Chapter 2.42
POLICE DEPARTMENT – STRUCTURE
Sections:
2.42.020 Chief – Position created – Appointment – Oath and bond – Duties – Authority.
2.42.030 Positions subordinate to chief – Authorized.
2.42.040 Positions subordinate to chief – Duties generally.
2.42.042 “Commissions” to be issued by chief.
2.42.045 Community service officers – Limited authority.
2.42.010 Created.
There is created and established the police department of the city which shall be under the civil service laws of the state. (Ord. 843 § 1, 1956).
2.42.020 Chief – Position created – Appointment – Oath and bond – Duties – Authority.
(1) There is created and established the position of chief of the police department of the city.
(2) The chief of the police department shall be appointed by the city manager, as provided by the civil service laws of the state and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the civil service commission for the police department of the city.
(3) He shall take such oath of office as may be prescribed by the city council, and shall execute a bond to the city in the penal sum of $1,000, conditioned upon his satisfactory performance of his duties.
(4) He shall have charge and supervision of all personnel and property attached to the police department of the city. He shall make such rules and regulations as are necessary for supervising and conducting said department. Subject to the delegation by the city manager, he shall be the “appointing officer,” as such term is used in the applicable civil service laws of the state and in the rules and regulations adopted by the laws of the state and in the rules and regulations adopted by the civil service commission for the police department of the city, for all police department personnel below the rank of chief.
(5) Prior to the appointment of any such personnel to a permanent civil service position in said department and also prior to the removal, suspension, demotion or discharging of any such personnel, he shall notify the city manager in writing of any action to be taken by him as such appointing officer.
(6) He shall attend the meetings of the city council and shall do any and all other such acts as are for the good of the service or as directed by the city manager.
(7) The oath of office prescribed above shall be administered by a judge of the Longview municipal court. In the event that an “acting or temporary chief of police” is appointed by the city manager to carry out the duties of the chief of police, such oath of office may be administered by any person authorized to administer oaths by the laws of the state of Washington.
(8) A commission shall be issued to the chief of the Longview police department by the city manager designating said chief as a “general authority Washington peace officer.” (Ord. 2900 § 1, 2004; Ord. 2278 § 1, 1987; Ord. 1133 § 2, 1962; Ord. 843 § 2, 1956).
2.42.030 Positions subordinate to chief – Authorized.
In addition to the position of chief of the police department there shall be such subordinate positions, or ranks, as are provided in the general rules and regulations of the civil service commission of the city. The number of personnel in each position or rank shall be as provided each year in the annual budget ordinance of the city. (Ord. 2278 § 2, 1987; Ord. 1298 § 1, 1966; Ord. 1067 § 1, 1960; Ord. 843 § 3, 1956).
2.42.040 Positions subordinate to chief – Duties generally.
The respective duties of the positions or ranks subordinate to the chief of the police department shall be as set forth in the job descriptions of the respective positions or ranks. Such job descriptions may be modified or amended, from time to time, by the chief of the police department subject to concurrence by the city manager. (Ord. 2278 § 3, 1987; Ord. 1067 § 2, 1960; Ord. 843 § 4, 1956).
2.42.042 “Commissions” to be issued by chief.
The chief of the police department, or an “acting or temporary” chief of the police department, may issue commissions to qualified employees of the police department, except community service officers, designating such employees as “general authority Washington peace officers.” (Ord. 2900 § 2, 2004).
2.42.045 Community service officers – Limited authority.
Community service officers, not commissioned as law enforcement officers or police officers, may be employed by the police department of the city, and they may be assigned such civil and support duties as shall be determined by the chief of the police department. Such duties may include, but without limitation, those described in LMC 1.30.045, investigative services in support of criminal investigations, arrests and prosecutions, and office/clerical duties. Community service officers may not, however, engage in direct law enforcement duties insofar as such duties involve violations of criminal laws. (Ord. 2631 § 2, 1996).