SOPS badlands

 This thread will be updated with a comment any time a revision or update is made to the procedures. As a member of the LSPD it is your responsibility to keep up to date with changes that we make. I highly suggest you follow this topic to be notified each time a post is made, this will help you keep in touch.

This is not all inclusive and serves as a framework for the LSPD to ensure proper, fun and appropriate interactions with players. If you have any questions then please direct them towards myself for the time being via discord "police" channel.



Ticket Procedures

You may click here for the Ticket Procedures.



Standard Operational Procedures and Rules

Your priority as a member of Los Santos Police is to role-play to your fullest potential in ALL situations where you are interacting with/near/around other players. We are here to have fun and these Standard Operating Procedures are meant to be a simple and straightforward way to reach that goal. We want you to have fun and as a result create fun for other players.



General Rules

    Do NOT abuse your position or police powers to take punitive action against other players.
    Do NOT camp illegal activities or areas, play fair!
    You will role play all situations and it is your responsibility to deter and investigate crime in addition to pursue anyone committing a crime in front of you.
    You shall always be logged into the appropriate voice channel on discord when on duty and your discord nickname shall match your in game identity.
    Refrain from participating in any sexual or inappropriate role play.
    Ride-alongs are not permitted without lieutenant or above approval and shall last for 45 minutes max.
    Ride-alongs are restricted to civilians only, the supervising officer may not be training.
    Never escort/restrain a moving or fleeing suspect with the police menu. If they are not complying then you shall subdue them with a taser and then begin escorting/restraining.
    When kidnapped and your “comms are taken” an Officer shall communicate to other officers that they are kidnapped, mute discord, and cease communication.  (change pending review)
    When an officer is unconscious, they shall communicate that they are unconscious and the location they are at. Until the scene is secure the officer shall not communicate any addition information.
     An officer who is accused of violating the SOP's will be investigated for Corruption.  If found guilty they will face administrative action and potential removal from the LSPD. (change pending review)



Going on Duty - Section A

    We want to try and maintain a ratio of 2 cops per 10 civilians. We request that officers are responsible in actively maintaining this balance for the health of the community and for the sake of player experience. Please go on and off duty/switch servers to help keep as close to this threshold as possible.
    Cops shall maintain a professional appearance at all times when on duty. You may not wear masks, goofy hats/glasses, makeup, face tattoos, or colored neon hair while on duty. If in doubt, please send a screenshot of your loadout to a Lieutenant or above for permission. For clarification review the Uniform and Inclusion List Document.
    Sergeants or above may wear more casual clothing while undercover.
    Only on duty Police shall be in the Discord Voice channels.
    Police shall only use weapons authorized for their rank/lower ranks: Recruit - Combat Pistol, Taser, Baton, Flashlight, & Knife. Corporal - Shotgun. Sergeant - Heavy Pistol. Lieutenant - SMG.
    There shall be a max of 1 undercover officer per two officers in uniform. Undercover officers may pull out unmarked police cruisers.



Patrol Procedures - Section B

    When on duty and not responding to 911 calls you should patrol legal and illegal areas. Legal areas provide opportunity for RP and also show a police presence to the civilians.
    Discord should be used to communicate to officers over distance. When possible use in game voip and pull an officer aside to “whisper” and have a discussion instead of blocking radio traffic.
    Remember to lock your vehicle at all times! A civilian in a stolen police vehicle can cause a very negative experience and shine a bad light on our department.
    During routine patrol there shall be a max of 2 officers per vehicle to ensure transport space for apprehended criminals. A motorcycle may be used if there is adequate transport space in another cruiser.
    In the event of any pursuit, a maverick may be pulled out by a Sergeant or above to assist. They may also be used for isolated medical calls or transportation from station to station.
    In the event of a water pursuit, a predator may be pulled out. The use of a scuba suit is allowed if the suspect decides to flee underwater. They may also be used for isolated medical calls or transportation.
    A Gun Shot Residue (GSR) test can be used to see if an individual fired a weapon recently. A positive GSR test, only establishes that a gun was fired. Other evidence must be obtained prior to charging the individual.



