Effective Date: June 24, 2019
BACKGROUND:
During the course of operations, PSB psychological staff has, on rare occasions, found it necessary to relieve a sworn Department member of a firearm due to the need for an urgent/emergent voluntary hospitalization, due to the risk of self-harm. Such events have typically happened when the sworn Department member brought a firearm with them to an intake or counseling session that resulted in a hospitalization without there having been the opportunity for the sworn employee to have advance notice of the voluntary hospitalization plan (immediate hospitalization). This unit order details as specifically as possible the procedures that should be followed when such an event occurs.
PROCEDURE:
On the rare occasion that a sworn client requires a voluntary psychological hospitalization due to risk of self-harm, on an emergency basis directly from a PSB office, and has a firearm in his/her possession, including in a vehicle, and there is no other alternative but to secure that firearm in the PSB safe in the vault room at the Wilshire office, that firearm may only be secured by a sworn member of the PSB staff. Non-sworn members may not handle, render safe, or secure that firearm. As the Bureau has only two sworn members, one of them must be contacted to handle the surrendering of the firearm. No plan to secure a sworn member's firearm shall be initiated without prior notification to, and consultation with a PSB psychologist/manager.
If such a situation occurs, and a sworn member of the Bureau is not available, another means of securing the client's firearm, if necessary, will be determined on a case by case basis with consultation from a PSB supervisor. Every effort must be made to ensure the client's safety first, and their confidentiality, to the extent that such is possible.
At the time PSB takes possession of the firearm, a firearms receipt shall be completely filled out, witnessed, and given to the sworn employee/client. The client must also sign the receipt. The treating/responding psychologist is responsible for overseeing the immediate scanning of that receipt into the client's eHR, and shall provide appropriate documentation in the intake or progress note indicating the date and time PSB took possession of the firearm and the reason for doing so. Once the assessing psychologist determines it is safe to return the firearm to the sworn member, it is to be returned to the sworn employee by a sworn PSB staff member, a return receipt shall be witnessed, issued to and signed by the client. The treating psychologist is responsible for overseeing the immediate scanning of the return receipt into the client's eHR and shall provide appropriate documentation in the progress note indicating the date and time PSB returned the firearm to the client, logistics, the UOA, or other authorized recipient, and the reason for relinquishing the firearm at that time.
Every effort should be made, as may be practicable, to limit the amount of time that any sworn member's firearm remains in PSB's safe. The treating psychologist shall keep their supervisor frequently updated as to the status of the client and the plan to return/relinquish the firearm to the client or other authorized recipient.
PSB mangers/supervisors shall take appropriate action to address all violations or deficiencies in following this order, including non-disciplinary corrective action for the involved employee, and/or referring the incident for disciplinary action. PSB managers/supervisors are responsible for tracking violations or deficiencies and the corrective action taken for each incident.