Biased-Based policing and profiling is unacceptable and prohibited by our policies.

General Orders 835.10, Biased-Based Profiling states, “Biased-based profiling by law enforcement officials is unethical and unacceptable… Except as provided below, officers shall not consider race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, sexual identity, religion, etc., in establishing either reasonable suspicion or probable cause…officers shall not consider race/ethnicity in deciding to initiate even those nonconsensual encounters that do not amount to legal detentions or to request consent to search.

• Officers may consider the reported race or ethnicity of a specific suspect or suspects, based on trustworthy and locally relevant information that links a person or persons of a specific race/ethnicity to a particular unlawful incident(s).
• Race/ethnicity can never be used as the sole basis for establishing reasonable suspicion or probable cause.
• Except as provided above, race/ethnicity shall not be motivating factors in making law enforcement decisions. 

In the Basic Training Academy, all officers receive training on use of force and de-escalation techniques.

GPD also provides additional de-escalation training in post-academy for all academy graduates and laterals (officers hired from another agency).

Officers receive annual in-service training on use of force to include de-escalation tactics.

Officers receive specialized Crisis Intervention Training to assist with dealing with individuals who are experiencing personal crisis, often related to mental health illnesses.

GPD provides an annual focused training series that rotates between topics such as diversity, bias-free policing, implicit biases, constitutional rights, and de-escalation.

In the Basic Training Academy, all officers receive training on use of force, de-escalation, and biased-based profiling.

Officers receive annual advanced training on use of force to include de-escalation tactics.

Officers receive specialized Crisis Intervention Training to assist with dealing with individuals who are experiencing personal crisis, often related to mental health illnesses.

Officers receive additional training on bias-based policing and implicit bias training.

All complaints will be investigated by the Gilbert Police Department to include those made online, mail, in-person, third-party and anonymously.

Interviews will be conducted with the involved parties to include the complainant, witnesses and all officers on-scene during the incident.

The investigation will include a comprehensive review of the officer(s) body worn camera, incident and supplemental department reports, medical records and any other evidence that is discovered during the investigation.

Upon conclusion of the investigation, a detailed written report is forwarded through the officer’s chain of command for adjudication at which time a decision will be made if the officer’s conduct was appropriate or not based on department policy.

If the officer’s conduct was determined to be a violation of department policy, a recommendation of discipline will be made by the officer’s chain of command with final determination made by the Assistant Chief of Police.

In cases where the officer’s conduct was determined to be out of policy, formal remediation will be conducted with the officer. A written summation of the remedial training will be maintained by Internal Affairs.

Complaints are also reviewed to determine if changes need to occur with department policy, training or equipment in order to remain current with best practices both locally and nationally within the law enforcement profession.

• Police Department Complaint/Commendation website

All Gilbert officers and supervisors assigned to field operations are issued body worn cameras. Officers that are assigned to administrative tasks (such as detectives and supervisors working desk assignments or other non-field related duties) are not issued body worn cameras.

All employees assigned a body worn camera (BWC), shall activate (record) the BWC camera when dispatched to a call or have any contact with the public during law enforcement activities. This includes, but is not limited to the following events:

• Traffic stops (once the decision is made to stop the vehicle)
• Subject stops/ field interviews
• Contacting all persons during a call for service including critical incidents and use of force incidents
• Contacting all persons where the employee is attempting to develop reasonable suspicion on the subject in the encounter
• Requests for consent to search persons, vehicles or buildings
• Searches of buildings, persons, and vehicles incidental to arrest or consent
• Building or area searches for suspects or possible suspects
• Initial entry and clearing for suspects during the execution of search warrants
• Advisement of Miranda Rights
• Interviews of suspects, victims, witnesses, or other involved parties, when not prohibited elsewhere in policy
• During transports of suspects or citizens
• Foot or vehicle pursuits and failure to yield situations
• Arrests:
  • High risk arrest operations
  • Arrests or attempts to arrest suspects or wanted persons
  • Arrests up to the point where the prisoner enters the detention facility
• Sex offender verifications
• Probation or parole checks

• Ban chokeholds and strangleholds
  • General Orders 201.10, Use of Force, prohibits the use of the carotid control technique.
• Require de-escalation
  • General Orders 201.10, Use of Force, details our de-escalation requirements. De-escalation techniques are reviewed annually through in-service training.
• Require warning before shooting
  • General Orders 201.10, Use of Force, “When possible, verbal warnings prior to using deadly force are required when feasible, i.e., when to do so would not significantly increase the danger to officers or others. While compliance with officers’ commands may make the use of deadly force unnecessary, ignoring such commands may present officers with no safe alternative.
• Exhaust all other means before shooting
  • General Orders 201.10, Use of Force, details our de-escalation requirements and use of force continuum.
• Duty to intervene and stop excessive force by other officers
  • Officers have a duty to report. Failure to do so is a violation of General Order 118.10, Standard of Conduct, “Neglecting to report any member of the Department who engages in violation(s) of any rule, regulation or order issued for the guidance of the Department or performing assigned duties.”
• Ban shooting at moving vehicles
  • General Orders 201.10, Use of Force:
    • A Department member shall not discharge a firearm at an occupant of a moving vehicle unless the officer reasonably believes that:
      • That subject poses an immediate threat of death or serious injury to the officer or another person; AND
      • There is no reasonable alternative course of action for the officer to prevent the death or serious physical injury.
    • If at all possible, an officer threatened by an oncoming vehicle shall move out of its path instead of discharging a firearm at it or any of its occupants.
• Require use-of-force continuum
  • General Order 201.10, policy defines use of force ranging from officer presence, verbal direction, empty hand controls, non-deadly weapons, deadly force and physical restraint devices. Policy also defines levels of resistance, passive resistance, active resistance, attempt to injure or suicidal, active aggression, and aggravated active aggression.

• Require comprehensive reporting
  • General Order 201.60, Reporting Use of Force policy requires use of force incidents to be reported verbally to a supervisor, documented in a Departmental Report and in BlueTeam.

All use of force is reported in a departmental report. All use of force incidents are reviewed by a supervisor and a Critical Incident Review process.

All complaints are investigated by either the supervisor or Internal Affairs Unit. All complaints are reviewed by the Professional Standards Section and the chain of command.

The Professional Standards Section completes monthly reports, quarterly reports and annual reports. These reports detail the source of the allegation, the nature of the complaints, the outcome of the complaints and the race, ethnicity and gender of the complainant.

There is no set number of complaints to determine when to terminate an employee. Discipline is determined by the nature of the complaint, the severity of the policy violation and the prior complaint history of the employee.

Each sustained complaint is subject to discipline. This discipline can range from written reprimand, suspension, demotion or termination. Training is always implemented in conjunction with discipline.