07-105/00 Processing

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

PURPOSE OF ORDER:    

The purpose of this unit order is to establish procedures for processing inmates arriving

to and departing from the North County Correctional Facility (NCCF).

SCOPE OF ORDER:         

This order applies to all personnel assigned to and/or working at the North County

Correctional Facility (NCCF).

ORDER:

The Inmate Processing Area (IPA), located in building 400, shall be the point of reception and departure for all inmates entering or leaving the facility. At least one member of the IPA staff shall remain inside the IPA control booth during each shift.

Inmates transported to NCCF for medical treatment shall be escorted to Medical Services through the IPA sally port for proper search procedures.

Any deviation from these procedures shall require the watch commander's approval and be noted in the Facility Log. The Log entry shall include the following:

• Time of arrival or departure
• Number of inmates
• Type of medical emergency transportation, if required
• The name, employee number, and rank of receiving officer(s)

INCOMING LINES

Notification of the incoming line is received via email to the IPA email group “PDC NCCF IPA DETAINERS.” The email shall contain the following information:

• inmate's name
  • booking number
  • race
  • release date
  • current housing location

Incoming line emails are generally received on both AM and PM shifts. Inmates will have pre-assigned housing locations selected by the Central Housing Unit (CHU). Transfer center personnel will screen all the previous day’s incoming lines to identify inmates eligible for work status.

The approximate arrival time will be listed on the email and every effort shall be made to accept the line at that time. If a problem arises where the arrival time is incompatible with NCCF staffing, the watch commander/watch sergeant shall be notified.

INITIAL PROCESS

CHU personnel shall ascertain what vacancies are available within NCCF housing areas and assign the new arrivals according to current housing classification guidelines.  Staff station personnel shall make bunk assignments when the inmate(s) arrive at their housing location.

In the event there is a discrepancy with CHU’s vacancies and the buildings’ actual vacancies due to in-house movement, staff station personnel shall relocate the new arrival to a dorm suitable for the inmate’s security level and classification.

To avoid vacancy discrepancies, building personnel shall report any unscheduled, non-routine movement to the IPA and CHU.

The processing deputy shall distribute the incoming line teletype in the following manner:

Processing Deputy:             2 copies

Building bonus deputy:       1 copy

Gang Detail:                          1 copy

Medical:                                 1 copy

Transfer Center:                   1 copy

INMATE ARRIVAL VIA COURT SERVICES TRANSPORTATION BUREAU(CST)

The central control deputy shall inform the IPA of the arrival of the incoming line.

Central control will allow CST to enter the IPA vehicle sally port. Once inside, the gate shall be secured and remain secured until they are informed that CST is clear to leave. CST deputies shall secure their weapons in the designated gun locker prior to allowing the transport vehicle access to the vehicle sally port.

PROCESSING INCOMING LINES

The processing of incoming lines shall be handled by a sufficient number of personnel to maximize safety and security within the IPA. The IPA sergeant shall ensure sufficient deputy personnel are present and direct IPA deputies to request the response of building personnel to assist in the process when needed. A supervising line deputy or sergeant shall be present during the processing of all incoming lines.

The incoming inmates shall be scanned into the Defendant Inmate Movement Management System (DIMMS) and their wristbands checked against the incoming line email by IPA personnel. The wristband shall also be checked to ensure it is securely fastened and not tampered with (e.g., tied together with string, etc.). Inmates who cannot be identified shall not be accepted and shall be returned to the Inmate Reception Center (IRC). Inmates identified as those normally segregated at NCCF shall be placed into separate holding areas and processed individually when time permits.

INMATES LISTED ON THE EMAIL BUT NOT PHYSICALLY ON THE BUS

In the event an inmate who is listed on the incoming line email is not here on the bus, the following procedure shall be followed:

• Identify the inmate who is missing and immediately inform CST personnel
   
• Immediately notify the IPA supervisor (supervising line deputy or sergeant)
   
• Allow CST personnel the opportunity to locate the missing inmate. Every effort shall be made by CST personnel, with the assistance of IPA personnel, to locate the missing inmate or identify their location prior to CST personnel being allowed to leave NCCF.
   
• If the inmate is not physically present and their location identified, the inmate shall be lined out (scratched) on the email and CST personnel shall list their name, employee number, time, and the current location of the missing inmate (e.g., still at Van Nuys court; on bus #12345; etc.)
   
• If the inmate is not located or there is an issue between CST personnel and IPA personnel, the NCCF watch commander shall be notified.

INMATES NOT LISTED ON THE EMAIL BUT PHYSICALLY HERE ON THE BUS

In the event an inmate who is not listed on the incoming line email is physically on the bus, the following procedure shall be followed:

• Identify the inmate and immediately inform CST personnel
   
• Immediately notify the IPA supervisor (supervising line deputy or sergeant)
   
• Allow CST personnel the opportunity to ascertain why the discrepancy occurred. Every effort shall be made by CST personnel, with the assistance of IPA personnel, to determine where the inmate should be housed prior to CST personnel being allowed to leave NCCF.
   
• If the inmate is supposed to be housed at NCCF, the inmate’s information shall be handwritten onto the facsimile and CST personnel shall sign their name, employee number, time, and date next to the additional inmate information.
   
• If the inmate is not to remain at NCCF, CST shall transport him to the correct location.
   
• If there is an issue between CST personnel and IPA personnel, the NCCF watch commander shall be notified of the incident

CST personnel shall not be cleared to leave NCCF until a missing inmate is located and accounted for, or the correct housing location is determined of an additional inmate who was not listed on the email but on the bus.

