Several classifications of Department employees are assigned a cellular telephone and/or data device for use in the course of their Department business. The following is a list of Department classifications and positions whose incumbents are authorized the use of a permanently assigned cellular telephone and/or data device:
- Sworn Department executives and civilian directors responsible for command in the Executive Offices, Administrative Services Division, and other Department divisions, facilities, stations and bureaus;
- Sworn investigators and their supervisors who are on active on-call status and who are subject to immediate response, wherein the assignment and use of a cellular telephone and/or data device is deemed necessary and appropriate by the employee’s unit commander. Unit commanders shall closely monitor the assignment of cellular telephones and/or data devices to individuals in this classification. Only those employees who are frequently called out after hours shall be assigned a cellular telephone and/or data device. Unit commanders are encouraged to assign Department hand-held radios to those employees who have a lesser likelihood of call-out or who may be called out in the event the active on-call investigator is unavailable;
- Sworn or civilian employees who are entrusted with unique Departmental resources or specialized equipment, wherein the use of a cellular telephone and/or data device enhances their ability to respond and deploy these resources or equipment. Additionally, because some employees travel outside the effective range of the Department’s radio network (i.e., Statewide Transportation, Fugitive Detail, Crime Lab technicians, etc.), cellular telephone and/or data device assignment may be appropriate. The concerned unit commander shall closely evaluate the need for cellular telephone and/or data device assignment in these cases;
- Supervisors at the rank of captain or above may be assigned a cellular telephone and/or data device that will remain with them regardless of assignment. All other telephones/devices are the property of the individual unit and will remain with that unit even if the employee is transferred. If the telephone/device is to be reallocated to a replacement employee, Communications and Fleet Management Bureau (CFMB) Logistics shall be notified immediately to update the assignment records. If the telephone/device is not to be reallocated, CFMB Logistics should be notified to suspend or cancel the line; and
- Non-Sheriff employees shall not be issued a Sheriff’s Department communication device (cellular telephone, data device, or radio) without written approval from a division chief, division director or above. Written approval shall be forwarded to CFMB Logistics.
Cellular telephones and/or data devices issued to Department personnel, together with any data stored therein, remain the property of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and may be accessed without the employee’s permission at any time. Department issued cellular telephones and data devices are subject to search and users are obligated to surrender the cellular telephone and/or data device at any time to authorized Department personnel.
Department units shall be responsible for purchasing their own cellular devices. Department units shall be accountable for ALL communications equipment (cellular telephones, data devices, and radios) issued to their personnel and shall adhere to the following guidelines:
- Department units shall assign a person to manage their cellular devices. CFMB Logistics will give the assigned person read-only access to the central logistics database, known as MCM, to ensure cellular device assignments are properly recorded;
- Department units shall recover communications equipment from their employees who are relieved of duty, injured on duty, or retired;
- All changes in cellular device assignments, including a telephone’s removal from service, shall be reported to CFMB Logistics immediately;
- Cellular telephone additions, replacements or upgrades require the approval of the concerned division chief or division director and the division director of Administrative Services Division;
- Pooled or tactical cellular telephones must be assigned to a specific location with an authoritative point of contact; and
- Cellular telephones and/or data devices (not pooled or tactical) must be assigned to an individual.
Department employees who are assigned a cellular device for use in the course of their Department business shall adhere to the following procedures:
- Use of the cellular telephone and/or data device is limited to Department business, and Department business may not be performed on employees’ personally owned cellular telephones and/or data devices without written authorization from their unit commander, except in an emergency;
- If an employee who is eligible to earn overtime must use a cellular telephone and/or data device for Department business while on unpaid status, the employee must receive authorization for and report all non-de-minimis time (i.e., work time exceeding 7 ½ minutes) as they would report other types of unscheduled overtime consistent with MPP section 3-02/290.20, Preparation for and Completion of Duties. (Overtime is paid in 15 minutes, rounding to the nearest 15 minutes increment.);
- Use of the cellular telephone and/or data device is limited within the USA only. This includes:
- Sending and receiving calls via mobile to mobile
- Sending and receiving calls via mobile to landline
- Sending and receiving calls via landline to mobile
- Sending and receiving photos/text messages
- Use of the cellular telephone and/or data device outside the USA or on cruise ships is unauthorized without written approval from the unit commander and the division chief. The written approval shall be forwarded to CFMB Logistics at least five days prior to the date of travel so that CFMB Logistics can modify the user’s service plan. All international travel roaming charges shall be reimbursed by the employee’s unit of assignment and sent to CFMB Logistics;
- Application downloads, subscription fees, 411 calls, international calls, and international texts are unauthorized cellular service charges. Any monthly unauthorized service charges may require reimbursement from the employee to CFMB Logistics;
- Cellular devices that show non-usage for three consecutive months will have cellular services suspended; and
- Cellular devices that show non-usage for six consecutive months will have cellular services cancelled.
CFMB Logistics maintains a complete inventory (unit of assignment and telephone number) of all Department cellular devices. CFMB Logistics is responsible for:
- Maintenance and activation of all Department cellular devices. Any unused, damaged or disconnected equipment should be returned to CFMB Logistics. Usable equipment will be added to the Department’s spare pooled inventory;
- Maintaining a utility and tactical pool of cellular telephones to support special operations or other unique needs. The temporary loan of one of these telephones, not to exceed 30 days, may be granted by the CFMB unit commander. This equipment shall be requested using the CFMB Web Request located at http://4-scc-mcm/MCMWeb. A captain to captain memo must be submitted to CFMB in addition to the web request; and
- Lost or stolen equipment shall be reported to CFMB Logistics immediately. CFMB Logistics will suspend the service to the device. If the device is a “smart phone”, Data Systems Bureau shall be immediately notified to wipe all data from the device.
Twice each year, on January 1 and July 1, unit commanders shall review the allocation of cellular telephones and/or data devices at their unit and confirm all equipment is properly assigned and the inventory database reflects the current assignments. They shall question the continued necessity of each cellular telephone and/or data device in service, utilizing standards such as:
- Frequency of use;
- Availability of other communications equipment in lieu of cellular telephones;
- Percentage of employee personal use versus Department use; and
- The possibility of converting individually assigned cellular devices to pool devices.