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Walnut/ Diamond Bar Sheriff Station Unit Orders

Station Order 17-022: Prisoner Cell Extraction


Station Order 17-021: Bomb Threat in Front Lobby
Station Order 17-023: Setting up the EOC

The purpose of this policy is to institute standardized procedures and guidelines for dealing with incidents involving a recalcitrant arrestee I inmate refusing to exit his or her cell, and where a jail cell extraction may be necessary.

 

Cell extractions are accomplished through directed force in situations where it becomes necessary to forcibly remove a station inmate from a cell after they have refused to do so voluntarily. The objective of a cell extraction is to restore order and maintain the security of the facility.  The goal of a cell extraction is to accomplish this task with minimal risk to those involved.

 

When encountering a recalcitrant arrestee I inmate who refuses to exit a cell, the Watch Commander and Watch Sergeant shall immediately be notified. They shall respond to the jail and attempt to gain compliance with the arrestee. The Watch Commander shall designate someone to begin videotaping the recalcitrant arrestee, including all attempts to gain his/her compliance. The arrestee shall be afforded every opportunity to comply and voluntarily exit the jail cell.   If the recalcitrant arrestee refuses to willfully comply, the Watch Commander shall notify the Unit Commander for authorization. Mandated notification to the Unit Commander prior to initiating a cell extraction is waived in emergent instances involving imminent threat of injury or death to either the recalcitrant inmate or others.

 

Cell extractions should be conducted only as the last resort, when all other efforts have failed and been fully documented. The need to forcibly remove an inmate from a cell must be carefully weighed against the dangers posed to both personnel and the inmate, and must be performed within the guidelines of applicable Department use of force policies.

 

Cell Extraction Defined

A cell extraction should only be considered after:

•                       Repeated negotiations to gain the arrestee's cooperation have failed. All such attempts at negotiation should be documented on video tape.

 

•                      The use of chemical agents is determined to be impractical or have failed to illicit the cooperation of the arrestee.

 

If force greater than chemical agents are required to compel an inmate to leave a cell, the incident would be classified as a cell extraction. There are two categories of cell extraction:

 

Emergency Extractions

The Watch Commander  may authorize personnel to conduct an immediate extraction when the behavior of the arrestee constitutes an immediate and serious threat to their safety or the safety of others. Examples could include assaults on other inmates in the same cell or suicide attempts.

 

Nothing in this policy precludes personnel from entering any confined area to affect the rescue of an arrestee in the event of exigent or life-threatening circumstances. However, personnel must be able to clearly articulate these exigent or life­ threatening circumstances and must ensure that sound tactics and officer safety techniques are utilized. The Watch Commander, upon completion of an Emergency Extraction, shall immediately report the incident to the Unit Commander.

 

Calculated Extractions

Calculated extractions occur in situations where an arrestee is in an area that can be isolated or controlled, does not involve an immediate threat to others or compromise station security. Calculated extractions may only be authorized by the Unit Commander or his/her designee.

 

The Watch Commander shall be notified of all situations where a calculated extraction might be necessary. The Watch Commander will immediately respond to the jail and make a determination if a cell extraction is warranted. After all efforts at soliciting voluntary compliance by the inmate have been exhausted and fully documented, the Watch Commander will contact the Unit Commander and brief him

/her regarding the situation.  Only with the Unit Commander's approval shall a calculated cell extraction be initiated.

 

Most cell extraction incidents are categorized as "Calculated." All cell extractions are considered "directed force."  Supervisors shall constantly evaluate the situation and may determine, at any point, that the situation can be resolved without the use of an extraction team and terminate the process.

 

 

Considerations

Prior to considering a cell extraction and/or movement of a recalcitrant arrestee, the following should be considered:

  •  Is the arrestee's behavior so egregious that a cell extraction and/or movement of the arrestee is necessary? Verbally abusive, loud or disruptive inmates do not always need to be moved based solely on their behavior.

 

  •  Is the arrestee's sobriety an issue and should additional time be allowed to allow them to sober? Often, intoxicated individuals can become much more reasonable after they have been allowed to sober for a period of time.

 

  • Can the arrestee remain in the cell without disrupting the operation of the jail or compromising security? Unless jail population, court orders or other factors necessitate a quick resolution to the problem, time is often a luxury supervisors have in addressing the situation.

