HADDONFIELD

POLICE DEPARTMENT

/ EFFECTIVE
DATE: / REVISION
DATE: / PAGE #: / SECTION: / APPROVED /
VOLUME
VOLUME TITLE: / # PAGES:
PROSECUTOR
MODEL/DIRECTIVE: / REFERENCE: / CHAPTER
SUBJECT: ATTENDANCE POLICY
DISTRIBUTION
Department
ISSUING AUTHORITY:
CHIEF RICHARD TSONIS
ATTORNEY GENERAL,
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
REFERENCE

HADDONFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

PURPOSE: To establish a procedure defining the acceptable method of reporting for duty, and proper

procedure for notifying the department in situations where employees are unable toreport for any duty assignment.

POLICY:In order to provide adequate staffing at all times, the department has developed guidelines

to ensure employees promptly report for duty assignments and provide timelynotifications when absent. Additionally, the department has developeda system to maintain accountability when employees utilize

sick or injured on duty leave. Lateness and abuse of sick and injury leave are detrimental to the effective operation of the departmentand will not be tolerated.

PROCEDURE:

I. Attendance Reporting

A. It shall be the responsibility of all department supervisors to monitor the attendancehabits of

all employees assigned to their command.

1. Patrol bureau supervisors shall physically record the daily attendance of all members

on the duty roster maintained in the radio room, and initial the report. Any overtime accrual will be noted and initialed on the report, including case #, and hours worked.

2. Supervisors assigned to the detective bureau are responsible to verify the accuracy of the duty roster, and initial same.

II. Reporting for Duty

A. All department employees, regardless of assignment, shall report for duty at the timeand date specified for their particular assignment.

1. Members shall be fully dressed and outfitted and possess all necessary equipment at the time their respective tour of duty commences.

2. Members assigned to the patrol bureau shall be present in the training room for roll call

briefing by the time their tour of duty is scheduled to commence. This requirement is

subject to alteration at the discretion of the Chief, Captain, or Lieutenant.

B. Tour of duty, as used in this written directive, shall mean any department sanctioned assignment including, but not limited to: regular duty assignments, special assignments, scheduled court appearances, training assignments, speaking engagements and other assignments or duties scheduled for members by virtue of their employment with the department. Specifically excluded are off-duty and/or secondary employment, unless paid by department payroll.

III. Lateness

A. It is the responsibility of all department supervisors to ensure that employees under their command report for duty assignments at the appropriate time.

1. Supervisors shall document incidents of lateness for reference purposes to be utilized in evaluations and/or disciplinary actions.

2. Unexcused lateness shall be addressed by supervisors without exception. The time

parameters for tracking incidents of lateness shall be the same as the current

evaluation period. The following is intended to guide supervisory actions in response

to such lateness:

a. 1st incident –counseling notice.

b. 2nd incident – 2nd counseling notice.

c. 3rdincident – issuance of a reprimand

d. 4thand subsequent incident - reprimand to termination

3. Members who are going to be substantially late for their assigned tour of duty shall notify their supervisor, if possible or the duty officer in charge at theearliest

practical opportunity.

B. When a member is substantially late for a tour of duty, the department may allow the

member to forfeit accumulated leave time in lieu of being docked for the time actually missed.

1. This is permissible but not required and the department reserves the right to suspend

this allowance in situations where the member develops a pattern of substantial lateness.

IV. Reporting Off Sick/Injured

A. Department employees are entitled to sick leave for personal illness, or injury only.

B. Whenever it shall become necessary for an employee to be absent from a duty assignment, the

following procedure will be utilized:

1. Absence of a member of the command staff requiresnotification to the Chief of Police

or Captainat the earliest possible opportunity.

2. Absence of all other employees requires the employee to notify the shift officer in charge.

3. This notification shall occur as soon as possible to facilitate maintenance of adequate

staffing.

C. The O.I.C. receiving a notification froman employee calling out sick will complete an absence report in its entiretyand forward the report to the dayshift Lieutenant.

