07-075/00 Inmate Searches / Housing Searches

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

PURPOSE OF ORDER:     The purpose of this unit order is to establish procedures for conducting searches at the North County Correctional Facility (NCCF).

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

ORDER:

All searches conducted at NCCF shall comply with Custody Division Manual (CDM) section 5-08/010.00 “Searches.”

Refer to CDM section 5-06/010.05, “Allowable Inmate Property - Male Inmates” and CDM section 5-01/050.15, “Property Restrictions for Mentally Ill Inmates” for lists of allowable inmate property.

Inmate housing and common areas shall be searched on a regular basis in a staggered rotation to prevent and control the movement and possession of contraband and weapons.

Inmate Searches

All inmates shall be searched using Department approved methods and in accordance with CDM section 5-08/010.00, “Searches.”

Anytime an inmate is isolated/segregated in a cell for the purpose of a search, a sergeant shall be notified and a supervisor, at the minimum rank of a supervising line deputy, shall directly oversee the deputy/inmate contact.

The sergeant shall immediately notify the watch commander and report the circumstances leading to the inmate’s placement in a hard cell. This notification shall be documented on the “Hard Cell Log” posted on the cell in which the inmate is being held.

Strip and Visual Body Cavity Searches

Refer to unit order 07-075/01, “Strip and Visual Body Cavity Searches.”

Physical Body Cavity Searches

Physical body cavity searches shall not be conducted without a search warrant or court order. These searches shall only be conducted by medical personnel.  Personnel present during the strip search and/or visual body cavity search shall be of the same gender as the inmate.

Strip and Visual Body Cavity Search for Pre-Arraigned Inmates
Refer to CDM, section 5-08/010.00, “Searches.”

Strip Searches of Civil Commitments
Refer to CDM, section 5-08/010.00, “Searches.”

Common Area and Housing Area Searches

Deputies and custody assistants are encouraged to conduct random searches whenever possible. Inmate housing areas and areas commonly accessed by inmates should be searched on a regular basis in a staggered rotation.

COMMON AREAS

Common areas shall be searched at least once per month and include, but are not limited to the kitchen, clinic, visiting, elevators, holding cells, dayrooms, indoor/outdoor recreational areas, etc.

HOUSING AREAS (DORMS)

Each shift Shall conduct a minimum of four searches per building, per week, of all housing areas for contraband and weapons. A master search calendar has been posted on the home page of the NCCF intranet that provides each building with the assigned dates and locations of searches to be completed each month inside each building. A search log is also posted in the same location, providing personnel with a reference guide to quickly determine if their building has complied with the minimum number of searches required for that month. The search schedule and log shall be maintained by the operations staff.

The search calendar/schedules shall not be posted in offices where inmate workers who clean these offices can read the search schedules. They shall be accessed online or, if printed, kept out of sight.

In order to gain the maximum compliance with inmate rules and regulations with a minimum amount of conflict/objection, the following procedures shall be followed during dorm searches at NCCF in addition to the other procedures pertaining to searches:

• The building sergeant shall be notified prior to the start of the search. A sergeant or supervising line deputy must be present during the entire search.
• The sergeant or supervising line deputy shall decide whether or not the inmates will be moved from the dorm prior to the search.
• If the inmates are removed from the dorm prior to the search, the sergeant or supervising line deputy who supervised the search shall wait in the staff station area to handle any/all complaints until all of the inmates have returned to the dorm.
• If the inmates are not moved from the dorm, they may be ordered to remain on their bunks, to sit at the tables, or to sit along the walls.
• The sergeant or supervising line deputy shall log the dorm search in the housing unit's electronic Uniform Daily Activity Log (e-UDAL) and sign the entry.
• The sergeant or supervising line deputy who supervises the search is responsible for ensuring the search report is completed in the Custody Automated Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) and all essential, allowable inmate items (i.e., mattresses, bedding, clothing, towels, etc.) are returned/replaced.
• The completed search report shall be forwarded to the building sergeant and then to the watch commander for approval.
• Searches of individual inmates shall not require the completion of a search report unless contraband items are recovered.
• Inmate property shall be handled with care.
• Bunks of inmates who are not present shall also be searched.
• If the inmates are temporarily removed from the dorm and their property is left behind, the property shall be searched and all contraband items removed. The property shall be left on top of each inmates’ bunk.
• If the inmates are removed from the dorm and they take their personal and County-issued property (excluding mattress), the property shall be searched in their presence. When all contraband items are removed, the remainder of the property shall be returned to the inmate.
• All personal property listed in CDM section 5-06/010.05, “Allowable Inmate Property-Male Inmates,” (including commissary) and County-issued property (excluding bedding) which does not fit properly inside the inmate property bag shall be considered contraband. The inmate shall be given the choice of which property they wish to disposed of without compensation.
• In order to ensure clean and sanitary housing for all inmates, perishable foods, served with inmate meals, not consumed within a four-hour period shall be considered contraband.
• Pictures, drawings, etc., determined to be lewd or overly inappropriate shall be properly disposed of in the designated contraband disposal container.

Inmates Workers

Inmate workers shall be searched when they report to work and when they return to their housing areas after work (or when dismissed for a meal break, lockdown, etc.).

Inmates Returning From Court

Personnel shall not conduct a strip or body cavity search of any inmate scheduled to be released within a 24-hour period unless so authorized by the unit commander and documented on a Strip Search Authorization Record (SH-R-399).

Searching Cells in the [REDACTED TEXT]

The same procedures for documenting searches, as previously described in this unit order, shall still be followed for searches in the [REDACTED TEXT].

Due to the elevated security levels or disciplinary status of inmates housed in the [REDACTED TEXT] and the potential danger they present to personnel, inmates SHALL be handcuffed in the presence of the sergeant or supervising line deputy prior to being removed from their cells for the search.  This shall be accomplished using the handcuffing ports in the doors of the cells being searched.

Once the cell search is completed, the inmates SHALL be placed back in their cell prior to being unhandcuffed through the handcuffing port.

This procedure is not necessary when searching cells in the [REDACTED TEXT] housing unit if direct inmate contact with personnel is prevented by using the shower corridor to separate the inmates from personnel who are conducting the search.