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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolice Dept Rules & Regulations RESOLUTION 2010-415 ADOPTED DOC ID: 5956 THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION NO. 2010-415 WAS ADOPTED AT THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SOUTHOLD TOWN BOARD ON JUNE 1, 2010: WHEREAS , the Town Board adopted a policy entitled “Police Department Rules and Regulations” by a Resolution dated June 4, 1985; and WHEREAS , the Police Department Rules and Regulations were incorporated in the Town of Southold Town Code as an Appendix (§§A290-1 – A290-48); and WHEREAS , it is the intent of the Town Board to Amend the Police Department Rules and Regulations, notably §A-290-45 and to adopt a policy entitled “Town of Southold Police Department Exposure Control Plan” that will exist as a separate policy outside of the Police Department Rules and Regulations. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Southold adopts the Town of Southold Police Department Exposure Control Plan; and be it further RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Southold hereby amend that portion of the Police Department Rules and Regulations, notably §A290-45, as follows: § A290-45. Communicable/infectious diseases. [Added 3-10-1992] A. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to provide guidelines for members of this Department in preventing the contraction of communicable diseases. B. Policy. It is the responsibility of this Department to ensure that its members are able to perform their duties in a safe and effective manner. The safe performance of daily operations has recently become threatened by life-endangering communicable diseases. Therefore, it shall be the policy of this Department to continuously provide employees with up-to-date safety procedures and communicable disease information that will assist in minimizing potential exposure while increasing their understanding of the nature and potential risks of communicable diseases. C. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated: BODY FLUIDS -- Liquid secretions including blood, semen and vaginal or other secretions that might contain these fluids, such as saliva, vomit, urine or feces. Resolution 2010-415 Board Meeting of June 1, 2010 COMMUNICABLE DISEASE -- Those infectious illnesses that are transmitted through contact with the body fluids of an infected individual. D. Procedures. (1) Communicable disease prevention. (a) In order to minimize potential exposure to communicable diseases, officers should assume that all persons are potential carriers of a communicable disease. (b) Disposable gloves shall be worn when handling any persons, clothing or equipment with body fluids on them. (c) Masks, protective eyewear and coveralls shall be worn where body fluids may be splashed on the officer. (d) Plastic mouthpieces or other authorized barrier resuscitation devices shall be used whenever an officer performs CPR or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. (e) All sharp instruments such as knives, scalpels and needles shall be handled with extraordinary care and should be considered contaminated items. [1] Leather gloves shall be worn when searching for or handling sharp instruments. [2] Officers shall not place their hands in areas where sharp instruments might be hidden. An initial visual search of the area should be conducted with a flashlight when necessary. The suspect may also be asked to remove such objects from his person. [3] Needles shall not be recapped, bent, broken, removed from a disposable syringe or otherwise manipulated by hand. [4] Needles shall be placed in a puncture-resistant container when being collected for evidentiary or disposal purposes. (f) Officers shall not smoke, eat, drink or apply makeup around body-fluid spills. (g) Any evidence contaminated with body fluids will be dried, double bagged in plastic bags and marked to identify potential or known communicable disease contamination. (2) Transport and custody. (a) Where appropriate protective equipment is available, no officer shall refuse to arrest or otherwise physically handle any person who may have a communicable disease. Updated: 6/1/2010 3:08 PM by Lynne Krauza Page 2 Resolution 2010-415 Board Meeting of June 1, 2010 (b) Officers shall not put their fingers in or near any person's mouth. (c) Individuals with body fluids on their persons shall be transported in separate vehicles from other individuals. The individual may be required to wear a suitable protective covering if he is bleeding or otherwise emitting body fluids. (d) Officers have an obligation to notify relevant support personnel during a transfer of custody when the suspect has stated that he has a communicable disease. (e) Suspects taken into custody with body fluids on their person shall be directly placed into a cell for processing. All subsequent questioning or processing will be conducted in this area as to minimize potential threat to fellow officer or the public. (f) Officers shall document on the appropriate arrest or central complaint (CC) when a suspect taken into custody has body fluids on his person or has stated that he has a communicable disease. (3) Disinfection. (a) Any unprotected skin surface that comes into contact with body fluids shall be immediately and thoroughly washed with hot running water and soap for 15 seconds before rinsing and drying. [1] Alcohol or antiseptic towelettes may be used where soap and water are unavailable. [2] Disposable gloves should be rinsed before removal. The hands and forearms should then be washed. [3] Hand