Department Telephones

September 17. 1978

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The purpose of this order is to establish the policy and procedures for using police department telephones. This order consists of the following parts:

                      PART I        Responsibilities and Procedures for

Members of the Department

 

A.       Policy.

B.       Calls to DC Government Agencies.

C.       Calls to Local Non-DC Government Agencies.

0.       Long Distance Telephone Calls.

E.       Obtaining Assi stance.

F.                                     Telephone Calls by Prisoners.

                      DART II       Responsibilities and Procedures for

Supervisory and Command Personnel

                                          A..         Commanders and Directors.

                                                        C            Director, Planning and Development Division.

 

PART .1

 

A.        policy.

 

1.        It shall be the policy of the Metropolitan Police Department that department and other D.C. Government telephones shall be used only for official purposes for both outgoing and incoming calls, except in cases of emergency.

 

2.       Employees shall not have department telephone numbers listed under their individual names the C & P Telephone Directory or advertise department telephone numbers or any other DC Government telephone number in any newspaper. preiodical, or ther publication for the purpose of receiving calls for any purpose other than official business.

                      B.       Calls to            Government Agencies.

 

All c: Government CENTREX calls shall be accomplished by dialing the

                last five             digits r’ the number that is being cdlled. for example, to call

                       727-8609,   dial            78609.

 

Calls to Local Non- DC            Government Agencies.

 

1.       All local calls to non-DC Government agencies, including ‘JS Government CENTREX calls, shall be accomplished by dialing "9" and then dialing the seven digit number to be called.


 

 

 

 

2.       Callers are reminded that, with the exception of US Govarmaint CENTREX calls, local calls result In a service charge against the departments telephone account and, therefore, shall only be made for official department business.

 

3.       Employees shall refrain from calling the C £ P lnfoi’matien ma~er to obtain assistance except In cases of emergency. District of Co1u~1a, Maryland, and Virginia telephone directories are Issued to units of tM depart­ment. In addition, the Homicide Rranch, Criminal Investigations Division main­tains a library of telephone directories for other cities and states that may also be used to preclude calling the C I P informatIon operator. CaUs for Information are billed at 106 each.

 

0.        Long Distance Telephone Calls.

 

1.       tinder the CENTREX system of direct dial, long distance telephone ca~ls shall only be made from teleDhone lines preselected by the element com­mander,

 

2.       A Telephone Control Log (PD 764) shall be maintained for each line preselected for making long distance telephone calls. The log shall be filled out each time a long distance call is made.

 

3.       All long distance telephone calls shall be authorized by an official of the rank of lieutenant pr higher before the call is made. No long distance calls shall be approved or authorized when there is a more appropriate and/or less expensive means available for makino the notification or inquiry. Examples of Other means of co~Tvnunication available to authorized personnel of the department may include, but shall not be limited to, the U.S. Mail ma the Law Enforcement Teletype System (LETS).

 

4.       In order to make a long distance telephone call, It Is necessary to know the area code and the number being called.

 

a.       Area codes may be ascertained by consulting the District of Columbia Telephone Directory or the Area Code Handbook pro­vided to each element.

 

b.       Additional information concerning long distance telephone numbers may be obtained by first dialing 9N, then the area code, and then 555-1212. This process will connect the caller with t~e long distance information operator.

 

5.       There are two types of ‘ong distance telephone calls:

 

a.       WATS calls - if the area code to be called is within the Con­tinental J.S., the long distance call shall be made via the WATS System. The authorized caller shall ascertain from the element comender:

 

(1)      WhiCh telephone to use.

 

General Order 302.3


 

 

 

 

(2)      Instructions for making the call. (WATS calls will be p%a°’ed by the operators. An Operator can be reached by dieling ~O.’)

 

(3)      The authorized caller sha indicate on PD 764 the number of the WATS Zone ca\’ ed in addition to the other information requl red.

 

(4)      WA’~S calls cpn only be made between the hours of 0700 and 2?3O. Every effort shall be made to complete all long distant calls between these hours.

 

(t~      I~on-..~ATS calls- If the area code to be called is not within the Continental U.S., or the call cannot be made between the

hours of 3703 and 2200, the long distance call is classified as a non-WATS cell. The authorized caller shall ascertain frori the element corrnander:

 

(~)      Which telephone to use.

