Policy/Procedures/Orders
A written directive system has been established in this agency in order to inform officers of what is expected of them in the performance of their duties, to provide guidance to them in performing such duties, and to establish the basis for employee accountability and the means to fairly evaluate officer and unit performance. These published policies, procedures and orders are to establish a transparent police department and will help inform the public of what to expect from the police department.
Click on the below links to view those policies/procedure/orders/rules and regulations
Rules and Regulations:
This Manual of Rules and Regulations for the government of the Police Department of the Town of Stow was prepared by the Chief of Police and issued by the Board of Selectmen pursuant to section 97 of Chapter 41 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A copy of this Manual was delivered to the Board of Selectmen on February 26, 2002. The effective date of these Rules and Regulations shall be April 9, 2002 and they shall remain in full force and effect until amended or rescinded.
Click here for a complete copy of the Rules and Regulations
General Orders: General Orders are permanent written orders outlining policy matters which affect the entire department. A General Order is the most authoritative written order the department issues, and may be used to amend, supersede or cancel any previous order. General Orders remain in full force and effect until amended, superseded or rescinded by the Chief of Police.
General Order 2020-01 Dispatch Evacuation (Not Public Record, public records exemption (b) records shall be withheld only to the extent that proper performance of necessary governmental functions requires such withholding.)
General Order 2020-02 Pregnant Workers Fairness
General Order 2021-01 Community Engagement Plan
General Order 2021-02 Suspicious Persons
General Order 2021-03 Barton Road Dam
General Order 2021-04 Class B Uniforms
Special Order 2022-01 Town Beach Patrol Procedure(Not Public Record, public records exemption (b) records shall be withheld only to the extent that proper performance of necessary governmental functions requires such withholding.)
General Order 2022-02 Mental Health Clinician
General Order 2022-03 Prisoner Watch
General Order 2022-04 Traffic Control Constable
General Order 2022-05 Social Media Posting
Special Order 2023-01 Response to Certain Addresses (Not Public Record, public records exemption (b) records shall be withheld only to the extent that proper performance of necessary governmental functions requires such withholding.)
General Order 2024-01 Drug Disposal
General Order 2024-02 Investigating Family
Policies: Policies summarize the department’s position on specific matters. Policies are concise position statements based on underlying organizational principles, goals, values, and operational philosophies. They are designed for broad general direction and guidance, primarily designed for use by all members of the department or by more than one operational division.
Procedures: Procedures build on the foundation of policy statements to provide specific guidance on required, desired, or preferred methods of operations or conduct. Procedures are more detailed instructions on means and methods for carrying out the policy directive and generally draw the boundaries of permissible officer discretion in performing specific tasks or duties.
**Unless noted these Policies were adopted by the Board of Selectmen and went into effect in January of 2015, they are being reviewed and updated at this time**
Click on the top Table Titles in blue to download the category of the policy and procedures.
| Operations | Investigations | Transportation and Detentions | Administration | Traffic | Property Management | Incident Command System | Multi-Agency Response | Uncategorized Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1.01 Use of Force 1.02 Use of Force Reporting 1.03 Electronic Weapons 1.04 Vehicular Pursuit 1.05 Preliminary Investigations 1.06 Interviewing Victims and Witnesses 1.07 Stop and Frisk and Threshold Inquiries 1.08 Searches and Seizures 1.09 Search Warrant Affidavits 1.10 Legal Process 1.11 Arrest 1.12 Eyewitness Identification 1.13 Interrogating Suspects and Arrestees 1.14 Testifying in Court 1.15 Handling Juveniles 1.16 Handling the Mentally Ill 1.17 Elder Abuse 1.18 Executing Search Warrants 1.19 Off Duty Police Powers 1.20 Police Canine Operations 1.21 Baby Safe Haven 1.22 Consular Notifications 1.23 Narcan 1.24 Epi Pen Auto Injector | 2.01 Follow Up Investigations 2.02 Use of Confidential Informants 2.03 Vice, Drugs and Organized Crime 2.04 Criminal Intelligence 2.05 Domestic Violence 2.06 Bias Crimes 2.07 Sexual Assault Investigations 2.08 Missing Persons 2.09 Dead Bodies 2.10 Breaking and Entering 2.11 Bank Robberies 2.12 Motor Vehicle Theft 2.16 Identity Theft 2.17 Electronic Recording of Interrogations 2.18 Child Abuse Investigations 2.19 Dealing with Hearing Impaired Persons 2.20 Officer Involved Deadly Force Incident Investigations 2.21 Post Traumatic Stress Procedures 2.22 Investigative Special Operations 2.13 Structure Fires 2.14 Vehicle Fires 2.15 Domestic Violence by Police Employees | 3.01 Transportation of Detainees 3.02 Holding Facility 3.03 Detainee Processing 3.04 Detaining Prisoners 3.05 Temporary Holding Facilities 3.06 Protective Custody | 4.01 Internal Affairs 4.02 Sexual Harassment 4.03 Police Media Relations 4.04 Victim Witness Assistance 4.05 Death or Injury Notification 4.06 Authorized Weapons 4.07 Criminal Offender Record Information CORI 4.08 Response to Calls 4.09 LETN Training 4.10.1 Bias Free Professional Policing 4.11 Body Armor 4.12 Communications 4.13 Disciplinary Procedures 4.14 In-Car Video Recording 4.15 Authority and Responsibility 4.16 Line of Duty Deaths and Serious Injuries 4.17 Training and Career Development 4.18 Use of Cell Phones 4.19 Reserves and Auxiliary 4.20 Written Directive System 4.21 Computers and Data Security 4.22 Use of Mobile Data Terminals 4.23 Recruitment and Selection 4.24 Budget and Finance 4.25 Communications Center 4.26 Crossing Guards 4.27 Employee Early Intervention System 4.28 Incident Reporting 4.29 Off Duty Employment 4.30 Online Training 4.31 Organization 4.32 Police Vehicles 4.33 Promotions 4.34 Records Management 4.35 Records Requests 4.36 Uniforms, Clothing and Individual Equipment 6.12 Military Activation and Reintergration | 5.01 Traffic Safety 5.02 Traffic Collisions 5.03 Motor Vehicle Inventory 5.04 Impaired Drivers 5.05 Parking Enforcement 5.06 Towing and Abandoned Vehicles 5.07 Traffic Enforcement | 6.01 Collection and Preservation of Evidence 6.02 Property and Evidence Control | 7.1 Critical Incident Planning 7.2 Special Event Planning 7.3 Homeland Security 7.4 Hostage Negotiations 7.5 Protection of VIPs 7.6 Public Health Responses 7.7 Special Operations 7.08 Strikes and Labor Disputes 7.09 Social Media 7.10 Harassment Prevention Orders 7.11 Exposure Control | 8.01 CEMLEC 8.02 Interagency Mutual Aid Agreement 8.03 Training Bulletin | 9.01 Interactions with Trans Individuals 9.02 U and T Visa Certification 9.03 Reporting Abuse, Excessive Force and Misconduct by Law Enforcement Officers 9.04 Commendation 9.05 Wellness Program 9.06 Single Use Water Bottles 9.07 ALPR |