NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDERS MANUAL
SUBJECT
Unusual Occurrences
and Special Event Planning
GO 19
William F. Looper, Chief of Police
EFFECTIVE DATE
REVISION DATE
PAGES
1 of 12
AUTHORITY/RELATED REFERENCES
Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP)
Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)
Florida Mutual Aid Plan, F.S.S. Chapter 23.121-.127
General Order 5, Arrests
General Order 6, Firearms
General Order 8, Response to Resistance
General Order 18, Incident Command System
General Order 20, Criminal Investigations
General Order 33, News Media Relations
General Order 41, Transporting Prisoners and Civilians
Standard Operating Procedure 4, Bomb Threats and Incidents
Standard Operating Procedure 21, Hostage and Barricaded Subject
Standard Operating Procedure 22, Active Shooter Incident
Standard Operating Procedure 39, Traffic Direction and Control
ACCREDITATION REFERENCES
CFA Chapters 14, 20, 21 and 36
KEY WORD INDEX
After-Action Report .............................................................................. Procedure VIII
Arrests, Processing, Confinement and Transportation .................... Procedure V
Community Relations .......................................................................... Procedure X
De-Escalation Procedure and Post-Occurrence Duties .................... Procedure VII
Dignitary Protection ............................................................................. Procedure XIII
Evacuation ............................................................................................ Procedure VI
First Response to an Emergency or Disaster .................................... Procedure III
Incident Command Structure and Function ....................................... Procedure IV
Request for External Assistance ........................................................ Procedure II
Security of the Facility ......................................................................... Procedure XI
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Special Event Planning ........................................................................ Procedure XII
Supervisory Authority.......................................................................... Procedure I
Training ................................................................................................. Procedure IX
PROCEDURE STATEMENT
It is the policy of the Northwest Florida State College Police Department to delineate the
roles, responsibilities, command structure and liaison duties in response to emergency
situations that threaten on a massive scale the life, limb, property and public order on the
campus. This shall be accomplished through the implementation of emergency
operations plans during natural and manmade disaster situations, civil disturbances
and/or mass arrests. All provisions discussed subsequently in this General Order fall
within the purview of the legal authority granted to the NWFSCPD and other agencies by
Chapter 252, F.S. (Emergency Management); Chapter 870, F.S. (Affrays, Riots, Routs,
Unlawful Assemblies); Section 23.127, F.S. (Powers, Privileges, and Immunities - Florida
Mutual Aid Pact); and all applicable Northwest Florida State College policies and plans.
DEFINITIONS
I.C.P.: Incident Command Post.
C.E.M.P.: Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
C.O.O.P.: Continuity of Operations Plan.
Disaster: A situation presenting a massive threat to life, limb, property, and public order.
Emergency: A situation requiring immediate action to prevent loss of life, limb, property,
and public order.
Florida Mutual Aid Plan: An agreement between the state of Florida and local
governments to provide for the coordination of regional communications and the use
of state law enforcement and Florida National Guard personnel and equipment because
of natural or manmade disasters or emergencies whenever a local government requires
law enforcement assistance from the state or any other jurisdiction.
I.C.S.: Incident Command System.
Special Event: An activity that results in the need for control of vehicle or pedestrian
traffic, crowds, or crime. Special events are normally time specific, short duration
events, but may be extended over a longer period of time.
NWFSC Alert: The official emergency notification system for the college, issued when
an on-going incident presents an immediate threat to the health and safety of persons
on campus. These messages can be sent to students, parents, faculty and staff via the
college website, text messages, emails, and telephone messages.
GENERAL ORDER 19-2
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Unusual Occurrence: A situation generally of an emergency nature, resulting
from natural and man-made disasters, which may also include domestic security
incidents, civil disturbances, and civil defense emergencies.
PROCEDURES
I.
SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY
A. Supervisory authority for various types of emergencies/disasters shall be
established as follows:
1. Natural Disasters and Man-Made Emergencies: In the event of hurricane,
flood, severe tropical storm or other naturally-occurring emergency that
could require massive local, state and/or federal resources; or in the event
of an attack against persons including enemy attack, terrorism and/or civil
unrest, the Chief of Police or designee shall be designated as the
supervisory authority, or incident commander, in overall command and
control during the initial stages of the emergency. As such, he shall have
authority over all College departments involved and if pertinent, other law
enforcement agencies involved.
2. Technological Emergencies: In the event of explosions, fires and/or major
radiological bio-hazardous spills, the supervisory authority or incident
commander in overall command and control shall be designated by the
Chief of the Niceville Fire Department (NFD).
