Technological advances have made it easier for personal information belonging to Department personnel to be discovered and disseminated publicly with the intent of inciting harassment and/or criminal activity against their homes and family members.
The purpose of this policy is to establish procedures to be used by specialized units to identify Department personnel during deployment using a unique identifying number in the absence of the Department member’s name tag. The goal is to protect deputy personnel and allow them to be identified for accountability purposes in accordance with California Penal Code Section 830.10.
Specialized units are defined as personnel in an individual or team configuration that have been deployed to an emergency or unusual occurrence. Specialized units include, but are not limited to the Mobile Field Force, Sheriff’s Response Teams, and Emergency Response Teams. Emergency or unusual occurrences include, but are not limited to civil unrest, riots, protests, major disasters, and large-scale criminal activity (flash mob).
Department personnel shall utilize their badge numbers as a unique identifier. In the absence of an issued badge number, an employee number may be used. The badge number is the preferred form of identification because it requires an additional step (contacting Personnel Administration Bureau) to identify Department personnel. This additional step provides an extra layer of security to control identifying information and protect Department personnel from internal and external threats.
The name tape shall be ranger green in color with the badge number in yellow and shall be a minimum of 1 x 5 ¾ inches. The preferred location is the front and back of the helmet, which will allow for identification from almost any perspective and has the lowest probability of being obscured. The display of additional identifying numbers (greater than the two recommended) is not prohibited. Personnel may display the identifying number on the front and back of the uniform as well as the front and back of the helmet.