Interacting with Civilians - Section C

    At any point when an Officer is using handcuffs to detain a player you must inform them of the reasoning at time of detention. Never place a player in handcuffs without informing them of the reasoning.
    All interactions with civilians should be in a respectful and appropriate demeanor. Do not belittle or verbally abuse civilians.
    Sometimes a player will have an OOC question however you should do your best to stay in character at all times.
    In the case of a civilian interfering with a police investigation an Officer may detain the individual if absolutely necessary. Civilians may be present at the scene of an investigation so long as they are providing ample space per officer request and they are not impeding the officer in performance of his/her duties.



Vehicle Pursuits - Section D

    During a pursuit you should maintain a realistic sense of driving. The best approach for an officer is to follow the suspect and let them crash out or run out of fuel.
    A PIT maneuver or a rolling barricade is approved so long as it can be done safely. Take caution to oncoming traffic and your surroundings to avoid causing a suspect to spin out into a civilian.
    Code 2: An Officer may turn on his emergency lights to drive through a red light and overtake vehicles if responding to a non emergency 911 call or if en route to investigate reports of suspicious activity.
    Code 3: Officers must use lights and sirens “Code 3” when speeding or not following traffic laws.  Responding to a 911 emergency, gas station robbery or request for backup are acceptable instances for using “Code 3”.
    Spike strips shall be used during any vehicle pursuit. If spike strips are used, the officer must have their vehicle in Code 2 near where they are placed. ( Requires Corporal+ training to be used )



Use of Force - Section E

    At all times an Officer shall announce himself (herself) as a member of the LSPD and provide a clear and reasonable demand. Remember to identify the intended target of your demand by name (if you know it through RP) or by the clothing they are wearing.
    A nightstick or taser is appropriate when an unarmed suspect is refusing a lawful order or threatening the safety of a person in the immediate area or a suspect is fleeing and eluding a police officer.
    Lethal force is authorized when a suspect with a weapon poses a direct and immediate threat to officer or civilian safety.
    When multiple officers are on scene there should be a reasonable effort to present a less lethal option to subdue a suspect. One officer shall announce the less lethal option while the other officers provide lethal coverage if needed.
    When an officer is outnumbered or the suspects have automatic firearms it may become appropriate to use a long gun. Officers must use discretion with long guns otherwise access will become restricted.



Probable Cause/Illegal Items - Section F

    Probable cause allows you to search a civilian and or their vehicle. The minimum requirements that must be met in order to generate and have probable cause are defined specifically in this section and next to applicable charges on the ticketing guide.
    Direct Witness: An officer who witnesses a civilian committing a Misdemeanor or Felony crime, or a civilian actively selling drugs has probable cause to search that suspect. Also any offense marked “PC” on the ticket guide indicate that crime would generate probable cause to search.
    Eye Witness: A civilian or EMS who gives their account of an incident may be used during an investigation but it does not generate probable cause to search.
    You are obligated to remove any illegal weapons/items from a player if you become aware of it through: Directly witnessing it in their possession and/or becoming aware of it via searching with probable cause. These items shall be “trashed” immediately following the encounter. Any legal items seized should be returned  to the suspect at the end of the encounter.
    The current illegal weapons and items are as follows: Deagle, Micro SMG, Machine Pistol, Mobile Meth Lab Kit, cannibis seeds, marijuana, ephedrine, weed, meth, cavalry dagger, broken bottle, switchblade.
    A legal weapon becomes illegal when used in a threatening or hostile manner.
    Illegal Areas: Any field capable of planting cannabis seeds, inside of encampment at ephedrine, immediate vicinity around weed processing, second floor of the black market dealer, illegal weapon dealer, and witnessing a “mobile meth lab” actively cooking. Being inside an illegal area generates probable cause to search but police cannot effect an arrest just for someone being in an illegal area.
    If in direct witness of an individual smoking marijuana, or smoking from a pipe.
    Self incrimination.
    Information gathered from the informant grants probable cause for any RV located at the coordinates provided. It is not required for the RV to be smoking to gain probable cause.



