Prisoner Detention:
The Saint Paul Police Department operates and manages a temporary (up to two hours) holding room for housing prisoners and suspects pending the formal booking process.
This regulation governs the operation and maintenance of that holding room complex.
The watch commander will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the holding room, in accordance with the provisions of this regulation.
Arrest Paperwork Procedures:
- Officers must complete the Authority to Detain and Offender Tracking Forms for each person arrested.
- A victim information and notification form must be completed for any crime where there is a victim. (See Minnesota Statute 611A.06)
- A local criminal history record check must be attached to each adult arrest report. It is not necessary to attach this record if the arrested party is a juvenile. If there is no criminal history, officers should note that at the end of their report.
- All arrest reports written when there is no watch commander on duty, are sent to the tour supervisor.
- Any criminal tags issued for misdemeanor arrests must accompany the report, not be placed in the traffic violation bureau tag box.
- A drivers license check must be attached to any person arrested for a driving offense.
- The cutoff time for court is 0400 hours. That means that any person arrested before 0400 will go to court that weekday. Officers must complete arrest paperwork in a timely fashion, especially on late arrests so that the reports will get to the Saint Paul City Attorney in time for presentation in court.
- Be sure to note in the report whether the person was booked or tagged and released.
- Certain charges aggregate with previous convictions, officers are reminded to check the arrested persons criminal history for previous convictions for the same offense. Those might result in an "up charge", i.e., from a misdemeanor to gross misdemeanor for the current charge.
Training:
All employees having the responsibility of detaining arrestee in a holding room will be trained in the policies governing the detention. Follow-up/in-service training will be conducted as needed. Recorded verification of this training shall be maintained in the training unit files.
Security and Control:
Officers arriving at the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center with suspects who require processing before a final determination is made regarding whether they will be booked into the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center shall proceed immediately to the detention room and place their suspect into one of the numbered cells therein.
Handcuffs:
Anytime two or more suspects are held in a detention cell all parties shall be handcuffed as long as multiple detainees are in the one room. See General Order 246.02: Restraints for further information on handcuffing criteria.
The following will be adhered to by officers upon arriving at the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center (LEC) with an arrested person:
- [Redacted].
- All arrested persons will be searched for weapons, contraband, markers and evidence, before being placed in the holding cells. A search of the cell will be conducted for weapons and contraband by the arresting officer prior to incarcerating and upon removing suspects. Any deficiencies in security and any incidents which threaten the facility or any person therein shall be reported immediately to the watch commander and documented in a written report.
A. It shall be the responsibility of the watch commander to make a daily inspection of this facility, including condition of locks, walls, floors, ventilator covers, glass panels, access plates, protective screens, doors and other security devices to ensure that they are operable, in good repair, and have not been tampered with.
B. Watch commanders are to make periodic checks of the holding room cells during their tours of duty to insure that the two-hour rule is observed. These checks will be noted in their daily log report to the chief.
3. Officers will enter the cells to place arrested persons in or to remove that same person. At no time will officers remove another officers suspect without the consent of the arresting officer.
4. Any property confiscated from the arrestee shall be turned in under the manner prescribed in handling evidence or property as set forth in the department manual. Property confiscated from the arrestee shall be returned to that person at the time of release unless it is to be held as evidence or contraband. Return of any confiscated property at a later date will be governed by rules set forth in the department manual relating to property/evidence procedures.
5. There are [redacted] holding cells at the LEC that are designated specifically for placement of juvenile arrestees. Juveniles are not to be placed in the adult holding rooms or vice versa.
A. Male and female arrestees shall never be placed in the same holding cell. Where practical, male and female suspects are to be separated by as many cells as possible.
B. When juvenile cells are full, the arresting officer(s) will remain with the arrested suspect(s) until either a juvenile holding cell becomes available or an investigator takes custody and releases them.
6. Any arrestees who are obviously under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol while in custody and who begin exhibiting violent or self-destructive behavior shall be kept under constant observation, and shall be moved out of the temporary holding room as quickly as possible to the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center or Regions Hospital. If in need of medical treatment, arrestees should be taken directly to Regions Hospital and booked at the hospital.