3. Involved College Departments/External Agencies: College and/or external
agencies that may be requested to assist in, or take overall command of
any emergency situation on the campus are depicted in the Northwest
Florida State College Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
II.
REQUEST FOR EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE
A. The procedures for requesting external assistance are as follows:
1. From Other Law Enforcement Agencies: The Chief of Police or designee
may invoke the Florida Mutual Aid Emergency Management process in
accordance with Chapters 23 and 870, F.S., and call upon assistance from
the Niceville Police Department (NPD), Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
(OCSO), Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), or other Florida
public university departments.
GENERAL ORDER 19-3
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
2. From the Military: Where private or public resources are not adequate to
ensure the safety and well-being of persons in an affected area, the use of
military resources may be requested. The decision to make such a request
will be made by the Chief of Police or designee through the Okaloosa
County Sheriff, who has the authority to manage and implement the
county’s Emergency Management Plan.
3. From Sources Other than Law Enforcement or the Military: Should the
exigencies of an emergency or disaster be such that primary remedial
efforts must be obtained from non-law enforcement/non-military sources,
the Chief of Police or designee shall contact the Okaloosa County
Emergency Manager and NWFSC Environmental Health and Safety
specialist for coordinating assistance from local/state agencies (e.g., NFD,
EMS, City of Niceville Utilities, Florida Division of Emergency Management).
III.
FIRST RESPONSE TO AN EMERGENCY OR DISASTER
A. A NWFSCPD Public Safety Communications Officer (PSCO) will usually be the
first College official to become aware of an emergency situation. Upon
confirming the emergency and obtaining as much information as possible, the
PSCO shall perform the following communications duties:
1. Advise the Shift Supervisor (or if applicable, the on-call supervisor) of the
emergency and provide all pertinent information;
2. Upon approval by the Supervisor, call additional sworn personnel to duty or
otherwise inform sworn personnel when and where they shall report;
3. The Supervisor shall ensure that a second PSCO, or sworn officer capable
of serving as a PSCO, shall report for immediate duty if only one PSCO is
on duty at the time of the first reporting of the emergency. One PSCO shall
be responsible for handling and routing outside calls pertaining to the
emergency; the second PSCO shall be responsible for handling
communications from field units; and
4. The Supervisor shall immediately respond to the scene of the reported
emergency, assess the situation, and further:
a. Modify or affirm support requirements and ensure that all first-responder
emergency service providers are notified;
b. Notify the Communications Center and Chief of Police or designee of his
evaluations, observations, and requests for other emergency services;
GENERAL ORDER 19-4
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
c. Establish a police incident command post, with sufficient perimeter
security at a strategic location in the field. The post should be located
near the emergency area, but outside the danger zone;
d. Ensure that the site and perimeter are secure;
e. Ensure that traffic control in and out of the emergency area (e.g., ingress
and egress) are maintained in an orderly manner; and
f. Initiate a written report of actions taken.
5. The Chief of Police or his designee shall act as the supervisory authority
(incident commander in overall command and control) in accordance with
Section I of this General Order and notify the President of the College, or in
his absence, the Vice President of Administrative Services. Should either
of these officials be absent, the order of succession of authority as
discussed in the CEMP shall be followed for notification purposes.
IV.
INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS
A. When the Chief of Police retains ultimate command control (i.e., when an
external agency official does not assume ultimate command and control), the
NWFSCPD shall follow an incident command structure, with concomitant
responsibilities consistent with the NWFSC Comprehensive Emergency
Management Plan (CEMP). Refer to General Order 18 entitled “Incident
Command System,” for more detailed provisions concerning the establishment
of an ICS.
B. The incident commander in overall command and control – The Chief of Police
or his designee – shall be responsible for the following (or, using his authority
and discretion, the Chief of Police shall have previously appointed members to
be responsible for the following functions):
1. The establishment of a field command post as near as possible to the site of
the emergency or disaster. The command post shall have sufficient space
for members of the NWFSCPD, members from other responding agencies,
and their equipment. It shall further be equipped with the necessary
communications equipment (i.e., 800 MHZ radios, telephone, computer, and
cellular telephone) to ensure reliable communications between the field
command post, NWFSCPD facility, and officials from other law enforcement
and/or emergency response agencies.
2. The placement and accessibility of the following maps in the field command
post:
GENERAL ORDER 19-5
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
a. Detailed campus maps, including blueprints of campus buildings and
structures, maps displaying and identifying all buildings, structures,
facilities, open areas, and campus roadways;
b. Additional campus maps extending to a minimum of 1,000 ft. from the
campus boundaries; and
c. City of Niceville maps.
