07-075/10 Title 15 Compliance Officers & Safety Checks

PURPOSE OF ORDER:     The purpose of this order is to establish procedures for completing periodic, visual checks of every inmate at the North County Correctional Facility (NCCF).

SCOPE OF ORDER:          This order applies to all personnel assigned to and/or working at NCCF.

ORDER:

PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING SAFETY CHECKS

NCCF has designated Title-15 compliance officers referred to as “Title-15 Compliance Teams” (T-15 Teams) who are designated on all shift in-services. These teams are primarily responsible for conducting the required safety checks for each housing location and assisting with the compliance of all Title 15 issues (refer to Custody Division Manual [CDM] section 5-14/100.00, “Title 15 Compliance Officer” for additional information).

The California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 15, Section 1027, requires hourly safety checks of inmates; Division and unit policy mandates more frequent checks by Title-15 compliance officers.  It is imperative all personnel strictly adhere to the inmate safety check requirements stated in CDM section 4-11/030.00, “Inmate Safety Checks.”

Per CDM section 4-11/030.00, NCCF’s T-15 teams shall conduct staggered safety checks by entering the dorms of inmate housing areas and visually inspecting each inmate for obvious signs of life (e.g., breathing, talking, movement, etc.) and obvious signs of distress (e.g., bleeding, trauma, visible injury, choking, difficulty breathing, discomfort, etc.). Additionally, it specifies minimum time intervals based upon housing type (the safety check must be done within the noted time interval). However, NCCF has established more stringent time intervals that shall be followed.

If personnel observe any item (e.g., clothing, linen, towel, papers, etc.) obstructing their view into the cell/room/bunk area, the item(s) shall be removed immediately, keeping officer and inmate safety in mind.

Should there be any doubt regarding an inmate’s condition, staff shall attempt to elicit a response from the inmate and, if necessary, render first aid and/or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as described in CDM section 5-03/060.00, “Response to Inmate Medical Emergencies,” until medical and supervisory personnel arrive.  The sergeant and medical staff shall respond to the location and conduct an assessment.  Proper officer safety practices shall be observed at all times. 

In order to ensure safety checks are done within the CDM’s mandated intervals, NCCF personnel shall complete safety checks at least every 55 minutes for those housing areas that require 60 minute intervals and at least every 25 minutes for those housing areas that require 30 minute intervals.

The below matrix of safety check time intervals are noted in CDM 4-11/030.00:

(See CDM 4-11/030.00 for notes indicated by asterisks)

In no case shall more than 25 or 55 minutes elapse between any two security checks, depending on interval requirement, regardless of shift change, change in personnel breaks, or any other circumstances.  A minimum of 9 or 19 safety checks shall be performed each eight-hour shift based upon the housing location’s interval requirement. Some inmates may require 15 minute checks based upon mental health issues (suicidal) as noted in the infirmary section of this unit order. Those checks shall be conducted within the 15 minute interval.

Inmate safety checks shall be staggered to minimize the ability of inmates to plan around anticipated checks. In order to accomplish this, safety checks shall be completed within the time interval assigned to the housing location and not precisely and repeatedly on the interval. For staggering purposes in the general population buildings (500, 600, 700, and 800), teams shall conduct safety checks at least every 55 minutes.  This allows the checks to be staggered in accordance with time.  For staggering purposes in building 900, the Inmate Processing Area (IPA), and the infirmary, the checks shall be started at alternating locations (dorms and staff stations, holding cells and hard cells).  These checks are also staggered in accordance with time, due to the start time being every 25 minutes. 

In certain circumstances, a building may house an inmate in a hard cell/dayroom who is suicidal, a mental observation inmate, a person of undetermined age, etc. These inmates shall be checked according to the interval mandated in CDM 4-11/030.00. These checks shall be noted in the staff station electronic Uniform Daily Activity Log (e-UDAL) responsible for that hard cell/dayroom as well as documented via the Title-15 handheld scanner.

Title-15 bar code scanners shall be used to record safety checks by scanning the bar-coded checkpoints.  All bar codes within an occupied housing location shall be scanned during safety checks regardless of whether inmates are present at the time of the check.  When the scanner is not in use, it shall be returned to its docking station.  If the scanner is not operating properly, refer to the NCCF intranet site for Title-15 scanner support information and procedures. If the scanner remains inoperable, then all security checks shall be manually logged into the e-UDAL.

