Model Policy Effective Date Revised: October 1, 1996 Number Subject Transportation of Prisoners Reference Special Instructions Distribution Reevaluation Date October 1, 1997 No. Pages I. PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for transporting persons in custody of law enforcement officers of this agency between points of arrest and initial booking. II. POLICY Transporting prisoners is a potentially dangerous function. Therefore, it is the policy of this law enforcement agency to take the precautions necessary while transporting prisoners to protect the lives and safety of officers, the public, and the person in custody. III. PROCEDURES A. Vehicle Inspection 1. At the beginning and end of each tour of duty, all vehicles regularly used for prisoner transport shall be inspected for readiness as follows: a. The safety screen shall be securely in place and undamaged. b. All windows shall be intact, and outer door latches in proper working order. c. Rear-seat door handles and window controls shall be deactivated. d. The interior shall be thoroughly searched to ensure that no weapons or contraband have been left behind or hidden within the vehicle. 2. Prior to placing a prisoner in the vehicle for transport, the transporting officer shall inspect the interior for weapons or contraband. The vehicle shall be searched again after the prisoner has been delivered to the detention facility or other destination. B. Handcuffing/Use of Restraints 1. Officers shall handcuff (double-locked) all prisoners with their hands behind their back and palms facing outward. 2. The officer may handcuff the prisoner with his/her hands in front, or use other appropriate and approved restraining device(s) where the prisoner a. is in an obvious state of pregnancy, b. has a physical handicap, or c. has injuries that could be aggravated by standard handcuffing procedures. 3. Females shall be subject to the same handcuffing and restraint policy as males unless in an obvious state of pregnancy or otherwise exempted by this policy. 4. Officers may use discretion in handcuffing young juveniles but shall use authorized restraints necessary to control unruly or potentially violent juveniles of any age. 5. Prisoners shall not be handcuffed to any part of the vehicle during transport. 6. Additional approved restraint devices may be used to secure a prisoner who violently resists arrest or who manifests mental disorders such that he/she poses a threat to himself or to the public. 7. Officers are prohibited from transporting prisoners who are restrained in a prone position. C. Transport 1. Prior to transport, all prisoners shall be thoroughly searched for any weapons or contraband. a. A protective search should be conducted by an officer of the same sex as the prisoner. Where this is not practical, officers shall strictly adhere to this agency=s policy on searching prisoners of the opposite sex. b. The transporting officer should search the prisoner regardless of searches that may or may not have been conducted by arresting officers. 2. Unless accompanied by a female officer, male officers should not normally transport females in custody. 3. Females shall not be handcuffed to male arrestees and should normally be separated during transport. 4. Juveniles shall not be transported in the same area of a vehicle with adult prisoners. 5. Special precautions shall be employed when transporting high-risk prisoners. In particular: a. Waist chains should be employed in addition to handcuffs; and b. Rival gang members should not be transported together. 6. Prior to initiating the transport, the officer shall provide the communications center with the following information when possible: a. Arrest location and destination of transport; and b. Time and mileage readings before and after transport of a female. 7. The officer should use care when assisting a prisoner into the vehicle for transport. 8. Prisoners shall be transported in a manner that allows for constant visual observation. Seating of officers and prisoners should conform with the following: a. Where the vehicle has a security screen but only one transporting officer, the prisoner shall be placed in the back seat on the right-hand side of the vehicle. When the vehicle is not equipped with a security screen and has only one transporting officer, the prisoner shall be placed in the right front seat. b. When a prisoner is being transported in a two-officer vehicle without a security screen, the prisoner shall be placed in the right rear seat. The second officer shall sit in the left rear seat behind the driver. c. Leg restraints shall be used when an officer believes the prisoner has a potential for violent behavior. d. One transporting officer should not attempt to transport more than one prisoner in a vehicle without a security barrier, but should request transport assistance. e. All prisoners shall be secured in the vehicle by proper use of a seat belt. 9. The physical well-being of prisoners shall be monitored during transit. Particular attention shall be directed to persons reported or suspected of being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol or who have a history or propensity for violence. a. Prisoners who report/display symptoms of serious illness during transit shall be taken to the nearest emergency room for treatment. b. Escorting officers shall remain with the patient at all times unless relieved by other authorized personnel. c. Potentially violent persons in custody shall be restrained at all times in the treatment facility unless such restraint would interfere with essential treatment. 10. Symptoms or reports of physical or mental illness (such as threats of suicide or psychotic behavior) shall be reported to the booking officer. 11. Any wheelchairs, crutches, prosthetic devices, and medication should be transported with, but not in the possession of, the prisoner. 12. Prisoners shall not be left unattended during transport. 13. Officers shall not engage in enforcement activities while transporting prisoners unless failure to act would risk death or serious bodily injury to another. In non-life-threatening yet serious situations, officers should call for back-up assistance and may remain on-hand until such assistance has arrived. 14. Any escape shall be immediately reported to the communications center together with a complete description of the fugitive, mode and direction of travel, crime, and propensity for violence if known. 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.