3. The establishment of assembly points for NWFSCPD officers, other College
officials, and/or other non-College emergency service officials, should
immediate access for a large number of people to the field command post
not be feasible.
4. The authorization of the College’s office of Communications and Public
Information (C&PI) representative to manage information for subsequent
release to the press, family members of victims, community, and/or the
general public.
a. The Chief of Police or designee shall coordinate with the C&PI
representative before disseminating information regarding casualties
and rumor control;
b. Other than the specific public information functions discussed in this
General Order, the provisions of General Order 33 entitled “News Media
Relations” shall be in effect.
5. The authorization of the Patrol Lieutenant or his designee is to:
a. Provide the services and supplies required to support operations
pertaining to the disaster or emergency. He shall maintain records on
equipment, supplies and all expendable items used during the
operation; and
b. Ensure that security measures and safety practices are maintained at the
site of the disaster or emergency, the NWFSCPD facility, the field
command post and/or assembly points.
6. The assembling of required resources and personnel external to NWFSCPD
personnel shall include medical assistance and transportation. The incident
commander or designee shall further ensure that appropriate transportation
is identified and available for disabled faculty, students, staff and/or visitors
by coordinating with the NWFSC ADA Compliance unit and/or Disability
Support Services (DSS) to identify individuals requiring special medical
assistance and transportation needs.
GENERAL ORDER 19-6
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
7. The authorization to serve as contact point for the coordination and
communications between various agencies involved, including liaison with
the state attorney and court system.
V.
ARRESTS, PROCESSING, CONFINEMENT AND TRANSPORTATION
A. When the Chief of Police serves as the incident commander in ultimate control
or command, he or she shall authorize sworn officers of the NWFSCPD to make
selected arrests during disasters or emergencies in accordance with Florida
Statutes, the severity and frequency of offenses and the need to maintain public
order. The decisional parameters for making arrests shall be clearly
communicated to sworn personnel at the field command post and site of the
disaster or emergency. Processing and confinement of persons arrested,
including juveniles, shall follow the procedures set forth in General Order 41
entitled “Transporting Prisoners and Civilians” and Standard Operating
Procedure 9 entitled “Juvenile Procedures.”
B. Should the nature of the disaster, emergency or civil disturbance be such that
the incident commander believes that mass arrests are distinctly possible, he
may designate sworn member(s) to act as an “Arrest Team Leader.” In turn,
Arrest Team Leaders shall ensure that:
1. Sufficient sworn personnel are gathered before law enforcement actions are
taken and subsequent arrests are made;
2. A further briefing is held to clarify the decisional parameters for making
arrests;
3. A sufficient location at or near the scene is identified and utilized for the
parking of law enforcement, prisoner transportation and other emergency
vehicles;
4. Sworn personnel remain in their assigned formations and do not pursue a
violator into a crowd or group;
5. Arrested persons are immediately removed from the scene by the arrest
team and taken to the Okaloosa County Detention Facility in accordance
with the provisions of General Order 41 entitled, “Transporting Prisoners
and Civilians”;
6. A suitable site for temporary confinement for mass arrest processing and
transportation is identified, should the anticipated number of arrests exceed
the capability of the NWFSCPD. In the alternative, the Chief of Police or
GENERAL ORDER 19-7
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
designee shall request the assistance of the OCSO to set up a site for
temporary confinement, processing, and transportation of arrestees; and
7. Sworn NWFSCPD officers shall be assigned to the temporary confinement
area to maintain perimeter security. However, OCSO personnel shall be
responsible for processing, photographing, fingerprinting, and transporting
arrestees.
VI.
EVACUATION
A. In the event a major evacuation of the campus becomes necessary, the
evacuation process shall be coordinated by the Chief of Police or designee and
officials from EHS, OCSO, and/or the Florida Division of Emergency
Management. The NWFSCPD shall:
1. In concert with EHS and C&PI, activate the pertinent communication
methods cited in “NWFSC Alert”;
2. Have mobile units broadcast necessary evacuation information via their
public address systems if so equipped;
3. Ensure officers are deployed to assist traffic traveling on evacuation routes;
4. Utilize police vehicles as means of evacuation if necessary; and
5. Protect evacuated buildings to the extent possible.
VII.
DE-ESCALATION PROCEDURES AND POST-OCCURRENCE DUTIES
A. Once the incident commander has determined that the emergency, disaster or
civil disturbance has de-escalated to the point that danger to life, limb, or
property has been significantly diminished, and that a return to public order is
maintainable, he shall take de-escalation measures and ensure postoccurrence duties are conducted as follows:
1. Appoint sworn officers to maintain a minimal level of security within and
around the affected area;
2. Establish traffic patterns for ingress and egress of personnel and vehicles;
3. Arrange for relief of sworn and non-sworn personnel; and
4. Establish a list of officials and other persons permitted to enter the area.
GENERAL ORDER 19-8
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
VIII.