7. If an arrestee is released from the holding room rather than being booked, it is the responsibility of the arresting officer to confirm positive identification of the party being released and to document in her/his report, the circumstances surrounding the release as well as the name of the person who authorized the release.
8. In that there are only [redacted] holding cells, they are not to be used in the event of group, or mass arrest situations. Contingency plans for mass arrests are contained in the operations manual.
9. In that the holding rooms are for short-term detention, arrestees rights for access to attorneys and phone calls will be honored at the law enforcement center after completion of the booking and identification process.
10. Anyone that does not have official law enforcement business is prohibited from access to the holding room area.
11. The arresting officer(s) will be responsible for observation of arrested persons they place in the room to ensure their safety and welfare while in custody. In any case, arrestees will be visually observed by the arresting officer at least every 15 minutes. Searches of a person and presence in rest rooms will be handled by an officer of same sex as the prisoner.
12. [Redacted].
13. In the event a prisoner escapes from the holding facility [redacted]
[Redacted]
Management Information Systems:
Notations will be made in the officers report regarding persons detained in the holding room but who subsequently are released and not booked. The information will contain the individuals name, address, date of birth, reason for detention and name of person authorizing release.
Physical Plant:
1. The holding room cells will meet the following minimum specifications:
A. Adequate lighting.
B. Circulation of fresh or purified air in accordance with local public health standards.
C. Access to a toilet, wash basin with hot and cold running water, and drinking water.
2. The departments evacuation plan contained in the Emergency Procedures Manual addresses contingencies that may occur in the Griffin Building. In the event an evacuation is necessary, it shall be the responsibility of the arresting officer(s) to see that the arrestee they have placed in a holding cell is evacuated in accordance with the plan. The watch commander to ensure that all holding cells are properly evacuated. It is incumbent on these same officers to maintain control over their arrestee until that person may again be safely incarcerated in a holding cell or jail facility. Should an arrestee sustain an injury because of a building emergency it shall be the responsibility of the arresting officer to see that the party receives the proper medical attention either from paramedics or at [Redacted].
3. Emergency exits are highlighted to identify the nearest, primary emergency exit and alternate emergency exit to be utilized in the event it is necessary to evacuate the cells. It is the responsibility of all users to familiarize themselves with this floor plan.
Safety and Sanitation:
Fire Safety and Suppression:
All personnel shall familiarize themselves with the department's Emergency Procedures Manual that addresses what to do in case of a fire in the building. A copy of this manual is posted in the report writing room. A copy is also kept in the watch commanders office, as well as one copy in each district office.
- A fire extinguisher is located in the report writing room immediately adjacent to the holding room facility.
- Additionally there are heat and smoke detectors located in the holding room facility. There are also automated sprinkler heads in the hallway of the facility.
- It shall be the duty of the custodians to inspect the following items at the prescribed intervals:
o Fire extinguisher and sprinkler system -- weekly
o Auto fire detection devices and alarm system -- daily
The inspection should focus on verifying the presence of equipment and detecting any tampering or damage.
Medical and Health Care Service:
A first-aid kit is located on the wall opposite the holding cell doors for use as the need may arise in the holding room area. This kit shall be inspected weekly by the watch commander personnel, and replenished as necessary.
If the arresting officer feels the arrested party needs medical attention it shall be her/his responsibility to summon paramedics and/or transport the party to Regions Hospital for evaluation. In the arresting officers absence this responsibility lies with the watch commander, should s/he receive a request from the arrested party.
Juvenile Booking:
Juveniles transported to the Griffin Building as a result of an arrest will be taken to the youth services section during the hours they are staffed and at all other times to the watch commander (if on-duty). The arresting officer(s) will advise the watch commander of the name and circumstances of arrest of any juvenile taken directly to the youth services section for disposition.
The pink copy of the Juvenile Detention Report Form will be retained in the youth services section. If the parents of the juvenile are at the Griffin Building, they will be given the blue copy. All other copies go to the detaining authority.
During the time periods that the youth services section is not staffed and the watch commander or patrol supervisor initiates the detention process for juveniles, the pink copy of the Juvenile Detention Report Form will be held for juvenile personnel until picked up by them the following business day. All other copies go to the detaining authority.
Revised June 3, 2014