1. This shall include sick leave notifications by any operations division personnel.

2. If the sick leave notification is made by a Lieutenant, the Sergeant/O.I.C. receiving the

request shall notify the Chief of Police or his designee at areasonable hour prior to the commencement of the shiftforwhich the leave wasrequested.

V. Employees Responsibilities while on Sick Leave

A. All members are required to provide the supervisory officer accepting the sick out notification

with sufficient information to complete the absence report. This shall include, at a minimum,

the following information:

1. Nature of the illness/injury

2. Probable duration of the illness/injury

3. Current location and phone number where the employee can be contacted

4. Treating physician, if applicable

B. Employees who have prior scheduled obligations in connection with their official duties must

provide this information to the supervisor accepting the information for the employee’s Sick

Leave Request. (i.e., court, school, training, special assignments, speaking engagements, etc.)

C. Recognizing that employees utilizing sick leave are responsible to the department for the actual

hours of scheduled duty for which the Township is compensating them, employees must report

their activities while on such leave in accordance with the provisions of this written directive.

D. Upon being visited or contacted by a department representative all employees shall make

themselves available to the department representative for the purpose of verifying compliance

with the provisions of this written directive.

E. Failure to comply with any of the requirements listed above may result in denial of sick leave for

the specified absence and/or be grounds for initiation of disciplinary action.

VI. Departmental Response

A. Sick leave is granted for the purpose of the convalescing employee. In an

effort to expedite the recovery of sick employees and prevent the abuse of sick leave, the

department has established the following restrictions concerning employee’s activities during

scheduled duty hours while on sick leave:

1. It is normally expected that employees reporting off sick will be at home. However, in

situations where the employee is at a location other than home, the employee shall

provide the Chief with a viable reasonwhy he/she can’t be at home, with the location and phone number where they can be contacted.

2. Employees leaving their reported location shall notify their supervisor, if working, or the

duty watch commander of their destination and, when appropriate, a phone number

where they can be contacted.

3. Employees shall notify the duty watch commander of their arrival at their new destination

or their return to their original location.

4. Employees shall restrict their movements and activities to only those legitimately

intended to:

a. Assist the ill employee,

b. Facilitate other activities believed to be reasonably appropriate for employees on

sick leave.

[1] Employees are cautioned that the application of this provision will be

strictly construed to limit activities to only those that a prudent person

would deem reasonable for a person on sick leave. Prohibitions shall

include, but are not limited to:

[a] Social gatherings or activities

[b] Recreational activities

[c] Outside or secondary employment

[d] Errands and non-essential shopping

[e] Travel and vacations

[f] Educational pursuits

[g] Home remodeling and/or general maintenance

B. Upon notification that an employee has reported off sick for a scheduled tour of duty, the

respective Lieutenant shall verify the requesting employee’s compliance with the

provision of this written directive. Outside of normal business hours, the O.I.C. shall verify compliance

via telephone only.

1. This verification shall be conducted by either a personal visit or a telephone contact to

the employee’s residence. The contact shall be made prior to the end of the employee’s

scheduled tour of duty.

2. When determining the method of contact to be utilized, the Lieutenant shall

consider the following:

a. The frequency of the affected employee’s sick leave absences.

b. The location of the affected employee in relation to police headquarters.

c. The available manpower on hand to facilitate a personal visitation.

d. The existence of any pattern suggesting a possible abuse of sick leave.

3. All verification efforts utilized command staff and their results shall be noted on

the absence report form and submitted through regular channels.

4. If an employee who has reported off on sick leave cannot be reached at his/her reported

location, the employee’s respective division/bureau commander shall be immediately

notified to determine if an Internal Affairs referral is appropriate.

5. At the discretion of a division/bureau commander, the verification process can be

suspended or altered in a situation where an employee is out of work on an extended

sick leave.

C. Department supervisors shall remain attentive to the sick leave usage of those employees falling

under their command. Particular attention shall be paid to any developing patterns that would

suggest the possibility of abuse.