AFTER ACTION REPORTS
A. Officers assigned the functions discussed previously shall submit written reports
including, but not limited to:
1. Actions taken within the specified area of responsibility;
2. Arrest statistics;
3. Property damage and personal injuries;
4. Personnel involved and their specific area(s) of responsibility;
5. Specific actions coordinated with officials from other agencies; and
6. Any other pertinent information for actions taken by the NWFSCPD and other
agencies.
IX.
TRAINING
A. For the purposes of ensuring that all personnel are properly trained to handle
situations involving emergencies, disasters or civil disturbances, the Chief of
Police or designee and the Training Coordinator shall periodically arrange
training pertaining to Incident Command Systems and Emergency Response
and Operations.
X.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
A. Educational efforts to inform the members of the College community—faculty,
staff, and students—about what to do in case of an emergency, disaster or civil
disturbance shall be the joint and individual responsibility of:
1. Command Staff and all sworn members of the NWFSCPD;
2. The NWFSC office of Communications and Public Information; and
3. The NWFSC Environmental Health and Safety office (EHS).
XI.
SECURITY OF THE FACILITY
A. The NWFSCPD facility, occupying the second floor of the Centre Building on
the main NWFSC campus, shall serve as the Emergency Operations Center
GENERAL ORDER 19-9
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
(EOC) during a disaster, emergency, civil disturbance or other unusual
occurrence. Perimeter security of the EOC shall be provided by NWFSCPD
officers when:
1. The location of the disaster, emergency, civil disturbance or other unusual
occurrence is on the NWFSC campus; or
2.
XII.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) facility or Division of
Emergency Management’s Emergency Operations Center facility are
unable to serve as the EOC when the location of such an incident is within
the county, but not on the NWFSC campus.
SPECIAL EVENT PLANNING
A. The mission of the NWFSCPD is to ensure the safety and security of the
campus, which includes assisting with various events and activities. The Police
Department, Special Events Office, and Plant Operations work together to put
in place protocols that will assess/approve future requests for events on
campus.
B. The NWFSC frequently hosts Special Events which are an important part of
college operations. Special Event Calendars, which should be bookmarked so
they can be checked when beginning a shift, can be found here:
1. Room reservations for general spaces on campus:
http://reservations.NWFSC.fl.edu/
2. Learning Commons areas:
https://port.NWFSC.fl.edu/TeachingandLearning/academic_support/
reservations/default.aspx
C. Dispatchers will send officers to unlock or allow access, only to rooms or areas
when the request corresponds to the information listed in the event calendar.
Departing from this protocol requires supervisory approval.
D. The Special Event website/calendars should be checked when coming on duty
to answer questions such as the type of event, start/end hours, anticipated
capacity, and other issues.
E. Evaluating an event:
GENERAL ORDER 19-10
NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
1. Always take the opportunity to evaluate the safety and security of events on
campus by considering factors such as these:
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Nature of the event;
Size of the event;
Age of attendees;
Hours of the event;
Can the facility accommodate the event impact, such as:
- Layout, lighting, noise, size, restrooms, trash, etc.?
Are fire exits and walkways clear?
Anticipated traffic/parking impact;
Are there other events on campus at the same time?
Is the event open or closed?
- Is someone checking for uninvited guests?
Type of entertainment;
Any anticipated or historical issues;
Potential for drugs/alcohol presence;
- Can persons loiter outside; who is watching bathrooms, parking
areas, etc.?
Weather;
Is the host providing security?
- Is the staff trained for such challenges?
What is the NWFSCPD staffing capacity during the event; and
If called for, is there an operational plan?
F. The Chief of Police or designee may appoint a sworn supervisor to act as
the coordinator responsible for coverage of an event who will be responsible
for developing an operations plan that addresses the following:
1. Traffic control in and out of the affected area;
2. Logistical requirements;
3. Coordination internal to the Department and externally with other agencies
when applicable; and
4. Small events and operations will not normally require a written plan or report
unless warranted by circumstance or at the direction of the Chief of Police
or designee.
XIII.
DIGNITARY PROTECTION
A. The NWFSCPD does not have a dignitary protection unit but on request,
Department members may assist other agencies in the protection of dignitaries
on the NWFSC campus or other property with the approval of the Chief of
Police or his designee.
GENERAL ORDER 19-11