 

 

Station Jailer's Responsibility

  • When the station jailer, arresting deputy, or other employee determines that a recalcitrant arrestee must be moved within the station jail, the Watch Commander and Watch Sergeant shall be notified prior to any attempt to move the arrestee.

 

Watch Sergeant's Responsibility

  • Once the Watch Sergeant is notified that a recalcitrant arrestee must be moved, the Watch Sergeant shall respond to the jail and assess the situation.

 

  • The Watch Sergeant shall attempt compliance from the arrestee.

 

  • If the Watch Sergeant is unable to gain compliance from the arrestee, the Watch Sergeant shall notify the Watch Commander, who will respond to the jail and assess the situation.

 

  • The   Watch   Sergeant   is   responsible   for   initiating   a Recalcitrant Inmate Log documenting all attempts at gaining compliance from the arrestee. The log will list the date/time of any further contacts with the arrestee, as well as a narrative of actions taken, the names of employees present and whether the contact was videotaped or not. This log shall be typed and submitted with the Use-of-Force Package, if applicable (See attached copy).

 

If a cell extraction is approved, the Watch Sergeant shall:

  • Assist to formulate a tactical plan.

 

  • Ensure the arrestee's refusal to exit his cell and the entire cell extraction are videotaped.

 

  • Prepare a Use-of-Force Package.

 

  • If the Watch Commander is not available, the Watch Sergeant will assume the responsibilities of the Watch Commander.

 

Watch Commander Responsibility

  • Upon being notified that a recalcitrant inmate needs to be moved within the station jail, the Watch Commander shall immediately respond and assess the situation.

 

  • All attempts at soliciting the cooperation of the inmate shall be videotaped and logged in the Recalcitrant Inmate Log .

 

  • The Watch Commander shall assess the nature of the extraction.

 

  • If it is determined that circumstances justify an emergency extraction, the Watch Commander shall develop a tactical plan and execute the extraction. The Unit Commander shall be immediately notified once the extraction is completed.

 

  • If circumstances do not justify an emergency extraction, the Watch Commander shall notify the Unit Commander or, in his absence, his designee. This notification shall be documented in the Watch Commander's Log.

 

  • The Watch Commander shall review and approve the extraction and tactics plan and monitor the operation until it is concluded.

 

  • The Watch Commander will ensure that a complete investigation of the force applied is conducted, per policy. The Watch Commander will personally review and approve the use of force package.

 

  • The Watch Commander shall ensure that proper reporting procedures are followed with regards to any use of force.

 

Force Options

Supervisors should carefully weigh the various force options available to them as they develop their tactical plan. All force policies will be in effect when action is taken, and should be considered when developing a plan (Refer to MP&P 5-09/430.00, "Use of Force Reporting and Review Procedures." The following considerations are especially important:

  • Make sure to match force options with the inmate's behavior.

 

  • Per Department policy, force choices vary based on whether the inmate is being resistive or assaultive.

 

  • Safe and/or effective distance requirements for less-lethal tools such as the ARWEN and Stun Bag Shotgun may be difficult to attain in the jail and should be a consideration.

 

  • Inmate positioning should be considered when choosing a force option to deploy. For instance, inmates positioned on the top tier of a bunk could fall if struck by an impact weapon or Taser. Inmates concealing themselves behind mattresses or blankets may be impervious to Taser deployment or O.C. spray.

 

  • Personnel tasked with deploying less-lethal force options should be trained in their use and, when applicable, current in certification for that specific weapon.

 

Tactical Considerations

  • Emergency Medical personnel should be summoned and staged at the station prior to a cell extraction so they can provide medical aid to injured personnel and/or inmates.

 

  • If the inmate appears to be mentally impaired, a request for a Mental Evaluation Team response should be considered. These personnel are trained in dealing with mentally impaired individuals and may help to foster a resolution to the situation without the use of force.

 

 

Communications

Because dealing with recalcitrant inmates may involve repeated contacts over an extended period of time, it is imperative that Watch Sergeant and Watch Commander ensure that oncoming supervisors are fully briefed on issues surrounding recalcitrant inmates housed in the station jail.

  • The Watch Commander shall ensure that any videotaped contacts with the arrestee are forwarded to the oncoming Watch Commander, and that the oncoming supervisor is fully briefed on previous efforts to remedy the situation.

 

  • The Watch Sergeant shall ensure that the Recalcitrant Inmate Log is passed on to the oncoming Watch Sergeant and that the supervisor is fully briefed on previous efforts to remedy the situation.