18-07 - Sheriff's Automated Contact Reporting (SACR) System

SHERIFF’S AUTOMATED CONTACT REPORTING (SACR) SYSTEM

In 2015, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 953 (AB 953), which was signed into law by the Governor. AB 953 mandates each state and local agency employing peace officers to submit specific information, referred to as “stop data,” to the California State Attorney General regarding policing practices pertaining to racial and identity profiling.

The stop data collection requires law enforcement officers to answer a series of questions regarding certain information about their public interactions based on their perceptions, observations, and actions.

The reporting of stop data is not optional; it is required by state law. The Department began collecting the information on July 1, 2018, via the Sheriff’s Automated Contact Reporting (SACR) system.

The SACR system is a stand-alone system and will run independently of the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. The process of clearing a call in CAD will neither automatically generate a SACR entry, nor preclude a deputy from entering stop data into SACR.

The Department’s Advanced Officer Training Unit coordinates and provides training on the application, using a “train the trainer” format, as well as in patrol school and sergeant supervisory school.

SACR CRITERIA

AB 953 requires stop data reporting when: “Any detention by a peace officer of a person, or any peace officer interaction with a person in which the peace officer conducts a search, including a consensual search, of the person’s body or property in the person’s possession or control.”

Detentions have been defined by AB 953 as: “A seizure of a person by an officer that results from physical restraint, unequivocal verbal commands, or words or conduct by an officer that would result in a reasonable person believing that he or she is not free to leave or otherwise disregard the officer.”

AB 953 defines people who are required to report as: “All peace officers employed by a reporting agency (any city or county law enforcement agency that employs peace officers), except for probation officers, are subject to reporting.”

As this section applies to the Department, the following personnel will be required to make an entry into SACR when conducting civilian contacts while working in one of the following assignments:

All sworn members working a patrol assignment;
All sworn members working a detective assignment, specialized units, and special task forces (OSS, COPS, parole compliance, federal task force, TRAP, etc.);
All sworn members working Department contracted overtime (parades, concerts, movies, sporting events); and
School resource deputies.

AND

When any of these situations occur during a civilian contact (observation or call):

Detention;
Search of person or property under person’s control (including consensual search); or
Arrest.

Exemptions are as follows:

Custodial setting (jail, lock up, station jail, etc.);
Mass evacuations (bomb threats, gas leaks, flooding, earthquakes, etc.);
Active shooter incident;
Routine security screenings (required of all persons entering a building, special event, metal detector screening, and any secondary searches resulting from that screening);
Checkpoints or roadblocks where vehicles are randomly selected using a neutral formula (unless additional action is taken);
Interaction with a person (at their residence) who is the subject of a warrant or search condition;
Interaction with a person (at their residence) who is the subject of home detention or house arrest;
Traffic control of vehicles due to a traffic accident or emergency (unless additional action is taken);
Crowd control (unless additional action is taken); and
Persons detained at a residence only so officers may check for proof of age regarding underage drinking (unless additional action is taken).

Certain call types should always be accompanied by a SACR. The following is not an all-encompassing list of statistical clearance codes which should (for the most part) always have a SACR attached:

181-186, 188, 189, 191-199, 201-203, 221, 222, 231, 233, 234, 240-246, 252, 256, 280, 283, 285, 286, 290, 338, 395, 396, 397, 420, 422, 423, 431, 432, 436, 461, 463, 465, 601-609, 614-616, 716, 718, 720, 721, 723, 724-729, 840-843.

Calls which are cleared in CAD with a 777 “assist citizen” statistical code are not always exempt from the SACR entry requirement. As required in the AB 953 regulations, Article 3, 11 CCR section 999.226 (a)(4), Reason for Presence at Scene of Stop data reporting element, states an officer must report the circumstances in which the officer first encounters a person subject to a stop and provides context as to why the officer encountered the person, which also applies to the following sections:

999.226 (a)(4)(A)(4) Citizen-initiated contact (requests for officer assistance that are made by persons who directly contact an officer who is in the field) including, but not limited to, citizen-initiated reports of criminal activity and citizen arrests pursuant to Penal Code sections 837 and 847;
999.226 (a)(4)(A)(6) Welfare check; and
999.226 (a)(4)(A)(7) Other community caretaking, which means a category of law enforcement activity in which officers take actions to protect and provide aid to the public, other than a welfare check pursuant to Penal Code section 11106.4.

Additionally, as of March 1, 2021, the Department implemented the mandatory use of SACR MDC/CAD 940X Codes to clear calls in CAD which will be accompanied by a SACR entry (refer to Department Newsletter 21-03 for further information).

To ensure affected Department members are in compliance, audits WILL be conducted to confirm personnel are in compliance with the law and Department policy. SACR system reports for unreconciled/missing SACR records are automatically generated once per day and emailed to Division executives, station/unit command staff, and employees. Supervisors will be required to reconcile clearance code exception reports with pending SACR entry reports. Sergeants can learn how to view the available statistical reports by following the SACR training site link located in the reference section at the end of this newsletter.

Repeated failures to complete required SACRs may result in discipline. The legal criteria listed previously in this newsletter and FOD 18-004, Sheriff’s Automated Contact Reporting (SACR), both provide clarification as to who must complete a SACR and under what circumstances.

A revision to the SACR Field Operations Directive 18-004 is forthcoming. Deputies are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the regulations and definitions of AB 953 to gain an in-depth understanding of what the law requires and when to enter stop data into SACR. The full text and affected codes can be located by following the referenced links below.

If you have any questions regarding the information contained in this newsletter, please contact Field Operations Support Services at [REDACTED TEXT]

REFERENCES

California Assembly Bill 953

California Assembly Bill 1518

California Code of Regulations Title 11, Law Division 1, Enforcement; Chapter 19,

Final Text of Regulations, Articles 1 – 5.

12525.5 Government Code

13519.4 Penal Code

SACR Website

FOD 00-004, Deputy’s Daily Worksheet and Logging Public Contacts

FOD 18-004 Sheriff's Automated Contact Reporting (SACR)

Manual of Policy and Procedures section 5-09/520.00, Constitutional Policing and Stops