Creating and Administering Policy

Duration: 2 Days (16 hours)

Professional Development Hours: 16 PD hours

Instructor: George Perez

Cost: $400.00

Overview

This comprehensive training program equips public safety leaders with essential strategies for developing, implementing, and maintaining defensible policy systems. Designed for supervisors and administrators across multiple disciplines, the course addresses the critical intersection of legal liability, operational effectiveness, and organizational protection through sound policy development.

Target Audience

Public safety supervisors and administrators from police agencies, correctional facilities, fire departments, EMS organizations, and government social service agencies.

Course Rationale

Civil litigation against public safety agencies continues to escalate nationwide, with thousands of civil rights lawsuits filed annually. Many of these cases involve allegations of negligent policy development, inadequate training, or insufficient supervision. When organizational policies are absent, vague, or fail to align with applicable law, agencies face substantially increased legal exposure. Smaller and mid-sized departments face particular challenges, often operating with limited legal resources, no dedicated policy development staff, outdated policy documents, and expanding operational demands coupled with heightened public accountability. This course provides a structured, defensible framework that protects both the organization and its personnel.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Assess civil liability risks inherent in agency policy and operational decision-making
• Identify negligence exposure resulting from outdated, ambiguous, or unenforced policies
• Apply legal standards governing organizational liability, including principles from Monell v. Department of Social Services and officer protections under Harlow v. Fitzgerald
• Navigate labor relations and employee rights issues within policy development and enforcement contexts
• Integrate Artificial Intelligence and emerging technology considerations into public safety policy frameworks
• Differentiate among constitutional requirements, professional standards, and departmental policy mandates
• Identify critical policy stakeholders and their interests, encompassing officers, supervisors, leadership, courts, and community members
• Establish clear, uniform policy formats that promote accountability and consistency
• Incorporate legal precedent and operational considerations into effective policy language
• Develop policy approaches for vulnerable populations, including youth, individuals with disabilities, and those experiencing mental health challenges
• Understand supervisor accountability and liability consequences associated with policy violations
• Deploy policies through comprehensive training, supervisory oversight, and performance evaluation mechanisms
• Create policy interventions targeting high-risk operational areas to mitigate organizational exposure
• Produce comprehensive, legally defensible policy documents utilizing a systematic development methodology