When the Title-15 scanners assigned to each building are not operating properly, iPod scanners have been assigned to hall control for temporary use on a shift-by-shift basis until the Title-15 supervising line deputy can issue a replacement scanner. These iPod scanners shall be returned to hall control at the end of each shift. The hall control officer shall ensure all scanners assigned to hall control are accounted for at the end of their shift.

It is the responsibility of the person conducting the safety checks to confirm that all scans were recorded in the Title-15 Security Check Compliance Dashboard (T15 dashboard) or, if the T15 dashboard is down, manually recorded in the e-UDAL.  If the e-UDAL is down, the checks shall be logged on the paper Uniform Daily Activity Log (UDAL).

TITLE-15 TEAMS

NCCF has assigned T-15 teams on each shift who are responsible for conducting Title-15 safety checks within the inmate housing and temporary holding areas. These teams ensure the safety and welfare of all inmates and help verify all Title-15 requirements are being met for inmates in their areas.

The T-15 team shall be assisted by the staff station officer or their relief during each safety check of the dorms overseen by their staff station. This assistance shall consist of providing security at the main door of each dorm while the team is conducting their checks. Whenever possible, the team shall also be assisted by a building rover. This will allow one of the assisting personnel to operate the dorm sliders from the control panel at the staff station, while the other assisting officer stands ready at the main door of each dorm as the T-15 team conducts their check.

Facility operational status or staff availability will inevitably impact the degree of assistance provided to T-15 teams. The building sergeant and building senior shall make every effort to ensure their building’s T-15 team receives the assistance noted in this unit order.

While the T-15 team is conducting safety checks, they shall also look for jail rule violations (e.g., shower curtains, contraband, etc.) and unsafe dorm conditions. If a T-15 team member encounters a violation of jail rules which requires an inmate incident report to be written, the staff station officer for that dorm shall write the report with the concurrence of the building sergeant or supervising line deputy. If the inmate needs to be escorted to building 900, the escort shall be done by building rovers.

If an unsafe dorm condition is found, it shall be reported to the staff station officer who shall make note of it in the e-UDAL and resolve the condition by taking appropriate action.

EM SHIFT (BUILDINGS 500, 600, 700, AND 800)

T-15 teams for buildings 500, 600, 700, and 800, on EM shift shall be comprised of at least two deputies per team. Each deputy shall be armed with a Taser and oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray (MK-9 canister) while conducting the checks. Each of these four teams shall handle a single building.

AM AND PM SHIFTS (BUILDINGS 500, 600, 700, AND 800)

T-15 teams for buildings 500, 600, 700 and 800 on AM and PM shifts shall be four-person teams comprised of at least three deputies and no more than one custody assistant (CA) per team. All deputies on each team shall be armed with a Taser and OC spray (MK-9 canister), and the CA shall have OC spray (MK-9 canister), while conducting the checks. There shall be two teams on each of these shifts; one team shall handle buildings 500 and 600, and the other team shall handle buildings 700 and 800.

BUILDING 900 TITLE-15 SAFETY CHECKS

The T-15 team for building 900, shall be comprised of four deputies on each shift. These deputies shall each be armed with a Taser and OC spray (MK-9 canister) and coordinate with building 900 personnel who shall assist as their duties permit.

Building 900 consists of housing areas that require safety checks every 25 minutes.  The CK-340 LED digital timer in this area shall be set to sound an alarm every 25 minutes. In no case shall more than 30 minutes elapse between any two security checks regardless of shift change, change in personnel breaks, or any other circumstance. A minimum of 19 safety checks shall be performed during each eight-hour shift.

BUILDING 900 PRE-DISCIPLINARY AND DISCIPLINARY HOUSING PROCEDURES

Personnel working in the pre-disciplinary and disciplinary housing areas of the 900 building shall secure all inmates within their assigned cells during all Title-15 safety checks. 

During the course of mandated Title-15 requirements such as showers, pill call, and meal service, all inmates housed within a pre-disciplinary or disciplinary housing dorm shall be secured within their cells prior to personnel entering the dorm.