 

(2)     :nstructions for making the call.

 

(~      The aithorized caller ~hàll indicate on PU 76. that the call was a non-.:AS call in addition to the other infor­..iation reauire~.

(.~) ~f direct dial (non-JA’S) calls are male within the

Continental U.S. between the hOUrS of 3703 and 2230,

)UStiflCätiOfl ,,ill be needed when the actual hilling i5

received frO~ the &° ~el,phone Company.

 

~.                                   1io~lec~ ca’1s shall Ofliy b~ accepted by officials for purposes of offici~l )us’npss. a’~c shall ~e recorded in the Telenhone Control ~og (73 764).

 

7.       MOnPily teleonone bills for lpnci distance calls shall be verified by cOin~aring the b’fl rendered by the C & ~ Telephone ~ovn~anv to the ~elephone Control ~.og (~C 76~) rlaint.4ined for each telephone. ~har3es for calls tha’ cannot be ve’-ified ~w the log shall be rehilled tn the nuii~er called. If the name of the ,n~ly~jual placinq the urilogged call is ascerto’nel. the charaes shall be rebillec to ~ individuals home telephone.

 

Obtaining Assistance.

 

Instructions for obtainino .~ssistance aid reportino tel~hone mel­functionc are cont~ned in the introduction to the ~1en.irt,nent’s elephone Directory.

 

 

 

~e.eral ‘)rder 302.3

(Revised 12-9-El)



 

 

 

F.      Telephone Calls by Prisoners.

 

1.       Prisoners in the custody of the department shall be assisted In notifying such individuals as they may choose of their arrest. When a prisoner has the funds to use a pay telephone, he shall be directed to use such a telephone, if available.

 

2.       In those cases where a pay telephone is not available to a prisoner or when he lacks the money to use a pay telephone, it shall be the arresting officer’s responsibility to place the call on a department telephone, making every reasonable effort to co~’ununicate with the person(s) named by the prisoner. The only exception to this policy is when such action might serve to defeat the ends of justice or entail expense (beyond the cost of a local call which the department shall bear) to the DC Government.

 

3.       If the number the prisoner wants to call is a long distance call. he/she shall be directed to reverse the charges or bill t~e call to his home telephone number. If vie party receiving the call refuses to accept the charges and/or the prisoner i~ not able to charge the call to his home telephone number, the call shall not be completed.

 

PART II

 

A.      Commanders and Directors.

 

Conlnanders and directors shall ~ responsible for:

 

I.        Preselecting certain t?lephone lines for WA1’S and non-WATS long distance calls and assuring that each line so selected is equipped with a Tele­phone Control ~oo (P3 764).

 

2.       Assurin: that officials approve only those long distance calls that are absolutely necessary and covmnunication cannot be made by a more appro­iriate and/or less expensive mnans.

 

3.       Assurin~ that all requisitions fpr new telephones, moving existing telephone equipment. d’sconnec~tinq telephones, etc., are submitted on a PD 160 to the Planning and 3ev,lopm~nt ‘livision. Such work requires a minimum of three weeks a’ter approval Defore the service i~ rendered.

 

P~ 1~’) shall includ.:

 

a.        Tne pxistinq location of the telephone Instrument.

 

b.       ‘he proposed location of the telephone instrument.

 

c.        The ~,STA” nuriber in the center portion of the dial on the instr~sment and all other indicated numbers or extensions.

 

~.                                     Tne name o~ one individual in the organizational element w~io i~ coinpl~teli faniliar ~itPi the work desired.



 

 

 

4. AssurIng that telephone equipment belonging to the departmemt Is not dismounted from desks or other office furniture without prIor approval of the Director, Planning and Development Division.

 

8.      Director, Planning and Development Division.

 

The Director, Planning and Developmtnt Division shall be responsible for:

 

Telephone

 

MIT :VA : sas

1. Drocessing all requisitions for telephone service.

 

2. Publishing the department’s Telephone Directory.

 

3. Providing ~fficial liaison between the department and the C I P

 

Company.

                                                    /‘~           Maurice 1. Turner, Jr.

                          /        Chief of Police