1. Upon identification of a possible pattern of sick usage, the supervisor shall conduct a

counseling session with the affected employee to attempt to resolve the problem.

2. Any subsequent incidents of reporting off sick by the affected employee that fall into the

identified pattern shall be pointed out to the respective division/bureau commander when

the required notification is made.

D. The department may require a physician’s note verifying illness or injury in any instance where

there is reason to believe that sick leave is being abused.

E. The department reserves the right to require an employee to be examined by the Borough

physician as a condition of the employee’s continued use of sick leave or return to active duty.

The Borough shall pay the cost of such examination.

F. All department employees utilizing sick leave are specifically prohibited from engaging in outside

or secondary employment for a minimum of eight (8) hours after their scheduled tour of duty

ends.

G. Nothing in this written directive shall be construed to limit the rights of any employee under the

Family and Medical Leave Act.

VII. Illness/Injury On Duty

A. Whenever an employee is injured while on a duty assignment, the employee shall notify his/her

immediate supervisor by the quickest practical means available. Any employee injured in the

performance of duty shall be considered “injured on duty” and will not be required to expend any

accumulated sick leave while convalescing.

1. Upon notification of an on-duty injury, the employee’s supervisor shall arrange treatment

through the workers compensation health care provider to an approved medical facilityif so required.

a. All on duty injuries will be reported the duty Lieutenant without delay.

2. The employee’s supervisor shall be responsible to ensure that all necessary injury and

insurance reports are completed by the conclusion of the employee’s scheduled tour of duty.

B. Whenever an employee becomes ill while on duty, the employee shall notify his/her immediate

supervisor by the quickest practical means if the illness is likely to diminish the employee’s

capability to perform any of his/her assigned duties.

1. Employees who become ill as a direct result of something encountered during the

performance of duties shall be considered injured on duty and will be treated in

accordance with section VII.A above.

2. Employees who become ill as a result of any other means and request to be released

from duty early will be required to expend accumulated sick leave.

VIII. Transitional Duty Policy

A. Department employees who are on extended sick leave due to an injury or illness that prevents

them from performing their normal duties may be eligible for a temporary modified duty

assignment within the police department. The police department will act consistent with the Borough Policy & Procedure manual, section 120.0 Transitional Duty with the following exceptions.

1. The Chief of Police will make the determination to offer transitional duty based on the

needs of the department at that time.

2. Requests for this duty will bemade to the Chief of Police, or his designee.

3. Decisions on temporary modified duty assignments shall be based upon the availability of

an appropriate assignment given the employee’s knowledge, skills and abilities; and the

physical limitation imposed on the employee.

IX. Unauthorized Absences

A. Department employees may be subject to disciplinary action when they fail to report for a

scheduled tour of duty without receiving authorization for leave.

B. “Unauthorized Absence” occurs when an employee:

1. Fails to conform to any of the provisions of this written directive as it relates to the

reporting or verification of sick leave.

2. Fails to report for a scheduled tour of duty without notice and/or authorization for leave.

3. Fails to report for a scheduled tour of duty, with or without notification to the

department, when the employee has no sick leave available.

4. Feigns injury or illness and/or attempts to deceive the Borough Physician regarding

his/her true condition.

5. Suffers from an illness or injury resulting from improper conduct or intemperate, immoral

habits or practices.

C. No employee is permitted to leave, alter or otherwise change any element of a duty assignment

prior to the regularly scheduled end of such assignment unless prior approval has been granted

by competent departmental authority.

X. Evaluations

A. The department shall conduct an analysis of the attendance records at the end of each calendar

year and establish the average number of sick hours used by employees in two separate

classifications: sworn and non-sworn employees.

B. When conducting the semi-annual employee evaluations, supervisors will be required to give due

consideration to the number of sick leave hours used by each employee versus the department

average for employees in their classification. The incidents of lateness recorded by supervisors

will also be factored into the final evaluation score for this particular evaluation category.