Emergent situations such as inmate fights, medical emergencies or any other critical situation that necessitates the immediate entry into the dorm are exceptions to this procedure.

IPA TITLE-15 SAFETY CHECKS

The T-15 team in the IPA consists of the entire IPA staff who are responsible for ensuring all safety checks in their assigned area are completed and documented. A safety check shall be conducted on all holding cells and hard cells in the IPA every 25 minutes, regardless of whether those cells are occupied (all bar code cards shall be scanned, or the checks shall be logged if the scanners are not functioning).

The CK-340 LED digital timer in this area shall be set to sound an alarm every 25 minutes. In no case shall more than 30 minutes elapse between any two security checks regardless of shift change, change in personnel breaks, or any other circumstance. A minimum of 19 safety checks shall be performed during each eight-hour shift.

INFIRMARY TITLE-15 SAFETY CHECKS

The T-15 team in the infirmary consists of the deputies assigned to the infirmary on each shift. Infirmary deputies shall ensure safety checks are conducted in both rear hallways of the infirmary every hour (scan the bar codes at each of the rear doors). Safety checks of the infirmary’s hard cells (quiet rooms) shall be done according to existing policy. Safety checks on inmates placed in a quiet room on mental observation watch shall be conducted every 15 minutes. 

When an inmate is placed in a quiet room on suicide watch, personnel from the building where the inmate was housed shall be reassigned to the infirmary to handle the direct observation of the inmate and take care of the documentation. This allows the infirmary deputies to continue with all the other required safety checks in the infirmary as well as their other infirmary duties.

If the building where the inmate is housed lacks sufficient personnel to handle the suicide watch duties, that building’s sergeant shall arrange for a replacement from another area of NCCF. The watch sergeant must approve the use of personnel from another area of NCCF for this purpose.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

T-15 teams shall NOT respond to facility disturbances and shall continue to complete their safety checks during a facility disturbance.

The only exceptions to this mandate would be an officer involved fight or if ordered/approved by the watch commander. When these exceptions occur, the team(s) diverted shall return to their Title-15 compliance check duties as soon as possible. The incident and the name of the watch commander who ordered the diversion from their safety checks shall be noted in the watch commander’s log and in the e-UDALs of the affected dorms/cells/rooms.

With watch commander approval, safety checks can be “visual only” when building staffing is significantly reduced due to circumstances necessitating the facility being placed in a lockdown mode, Emergency Response Team (ERT) activations, etc. This shall also be noted in the e-UDALs of the affected dorms/cells/rooms.

BUILDING SERGEANTS

Building sergeants shall complete at least one unannounced Title-15 safety check with the T-15 team per shift, walking with them as they do their checks.

During this unannounced Title-15 safety check or at another time during the shift, the building sergeant shall conduct an audit of the safety checks already entered into the e-UDAL. Any deficiencies noted shall be included in the results of the audit, which shall be entered into the e-UDAL for documentation purposes.

Building sergeants shall document this completed supervisory check in the e-UDAL by checking the box titled, “Safety Check Review” and making one of the following recommended comments about the safety checks as appropriate: 

• Briefed safety check policy
• Safety check briefing conducted
• Briefed on the importance of safety checks
• Observed safety checks and conducted after-action review
• Reviewed safety checks and briefed personnel
• Reviewed safety checks and briefed on timeliness of walks

BUILDING SUPERVISING LINE DEPUTIES

Building supervising line deputies shall play an active role in assuring that Title-15 safety checks are conducted regularly and in accordance with Title-15 standards.  They are responsible for making sure the T-15 teams are maintaining compliance by use of the T-15 dashboard on the computer. The T-15 dashboard shall be viewable on one of the two computer screens of the supervising line deputy’s computer at all times to facilitate the monitoring of Title-15 safety checks. 

Building supervising line deputies shall ensure any deviation from Title-15 safety check procedures is properly documented in the e-UDAL.  Any significant issues involving safety checks shall be immediately discussed with the respective building sergeant and watch commander.

PROBLEMS WITH SCANNERS AND BAR CODES

In addition to the procedures mandated in CDM section 4-11/030.05, “Title-15 Scanner,” NCCF personnel shall notify the Title-15 supervising line deputy and document such notification along with the notifications mandated in CDM 4-11/030.05.