Dilemma of Officers Who Abuse Equipment

• NCJ Number: 224510
• Journal: Law and Order: The Magazine for Police Management Volume: 56 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 56-57,59-62,65
• Author(s): Jay Burch
• Date Published: August 2008
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Instructional Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses how law enforcement agencies should handle police officers who knowingly abuse or neglect the equipment issued to them, how to limit such abuse, and how to make officers more accountable in using and maintaining their equipment.

Abstract

As a first step in addressing this issue, agencies should develop a detailed policy or general order regarding how officers are expected to treat the equipment issued to them by the agency. This policy statement should include a description of the disciplinary actions that may be taken against employees who abuse or neglect agency equipment. Options for disciplining officers who knowingly and purposely abuse/neglect department-issued property may include requiring the officer to reimburse the agency or government for any repair or replacement costs of the equipment. Other options are to require officers to attend training regarding the use and care of the equipment that had been abused or neglected, and tailor the discipline to a restriction in how the officer uses the equipment for a period of time, such as the use of a take-home vehicle when the vehicle has been abused. There must also be consistent and detailed documentation of any case of equipment abuse/neglect. This is especially important in civil service and collective bargaining agencies because of the longer and sometimes more difficult disciplinary process. In addition to specifying possible disciplinary action, a policy should also contain specific instructions regarding how each piece of equipment issued to an officer should be used and maintained. An agency might have separate statements for each type of equipment issued. Officers would be required to read each of the statements and then sign each statement as an acknowledgment of and commitment to what is required in properly using and maintaining the equipment.