G1.1.4 Written Directives System
Chapter: Chapter 01: Organization and Administration
Sub-Chapter: 1.1 - Agency Organization
Effective Date: 12/01/2015
Revised Date: 09/30/2024
Rescinds: G1.1.4 – 5/5/2023
Purpose
To describe the written directive system utilized by the Indiana University Police Department (IUPD).
General Order
The IUPD maintains a written directive system that is readily available to all employees. The written directive system includes general orders and special orders issued by the superintendent for public safety. These orders serve as the policies, rules, and regulations under which the IUPD operates and are intended to supplement Indiana University (IU) policies.
Definitions
General order – A directive issued by the superintendent for public safety regarding a particular topic that is generally applicable throughout the department for the indefinite future.
Special order – A directive issued by the superintendent for public safety regarding a particular topic that by its nature requires a directive to be issued timely. Special orders are intended to be temporary in nature until the superintendent for public safety rescinds the special order and/or the information is incorporated into a general order.
The following words have the assigned meanings throughout the IUPD’s general orders and special orders, unless it is apparent from the content that they have a different meaning.
Employee – any person who works for the IUPD.
May – indicates a permissive, discretionary or conditional action.
Officer – employees, regardless of rank, who are certified law enforcement officers.
Should – indicates a generally required or expected action, absent a rational basis for failing to conform.
Will – indicates a mandatory action.
Description of the system’s structure and format (1.1.4 a)
Each general and special order will contain a header with the department’s formal title, order number and name, effective and revised dates, and a section listing any applicable rescinded orders. General and special orders are formatted using headings and subheadings where appropriate.
General orders that address the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) accreditation standards are structured in a manner consistent with each standard. The headers in these general orders will contain the chapter and sub-chapter the general order addresses. These general orders are organized in Chapters 1-17.
The IUPD also issues general orders under Chapter 18, titled Other Orders. These additional general orders are necessary for the operations of the IUPD but generally do not address specific IACLEA accreditation requirements.
Chapter 19 is utilized as a test environment within the electronic written directives system. Special orders are issued under Chapter 20.
Authorized personnel who may issue, modify, revise, or rescind written directives (1.1.4 b)
The superintendent for public safety has the authority to issue and rescind general orders and special orders. The superintendent for public safety may designate personnel to modify or revise general or special orders, however the final approval rests with the superintendent for public safety. In the absence of the superintendent for public safety, the deputy superintendents may assume this authority.
The director for accreditation and strategy provides leadership and oversight for the development of all orders and implements IUPD’s process to develop, issue, modify, revise, and rescind general orders and special orders.
Procedures for indexing, purging, updating, and disseminating written directives (1.1.4 c)
All general orders and special orders are stored electronically within the IUPD application. General orders that address a specific IACLEA accreditation standard are indexed to match the accreditation numbering system. Special orders are indexed by chapter, year issued, and a sequential number. Version numbers for all orders are also electronically maintained.
General orders and special orders will only be purged at the direction of the superintendent for public safety.
In addition to the annual review, general orders and special orders will be updated as needed.
All orders are disseminated to all employees of the IUPD via email notifying employees of the existence of a new or updated order. All orders are housed within the IUPD application.
Assure the receipt of directives by personnel (1.1.4 d)
When a new or updated order is issued, employees are assigned a task within the IUPD application to review the order. After employees have read the order, each employee is required to provide their electronic attestation to the receipt of the order and confirmation they will abide by the order. Attestations are required to be completed within the time frame provided unless exigent circumstances prohibit the employee from completing the attestation.
Process for annual review (1.1.4 e)
General orders will be reviewed on an annual basis. The director for accreditation and strategy may consult with subject matter experts when reviewing the general order and solicit their feedback on any suggested revisions. Any employee of the IUPD may submit feedback on any general order or special order. The director for accreditation and strategy will review the feedback and, if appropriate, share with the written directives oversight team for consideration during the review.
All proposed revisions will be reviewed by the director for accreditation and strategy and the written directives oversight team to ensure the revisions are appropriate, comply with accreditation standard requirements, and are consistent with law, IU policy, and any other IUPD general order. The written directives oversight team is led by the director for accreditation and strategy and is comprised of the superintendent for public safety, the deputy superintendents and other senior leaders from the IUPD who are identified by the superintendent or their designee.
Procedures for soliciting recommendations and feedback from campus stakeholders (1.1.4 f)
The director for accreditation and strategy actively seeks recommendations and feedback through collaboration with other university partners as appropriate when developing, modifying, or revising IUPD’s orders.