[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the City of
Hyattsville 12-1-1969. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Amended on 11-16-1998 by HB 98-03]
To be eligible for appointment as a member of the Police Department,
an applicant must meet the following qualifications:
D.
Physical and mental health examination. An applicant:
(1)
Must be able to successfully complete a physical and psychological
examination that determines that the applicant is physically and mentally
fit to perform the duties of a police officer as determined by the
City and the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission.
E.
Background and criminal history investigation.
An applicant:
Must be able to successfully complete a background and criminal
investigation, including checks of neighborhood areas, high school
records, past or present employers, references, fingerprint and driving
records.
Written or Oral Examinations.
An applicant:
Must be able to successfully pass a written or oral examination
that may be required by the police department and approved by the
City's Personnel Officer.
[Added on 11-16-1998 by
HB 98-03, amended 12-5-2016 by
HO-2016-02]
A.
The Chief of Police is the commanding officer and administrative
director of the Police Department. By virtue of authority vested in
the Chief of Police, the Chief of Police shall issue from time to
time orders setting forth the authority, responsibilities and duties
of various ranks and positions established within the Department.
B.
Members of the Department shall exercise full police authority under
the Annotated Code of Maryland on all land, water and air within the
territorial limits of the City.
C.
The Chief of Police shall be responsible for the preservation of
the peace, the maintenance of order, the prevention and detection
of crime and the enforcement, within the City, of all laws, regulations
and ordinances over which the Department has jurisdiction.
D.
The Chief of Police shall ensure that members of the force properly
perform their police duties, that their rules and regulations of the
Department are strictly enforced and that discipline in the Department
is rigidly maintained.
[Amended on 11-16-1998 by HB 98-03]
A.
Sworn police officers and non-sworn personnel assigned to the police
department shall work the hours prescribed in shift schedules approved
by the Chief of Police or the Chiefs designee.
B.
Sworn police officers shall be on call at all times and available
for active duty at any time that they are not specifically authorized
to be unavailable for call or physically unable to perform the job
task of a police officer.
The Chief of Police or his duly authorized representative shall
attend all regular meetings of the City Council and such special meetings
as the Mayor may require.
The Chief of Police shall, at a regular meeting of the City
Council in each month, lay before the City Council a full and complete
statement of all work done by his Department during the preceding
month.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 2-30, Compensation and leave when member is injured in line of duty, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 6-1-1981 by HB No. 6-81. In addition, original §§ 2 -31, Promotions and 2-32, Recommendation to City Council as to employment of personnel, which sections also immediately followed this section, were deleted at time of adoption of Code; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I.
A.
All personal property, equipment and incidental articles which may
be turned over to, found, recovered or otherwise acquired or possessed
by the City Police Department, with the exception of motor vehicles
of whatever nature, shall be held by the Police Department for a period
of six months, and, if not identified, returned to or claimed by the
owner or owners thereof, then the property, in question shall be deemed
forfeited, and all rights in and to the property in question shall
be foreclosed and lost to the owners and claimants.
B.
The Chief of Police may appoint or designate from his police force
a member or members to act as property custodians. The property custodians
shall keep a complete record, under the direction and supervision
of the Chief of Police, of all property and money coming into the
possession of the Police Department under the provisions of this section.
Such record shall include, among other pertinent information, the
name of the person delivering the property to them, the date of delivery,
name of the owner, if known, and detailed information concerning the
circumstances under which the property came into possession of the
delivering party. All such property, with the exception of money,
small valuables and firearms, shall be stored at the City warehouse
until claimed by its owners or otherwise disposed of in accordance
with this section.
C.
The Chief of Police, subject to the approval of the City Council,
shall inventory all personal property in possession of the Police
Department every six months, and all such property which has been
held for more than six months and not recovered, identified, claimed
or returned to the rightful owners thereof shall be confiscated, and
all rights thereto forfeited as herein provided. The Chief of Police,
subject to the approval of the City Council, shall sell all such property
held for more than six months at public auction for cash. The proceeds
of such sale are to be paid to the City Treasurer for deposit into
the general fund of the City after first deducting the cost of the
sale. Such sale shall be advertised for at least two weeks prior to
the sale date in some newspaper having a general circulation within
the City or by handbills, or both, in the discretion of the Chief
of Police.
[Amended 3-21-2005 by
HB 05-03]
A.
Authority. The City shall have the authority to enter into mutual
aid and reciprocal enforcement agreements with other police agencies
in and outside of the state of Maryland. Such agreements shall enable
City police officers to enforce state law and the laws of such other
jurisdiction(s) within the territory of such other jurisdiction(s)
with the protections/immunities granted by law to police officers
and/or to allow the police officers of such other jurisdiction(s)
to enforce the City's Code and laws within the City.
B.
Procedures. All such agreements shall be entered into as follows:
(1)
Any mutual aid and/or reciprocal enforcement agreement with an indefinite
duration or a duration of more than 60 days must be approved by the
City Council by motion or resolution after consultation with its police
department, the City Administrator or designee and the City Attorney.
(2)
Any mutual aid and/or reciprocal enforcement agreement with a stated
duration of 60 days or less may be approved by the City Administrator
after consultation with the Police Department and the City Attorney.
C.
Required terms. Every agreement pursuant to this section shall provide
the following:
(1)
Each party to the agreement must waive any and all claims it may
have against the other parties to the agreement that may arise out
of activities outside that party's respective jurisdiction; and
(2)
Each party shall indemnify and hold harmless the other parties to
the agreement from all claims that are made by third parties for property
damage or personal injury and that may arise out of the activities
of the other parties to the agreement outside their respective jurisdictions
under the agreement.
D.
Existing agreements. At the time of enactment of this ordinance, which date is March 21, 2005, any mutual aid and/or reciprocal enforcement agreement entered into by the City Administrator or the Chief of Police, be and hereby is declared to be valid provided it conforms to subsection (c) immediately above.