lotion should be applied after disinfection to prevent chapping and to seal cracks and cuts on the skin. [4] All open cuts and abrasions shall be covered with waterproof bandages before reporting for duty. (b) Officers should remove clothing that has been contaminated with body fluids as soon as practical. Any contacted skin area should then be cleansed in the prescribed fashion. Contaminated clothing should be handled carefully and laundered in the normal fashion. (c) Disinfection procedures shall be initiated whenever body fluids are soiled or an individual with body fluids on his person is transported in a department vehicle. [1] A supervisor shall be notified and the vehicle put out of service to be properly cleaned and disinfected. [2] If, due to manpower constraints, the contaminated vehicle cannot be cleaned immediately, the supervisor will direct that the vehicle be locked Updated: 6/1/2010 3:08 PM by Lynne Krauza Page 3 Resolution 2010-415 Board Meeting of June 1, 2010 and secured to prevent accidental contamination by the public or other members of the Department. [3] Service personnel (Tidy Car) shall remove any excess body fluids from the vehicle with an absorbent cloth, paying special attention to any cracks, crevices or seams that may be holding excess fluid. [4] The affected area should be disinfected using hot water and detergent or alcohol and allowed to air dry. [5] After completing the above procedures, the vehicle will then be taken to the car wash as a final precaution. (d) Nondisposable equipment and areas upon which body fluids have been spilled shall be disinfected as follows: [1] Any excess of body fluids should first be wiped up with approved disposable absorbent materials. [2] A freshly prepared solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water or a fungicidal/mycrobactericidal disinfectant shall be used to clean the area or equipment. (e) All disposable equipment, cleaning material or evidence contaminated with body fluids shall be bagged and disposed of at Eastern Long Island Hospital in compliance with New York State law for disposal of biologically hazardous waste material. (4) Supplies. (a) The Department will be responsible for continuously maintaining and storing adequate amounts of communicable disease control supplies. (b) Protective gloves, other first aid supplies and disinfecting materials will be made readily available at all times by the Department. (c) All departmental vehicles shall be continuously stocked with the following communicable disease control supplies: [1] Clean robes in appropriate sizes. [2] Disposable gloves and leather gloves. [3] Puncture-resistant containers and sealable plastic bags. [4] Barrier resuscitation equipment, goggles and masks. [5] Liquid germicidal cleaner. Updated: 6/1/2010 3:08 PM by Lynne Krauza Page 4 Resolution 2010-415 Board Meeting of June 1, 2010 [6] Disposable towelettes (709% isopropyl alcohol). [7] Waterproof bandages. [8] Absorbent cleaning materials. (d) Officers using supplies stored in police vehicles are responsible for their immediate replacement. (e) Officers are required to keep disposable gloves in their possession. (5) Line-of-duty exposures to communicable diseases. (a) Any officer who has been bitten by a person or who has had physical contact with body fluids of another person while in the line of duty shall be considered to have been exposed to a communicable disease. (b) A supervisor shall be contacted, and all appropriate duty injury and medical forms shall be completed. (c) Immediately after exposure, the officer shall be transported to the appropriate health-care facility (Eastern Long Island Hospital) for clinical and serological testing for evidence of infection. [1] The Department shall ensure continued testing of the officer for evidence of infection and provide psychological counseling as determined by the health-care official. [2] The Department may require an employee to be examined by a physician to determine if he is able to perform his duties without hazard to himself or others. (d) All personnel shall treat employees who have contracted a communicable disease fairly, courteously and with dignity. (6) Recordkeeping. The Department shall maintain written records of all incidents involving employees who have potentially been exposed to a communicable disease while acting in the line of duty. The records shall be stored in a secured area with limited access and maintained in conformance with applicable privacy laws. §A290 – 45. Bloodborne/Communicable/Infectious Diseases and Exposure Control Plan. Incidents of exposure to communicable/infectious diseases by any contact, including but not limited to, contact with any blood borne pathogens shall be regulated and addressed in accordance with the guidelines and procedures set forth in the Town of Southold Police Department Exposure Control Plan to prevent the Transmission of Bloodborne, Communicable and Infectious Diseases within the Police Department, adopted by the Town Board of the Town Updated: 6/1/2010 3:08 PM by Lynne Krauza Page 5 Resolution 2010-415 Board Meeting of June 1, 2010 of Southold on June 1, 2010 by Resolution No. 2010-______, a copy of which will be provided to all employees of the Police Department and available for public review at Police Department Headquarters and the Town Clerk’s Office. Elizabeth A. Neville Southold Town Clerk RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Louisa P. Evans, Justice SECONDER: William Ruland, Councilman AYES: Ruland, Orlando, Krupski Jr., Evans, Russell ABSENT: Christopher Talbot Updated: 6/1/2010 3:08 PM by Lynne Krauza Page 6