Ticketing Procedures - Section G

    The ticketing document is HERE and all police shall use this when ticketing/jailing.
    In order to Ticket/Jail a suspect the Officer must be a “Direct Witness” (see above section) to the crime.
    Officers shall read out all crimes a suspect is being charged with prior to issuing a ticket. At this time a suspect has an opportunity to RP/refute charges before the ticket is issued.
    A suspect shall always have the chance to pay a ticket unless the ticket price is marked “N/A”. If a player refuses the ticket then they shall be processed for the corresponding jail time.
    If the “Jail Sentence” is 5 Months or longer than an Officer shall send the suspect to Prison. Any sentencing less than 5 Months can be served in a holding cell under police supervision.
    Crimes against NPCs on the island will be treated the same as a crime against another player.
    A civilian may RP down a charge in the Infraction and Misdemeanor category, as well as restitution fines in the Felony Category, by up to 100% (rewarding good RP and effort) however refusal to pay the subsequent ticket will result in the full jail sentencing associated with each of those charges.
    An on duty Corporal or above may authorize that a vehicle may not be seized if marked for seizure.
    An on duty Sergeant or above may authorize the reduction of jail time by up to 100%.
    Infractions and Misdemeanors - If an individual is charge for an infraction or misdemeanor and within a twenty minute period, they were to be charged again. The officer may double the ticket price and jail time for that specific charge. The twenty minute timer would restart once the ticket is paid. If the individual is charged again within the second twenty minute period. The user is to be issued a triple jail sentence for the charge and sent without ticket.
    Felony - If an individual is charged for a felony, and they pay their ticket. If within a half hour period they are charged again. The officer may double the jail time and sentence them to jail without ticket.



Processing Suspects - Section H

    Not every suspect must be taken to police HQ for processing.
    The steps for processing a suspect should loosely be:
        RP with suspect about crimes committed.
        Detain suspect and search them if you have probable cause.
        RP further based on search and begin discussing charges being applied.
        Follow Section G ticketing procedures and transport to HQ if jail time needs to be served.
    If a suspect refuses their ticket and are being sent to jail then you shall impound their personal vehicle before transporting to HQ. Impounding of a vehicle shall only be done when an “ALL CLEAR” is given on scene, you shall not impound a vehicle during or immediately following a combat situation.
    A player may request to have a lawyer present whenever they have at least one Felony charge against them.
        A lawyer can RP down a ticket up to 100% (Jail time, Restitution, and Fines).
        It is officer's discretion in whether they want to approve the request.
        If you approve, you must reach out and contact their lawyer and request their presence at the station.
        The lawyer must be dressed professionally and meet at HQ and consent to be searched prior to seeing their client.
        “Time served” in police custody does not apply when a player requests a lawyer to represent them.
    An officer may “ASK ID”  but a civilian is only required to provide it when being detained for committing an actual crime witnessed by an Officer. “CHECK ID” shall only be used when a civilian is detained for committing a crime and the arresting Officer has not identified them yet.
    If at any time a player requests to speak to a supervisor  it is the officer's responsibility to seek out a senior officer on duty to respond to the location. If you cannot reach a supervisor for assistance then inform the player of this and direct them to file a report on the government website in the Internal affairs section. Resume processing the suspect at this time.



License Seizing - Section I

    Driver License can be seized at the officers discretion if charged with one of the following.
        Felony Evasion.
        Hit and Run.
        Vehicular Manslaughter.
    Firearm License can be seized when charged with at least two of the following offenses. Corporal approval is required before the suspect’s license is taken.
        Possession of an Illegal Firearm.
        Armed Robbery.
        Kidnapping (if firearm was used in commission of the crime).
        Murder or Attempted Murder.
        Assault with a Deadly Weapon (if firearm was used in commission of the crime).