In the event an inmate becomes insubordinate during processing and there is a need for isolation, barring exigent circumstances, a supervising line deputy or sergeant shall be present during the inmate escort to and from the isolation cells located in the 2-Row and the use of a handheld camera shall be implemented. The watch commander shall be notified when a recalcitrant inmate is placed in one of these isolation cells. Refer to CDM section 7-02/020.00, “Handling Insubordinate, Recalcitrant, Hostile, or Aggressive Inmates.”

 Inmates shall be strip searched and their property checked for contraband. A complete bedroll and t-shirt roll shall be issued to each inmate. Personnel present during the strip search and/or visual body cavity search shall be of the same sex.

At the beginning of each shift and between each line searched, IPA personnel shall have their inmate workers clean the searching tables and holding cells with sanitizer. The floors shall be regularly mopped and kept clean at all times.

MULTIPLE INCOMING LINES

When there is more than one incoming line to process, the first line to arrive shall be off-loaded and moved to the IPA interior sally port. The line verification procedure remains the same, however, inmates shall be escorted to holding areas and "locked-down" to allow for the process to continue with the remaining buses. The second and subsequent lines are handled in the same manner.

NOTE: Any inmate arriving at NCCF with visible signs of recent injury shall be interviewed immediately to verify they received medical attention and the incident has been properly documented (e.g., complaint report, inmate injury report, etc.). If the incident has not been documented, the NCCF watch commander shall be notified and shall determine whether or not the inmate will be accepted. CST personnel shall either prepare the proper documentation or return the inmate to the facility/court from where he was transported.

NCCF COURT RETURNEES

All inmates returning to NCCF from court shall be checked off against the master court list prior to being sent back to their respective housing locations. All shifts shall be responsible for the court returnees who return on their shift. When circumstances prevent this from occurring, it shall be passed on to the following shift supervisors (supervising line deputy or sergeants).

When court returnees have been released from the IPA to their respective housing locations, building personnel shall make every effort to stop these returning inmates inside their building’s entrance corridor before they enter the building. Building rovers shall identify these inmates and ensure they return to their respective dorm. Staff station personnel shall notify the building supervisor of the court returned inmate.

This process allows the building’s supervising line deputy to verify and reconcile their court returnees with the IPA at the 1530 hours and 2100 hours count times.

If the IPA has accounted for a court returnee and the building is still missing the inmate after count, a facility page shall be done immediately to locate the inmate. Once the inmate is located, the building where the inmate is housed shall notify the IPA. If the inmate is not located, the building sergeant and the watch commander shall be notified.

After the final CST bus for the day has delivered the last of NCCF’s court returnees, the IPA shall ensure all personnel are notified no additional court returnees are forthcoming. This will help our staff determine if there are any court “miss outs” to report.

HOUSING AND SPECIAL FEEDING

NCCF personnel shall provide any newly arrived inmates who have missed a regularly scheduled meal with a meal after processing. The IPA shall coordinate with the kitchen or the inmate’s housing location to ensure the inmate receives a meal.

If a hot meal is missed, an effort shall be made to provide one. If a hot meal cannot be arranged, a sack lunch shall be provided. The sack lunch may be consumed in the IPA holding cells if convenient and at the discretion of the IPA supervising line deputy.

After processing, IPA personnel shall escort the inmates to their designated buildings. Staff station personnel shall make the appropriate computer updates.

OUTGOING LINES

NCCF will receive emails from IRC indicating those inmates who are to be transferred from the facility.

NOTE: The removal, or “scratch,” of an inmate from an outgoing transfer line shall not be made without good cause (e.g., outgoing line exceeds bus capacity, inmate presents a security risk, inmate experiences a medical emergency, etc.).

The IPA supervising line deputy or sergeant shall approve the scratch.

A medically ordered inmate transfer shall not be canceled without the approval of an infirmary nurse supervisor. Documentation of a cancelled medical transfer shall include the inmate’s name and booking number, and the name and employee number of the nurse supervisor approving the cancellation. This information shall be logged in the IPA e-UDAL.

The IPA deputy shall distribute copies of the outgoing line in the following manner:

Processing Deputy:             2 copies

CST deputies:                       3 copies

Transfer Center:                   1 copy

NCCF OSJ:                           1 copy

The IPA’s processing deputy shall compile all transfer requests and initiate NCCO passes for outgoing lines.

When staff station personnel receive NCCO passes, they shall assemble the inmates, check each wristband, replace those wristbands that are illegible, and have outgoing inmates escorted to the IPA or designated building dayroom pending transportation by CST.

Inmates that require special handling shall be placed in the IPA single man holding cells.

BUS YARD AND SALLY PORT PROCEDURES

Every effort shall be made to assist CST personnel with the loading and unloading of inmates in the bus sally port area. If the IPA is short staffed, an available rover shall be requested to respond to the IPA. The inmates shall either remain on the bus or in the sally port holding area until sufficient personnel are present to handle the incoming inmates.

When IPA personnel are searching inmates at the reception tables, CST personnel will be allowed into the sally port area but shall not unchain their inmates. CST personnel shall wait until the search is completed and the inmates have been placed back into a holding cell or sent to their respective housing locations. IPA personnel shall then respond to the sally port and inform CST personnel it is clear to proceed.

CST personnel shall notify central control when all inmates have been checked in or out and CST is clear to depart the vehicle sally port.