Model Policy


Effective Date Revised:  October 1, 1996		Number	
Subject Corruption Prevention			
Reference  		Special Instructions	
Distribution	Reevaluation Date October 1, 1997	No. Pages	


I.	PURPOSE
	The purpose of this policy is to prevent corruption in this law enforcement agency and to prescribe actions to be taken in the event that corruption is alleged and/or identified.

II.	POLICY
	It is the policy of this law enforcement agency to establish proactive procedures to prevent corruption, to investigate complaints or allegations of corruption, and to administer appropriate administrative punishment or criminal prosecution where corrupt acts are confirmed.

III.	DEFINITIONS
	Corruption:  Corruption is defined as Aacts involving the misuse of authority by a police officer in a manner designed to produce personal gain for the officer or others.@
	Supervisor:  Both sworn and civilian employees assigned to a position having day-to-day responsibility for management and oversight of subordinates and/or who are responsible for commanding a work element.

IV.	PROCEDURES:
	A.	Establishment and Maintenance of Professional Standards
		1.	Philosophy, Goals, and Values
			This law enforcement agency will maintain, periodically review, and update a statement of agency philosophy and values that explicitly states its goals, values, and general philosophic approach to policing. This statement will appear in the first section of the policy manual and will be taught to all new employees. Supervisors will periodically review this statement of philosophy and values with subordinates.
		2.	Code of Ethics:
			This agency will maintain, periodically review, and update a code of ethics. Each new employee will be required to read and sign a copy of the code of ethics to signify that the standards of conduct set forth therein are understood and will be followed.
		3.	Rules of Conduct (ROC):
			The Rules of Conduct shall be included in the agency policy manual to emphasize their significance.  New employees will be instructed in the ROC, and they will be reviewed annually for relevance, timeliness, adequacy, and completeness.
	B.	Proactive Prevention Measures
		1.	Specific officers will be appointed or a separate unit will be established to manage corruption prevention measures.  Responsibilities include the following:
			a.	review of citizen and internal complaints for indicators of misuse of police powers for personal gain;
			b.	review of the findings of internal affairs investigations for patterns that are indicative of corrupt police behavior;
			c.	review duty assignments to ensure that periodic rotations are occurring according to agency policy;
			d.	investigate any citizen complaint in which corruption is suspected;
			e.	where consistent with state law, review overtime pay assignments, employee income and, in special cases, employee federal income tax returns to investigate suspected or reported instances of corruption or determine if patterns emerge indicative of corrupt activities;
			f.	review the findings of inspections reports to identify indicators of corruption;
			g.	provide effective means for citizens and department employees to report behavior indicative of corruption; (Citizens and department members are encouraged to report both commendatory behavior and suspicious behavior.)
			h.	provide reports to the agency chief executive and to the community with regard to the number of corruption cases investigated and the number sustained; and
			i.	provide public education necessary to promote citizen awareness of corruption and to assist the agency in maintaining the integrity of the police service.
		2.	Responsibilities of Unit Supervisors
			a.	Supervisors play a key role in preventing corruption and therefore, to the degree reasonable and appropriate, will be held accountable for corruption that occurs under their assigned area of supervision or command.
			b.	Supervisors are responsible for reporting any suspicious behaviorsCwhich may include duty related, personal, or off-duty activitiesC that indicate corruption. 
			c.	Commanders are responsible for monitoring the activities of their subordinate supervisors and will be especially vigilant with regard to supervisors= concern for accountability and integrity within their respective units.
			d.	The associated performance of supervisors and commanders will also be reviewed when a subordinate is charged with a corruption violation.
			e.	The inspections authority shall ensure that a reasonable portion of inspections are directed towards discovering corruption violations and situations that are conducive to violations.
			f.	The internal affairs authority is required to immediately notify the agency chief executive when serious corruption is suspected.
			g.	The personnel officer shall provide an annual report of duty assignments to the agency chief executive that indicates the longevity of assignments in the units listed below.  Assignments in these units shall be rotated periodically according to agency policy or at the discretion of the agency chief executive.
				$	Organized crime, vice, drug enforcement
				$	Property room
				$	Internal affairs, inspections, corruption prevention officers
		3.	Training Section
			The training authority will be responsible for providing training in the areas of corruption prevention, ethics, integrity, and professional standards for all levels of the department.
	C.	Responsibilities of All Employees:
		1.	The code of ethics will be regarded as a working and applicable document.
		2.	Employees are responsible for providing information in a timely manner to their supervisor or a command-level officer when corrupt practices are suspected or known to have taken place.
	D.	Special Responsibilities
		1.	Managers
			a.	This agency acknowledges the fact that command and supervisory behavior sets an example to subordinates. Therefore, managers are responsible for being especially aware of the impression or image they present to subordinates by either word or deed. Corruption violations on the part of managers will be vigorously prosecuted.
			b.	Managers will conduct the recruitment, selection, and training processes with an acute awareness that integrity in the workplace correlates with the quality of the employee.
			c.	Managers will provide an award process to recognize those employees who maintain performance consistent with or that exemplifies the high ideals and integrity of police service and the professionalism of the agency.
		2.	Specific and Critical Policies and Procedures: Narcotics and/or Drug Enforcement
			a.	Two or more officers should be present to effect any arrest resulting from a planned drug operation.
			b.	All confidential informants and drug buys will conform to control, bookkeeping, and accountability procedures detailed in this agency=s policies and procedures.
			c.	All evidence will be processed strictly according to the policies and procedures governing the property and evidence functions.
	E.	Response to Corruption Allegations
		1.	Whenever there is a suspicion that a complaint or an internal investigation will result in a charge of corruption, the following procedures will be followed:
			a.	The agency chief executive will be notified immediately and will be responsible for notifying appropriate city officials.
			b.	Information will be released to the public as determined by the chief executive.  If a complaint is prosecuted criminally, the chief executive will authorize release of information appropriate to the public.
			c.	Any criminal investigation will receive full cooperation of this agency and all employees, to the extent permitted by law.
			d.	An after-action review will be conducted to determine the cause(s) of corruption and to recommend any system changes or modifications designed to prevent recurrence.

This project was supported by Grant No. 93-DD-CX-K009 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.  The Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, coordinates the activities of the following program offices and bureaus:  the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office of Victims of Crime.  Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice or the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Every effort has been made by the IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center staff and advisory board to ensure that this model policy incorporates the most current information and contemporary professional judgment on this issue.  However, law enforcement administrators should be cautioned that no Amodel@ policy can meet all the needs of any given law enforcement agency.  Each law enforcement agency operates in a unique environment of federal court rulings, state laws, local ordinances, regulations, judicial and administrative decisions and collective bargaining agreements that must be considered.  In addition, the formulation of specific agency policies must take into account local political and community perspectives and customs, prerogatives and demands; often divergent law enforcement strategies and philosophies; and the impact of varied agency resource capabilities, among other factors.