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Pitchess Detention Center - South Facility / Chapter III - Administrative Orders / Section 5 - Facility Security

3-05-110 Public Tours


3-05-100 Main Control & Administrative Hallway Security
3-05-120 Maintenance/Instructors/Custody Facility Guest Key and Pass Procedures

3-05-110 Public Tours

Effective Date: 04-01-09

Revision Date: 02-26-18

Review Date: 02-26-20

Reference: MPP 3-09/180.00; CDM 3-11/000.00

 

PURPOSE OF ORDER:

The purpose of this order is to establish procedures for conducting routine public tours of the facility in order to foster public confidence by demonstrating the professionalism and dedication of Custody Division personnel assigned to Pitchess Detention Center (PDC) South Facility.

 

SCOPE OF ORDER:

This order applies to all personnel assigned to, and working at PDC South Facility.

 

ORDER:

Public tours of PDC South Facility shall be conducted in accordance with the guidelines and standards set forth in section 3-11-000.00 of the Custody Division Manual.

The operations deputy shall be responsible for scheduling and conducting all routine public tours. Routine public tours at South Facility can be scheduled to take place during normal business hours on Tuesday and Thursday or between 0700 and 1430 hours on Wednesday and Friday. If the operations deputy is not available to conduct a scheduled tour, they shall assign an alternate deputy to conduct the tour.

Persons wishing to participate in a tour of PDC South Facility shall be required to schedule their tour at least a week in advance. Those requesting a tour may schedule one by contacting the operations staff, Monday through Friday, during the AM shift. The operations deputy shall obtain the full name, birth date, and driver’s license number of all persons requesting to tour the facility. Prior to the scheduled date of the tour, the operations deputy shall ensure a background record check has been conducted for every person requesting a tour, in order to identify any potential security risks.

Due to PDC South Facility having open housing areas with no barriers, routine public tours shall be limited to no more than five (5) individuals at a time.

Prior to persons being allowed into the facility for a scheduled tour, the following procedures shall be followed:

  • A Tour Agreement and Civil Claims Release form (SH-J-444) shall be completed, signed, and retained at PDC South main control (South David) until the tour is completed.
  • The identification of the individual requesting to tour the facility shall be checked to ensure that they are the same individual for whom a background check was conducted. 
  • All persons on the tour shall be escorted to South David to exchange their identification for a red South Facility visitor’s pass, and to sign the South Facility visitor log.
  • Approval for all routine public tours shall be at the discretion of the on-duty watch commander. The Department member giving the tour shall advise the on-duty watch commander of the number of individuals requesting to tour the facility, and obtain approval prior to entering the facility and conducting the tour.

The amount of time it takes to complete the tour will vary, based on the areas of the facility that are open and available. Generally, tours of the facility should last 1 - 2 hours, with the following areas being shown:

  • Administration
  • Main control
  • Inmate housing (civilians shall not be taken inside barracks while inmates are present).
  • Inmate dining room (IDR)/kitchen
  • Inmate library
  • Merit program
  • Yard (tours shall not be taken into the yard if inmates are present)
  • Medical services (tours shall not be taken into the clinic area, but may be shown the area from outside)
  • Inmate Processing Area (IPA) (tours shall not be taken into the IPA during the processing of incoming/outgoing lines. The deputy presenting the tour shall ensure the area is clear prior to allowing tour participants to access or look into this area)
  • Inmate services/barbershop
  • PDC South Facility visiting center

Public tours will not be allowed access to, be shown, or advised of the following:

  • Facility armory
  • Facility keys, including but not limited to, key numbers, labeling, their usage, and out of security storage locations.
  • O.S.J. Operation Safe Jails (OSJ) office
  • Facility towers
  • Dock areas
  • Roof tops

At the conclusion of the tour, all individuals shall return to South David, sign out of the visitor’s log, and return all visitor’s passes. The deputy escorting the tour shall:

  • Escort all participants to the administration briefing room and will fill out any paperwork the participants may need
  • Complete a Custody Facility Public Tour Information Form (SH-J-443), utilizing a unit reference number, and submit the completed form to operations for input into the Custody Automated Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS)
  • Submit a memorandum to the unit commander which includes the following information:
    • Date and time of tour
    • Duration of the tour
    • Audience composition
    • Number in attendance
    • Subject of tour

 

Revision Date 02/26/19

04/01/09 SOUF