities

A. Assume command of the scene.

1. Handle as a serious event

2. Establish a Field Command Post.

B. Ensure that the injured victim officer:

1. Has been taken to hospital, and

2. Is accompanied by at least one other officer.

C. Ensure that a secure perimeter around the crime scene has been established.

D. Request that a Watch Lieutenant respond to the scene.

E. Assign a Sergeant to the hospital to coordinate officers assigned there.

F. Request that the appropriate Follow-up Unit respond to the scene.

G. Ensure that the victim officer's spouse or family member(s) is notified.

1. Assign two officers to drive family to the hospital.

a. Request local law enforcement agency to transport if they live some distance outside Seattle.

2. Arrange for child care when necessary.

H. Ensure that Department notifications are made.

1. Victim officer's Lieutenant

2. Precinct Captain

3. Victim officer's Section Captain

4. Patrol Operations Bureau Chief

5. Victim officer's Bureau Chief

6. Office of the Chief

7. Public Affairs Unit

NOTE: Do not reveal the officer’s name on the phone, radio, or to the media until after the family has been notified.

8. Employee’s collective bargaining representative

9. Department Chaplain

I. Ensure the completion of all necessary paperwork, including:

1. General Offense Report(s), accident reports, Statements, etc., and

2. Illness and injury forms.

a. Refer to Seattle Police Manual Section 3.180 - Illness and Injury.

b. Forward illness and injury forms to the Recruiting, Wellness, and Safety Administrator in an Alert packet.

III. Watch Lieutenant Responsibilities

A. Respond and assume command.

B. Ensure Sergeant responsibilities have been completed.

C. Brief arriving units.

D. Designate a media staging area.

E. Check call status with Communications Section.

1. If there are too many waiting calls, request assistance from other precincts or request that the Communications Section start screening low priority calls.

F. Consider psychological support for officers for involved squad and precinct.

1. Psychologist

a. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

b. Peer Counselors

G. Consider Department-wide announcement for on-duty officers via Video Mobile Data Terminal.

IV. Field Commander Responsibilities

A. Respond and assume command.

B. Coordinate Department Notifications.

C. Ensure completion of an After Action Report.

V. Communications Section Responsibilities

A. Ensure that Medics are dispatched.

B. Request that a sergeant respond to the scene.

C. Assist in establishing a perimeter around the crime scene.

D. Assist with notifications as requested by on-scene Commander(s).