Dallas Police Department General Order

317.00 Officer Involved Shootings or Other Critical Incidents Resulting in

Serious Injury or Death; Public Release of Video Recording
U. RENEÉ HALL
CHIEF OF POLICE
Revised 06/30/2020

317.00 INVESTIGATIONS OF OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTINGS OR OTHER CRITICAL INCIDENTS RESULTING IN

SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH; PUBLIC RELEASE OF VIDEO RECORDING

A. Purpose: When a City of Dallas employee becomes involved in an incident in which either the officer or another
person is seriously injured or killed, or where a death or serious injury occurs to a person in police custody, two
different investigations will be conducted. A criminal investigation will be conducted by the investigative unit having
responsibility for the offense and an administrative investigation will be conducted by the Internal Affairs Division.
Investigations will be conducted as outlined in the sections that follow.
B. Definitions:
1. Involved Employee: A sworn or non-sworn member of the Dallas Police Department, Dallas Security Officer,
Dallas City Marshal, Dallas Arson Investigator, or any other City of Dallas employee that uses force while acting
within the scope of employment that results in serious injury or death.
2. Serious injury: Bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of death or that causes death, serious permanent
disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.
3. Companion officer: An officer chosen by the involved employee to offer a supportive role, who is not involved
in the incident.
4. Assigned Investigative Unit: depending on the incident, the unit that assumes full investigative responsibility
for the criminal investigation.
5. DPD Critical Incident: A shooting or use of force incident involving a sworn member of the Dallas Police
Department that results in serious bodily injury (as defined in Chapter 37 of the Dallas City Code), or death.

317.01 Assigned Investigative Unit

A. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of the Investigations Division will be the assigned investigative unit any time an
officer discharges their firearm (except during firearms qualifications and training).
1. The Special Investigations Unit, will conduct a criminal investigation and produce a shooting summary when, in
the City of Dallas an involved employee is:
a. Seriously injured or killed in the performance of police-related duties.
b. Is fired upon but not injured.
c. Any other person is seriously injured or killed as a result of a firearms discharge or use of any physical
force by an involved employee, acting in the performance of police-related duties or within the scope of
employment while on or off duty.
d. A person is seriously injured or dies while in the custody of Dallas police officers and city marshals except
as outlined below in Section B.
e. An investigation will be done when a person is seriously injured or killed as a result of a firearms discharge
or use of physical force by any local, state or federal law enforcement agent when working with Dallas
Police Officers, except those incidents occurring within jail facilities.
2. The Special Investigations Unit will not assume primary investigative responsibility for incidents occurring
outside the jurisdiction limits of the City of Dallas. The Special Investigations Unit will offer assistance when
requested by the agency having jurisdiction and with approval of the Investigations Division Commander. In all
cases, primary responsibility for filing criminal charges and making presentations to the Grand Jury will remain
with the agency having jurisdiction.
3. The Special Investigations Unit of the Investigations Division will respond to all firearm discharges. If there is no
criminal culpability determined, the incident does not result in physical injury or property damage, the
investigation will be referred to the Internal Affairs Division for follow-up.
B. The Traffic Section will be the assigned investigative unit when, in the City of Dallas, any person is seriously injured
or killed as a result of a motor vehicle accident with an involved employee acting within the scope of employment
while on or off duty.

317.02 Criminal Investigation

A. Involved Employee and Witness Officer responsibilities:

1. Immediately notify the dispatcher if involved in any of the above incidents or upon becoming aware of an
incident involving another law enforcement agency within the City of Dallas.
2. Immediately care for any injured persons.
3. Request necessary assistance.
4. Secure the scene
5. Separate witnesses.
6. Do not discuss the incident beyond that necessary to secure the scene prior to the arrival of the first patrol
supervisor.
7. Relate an account of the incident only to the first arriving supervisor to insure public safety and scene
containment.
8. If not injured, and extenuating circumstances do not exist, stay at the scene until discharged by the assigned
investigative unit.
9. Participate in walk-through.
 Dallas Police Department General Order
317.00 Officer Involved Shootings or Other Critical Incidents Resulting in Serious Injury
or Death; Public Release of Video Recording
Revised 06/30/2020

10. Respond to the investigative offices for a debriefing interview and statement.
11. Prior to the return to full duty, as authorized by the Chief of Police, arrange a time to qualify with a replacement
duty weapon (if applicable) as well as contact the Dallas Police Academy Reality Based Training (RBT) Team
for the required RBT updated training.
B. Companion Officer responsibilities:
1. Respond to the scene, the investigation may begin before arrival.
2. Serve in a supportive role during the subsequent events.
3. Provide as much support and concern for the officer as possible.
4. Refrain from discussing the details of the incident.
5. Assist involved officer make transportation or other arrangements.
6. May later be called to testify.
C. Dispatcher responsibilities:
1. Immediately send a patrol supervisor to the scene and begin notification of the appropriate divisions and
personnel according to the Communications Section S.O.P.
2. Fulfill involved employee’s requests for necessary assistance.
D. The first Patrol Supervisor at the scene (not involved in the incident) shall be responsible for the following
responsibilities:
1. Immediately respond to the scene.
2. Ensure the scene is secured to include assuring necessary assistance is enroute and restricting access to the
incident scene using tape or other methods.
3. Remove and restrict unauthorized personnel from scene.
4. Separate involved officers and witnesses and instruct them not to discuss the incident prior to arrival of
detectives.
5. Attempt to obtain an account of the incident from involved officers and provide the investigative supervisor the
notes taken at the scene and subsequently remove the involved officer a short distance from the scene.
6. Telephone the communications Division and provide a brief account of the incident.
7. Ensure the following division personnel are advised of the incident and request the following resources to
respond to the scene immediately:
a. Special Investigations Unit (who will be responsible for the notification of the Dallas County District
Attorney’s Office)
b. Crime Scene Response Unit
c. Internal Affairs Division
d. Media Relations Unit
e. Body worn camera / DVR review team
8. Assign an officer to record the names of all officers at the scene including all additional officers arriving to assist
in securing the scene, investigate the incident, or provide support for involved officers. A single-entry point into
the restricted area should be established, if possible, and notes will be made of those officers who entered the
restricted areas.
9. Stay at the scene until the scene is secured, all physical evidence is collected, and all personnel are removed,
or until relieved by assigned investigative unit.
10. Refer all media inquiries to the assigned investigative unit.
11. Upon the arrival of the assigned investigative unit, the patrol supervisor shall respond to the needs of the
investigating officer or supervisor by continuing to secure the incident scene and keeping unauthorized persons
out.
12. Respond to the assigned investigative unit offices for a debriefing interview and statement.
E. Cover Officer responsibilities
1. Do not go to the scene of the incident without the approval of the dispatcher or supervisor who is assigned.
Only personnel necessary to the criminal or administrative investigation, securing of the scene, and the involved
officer's chain-of-command should respond to the scene.
2. Check en route and Code-6 with the dispatcher of the patrol channel involved.
3. Do not leave the scene without notifying the assigned supervisor of their name and badge number.
4. Make notes on significant observations at the scene for later personal reference.
5. Do not make evaluative or judgmental comments about the officer's actions or justification to members of the
media.
F. Crime Scene Response Section responsibilities
1. Upon arrival, assume control and responsibility of the crime scene area.
2. Coordinate all functions or requests related to the crime scene area.
3. Ensure that only Crime Scene Response Section personnel and essential investigative personnel are admitted
to the restricted area until the Crime Scene Response Section investigation is deemed complete.
4. Perform crime scene investigation.
5. Participate in the walk-through when appropriate.
G. Assigned Investigative Unit responsibilities
1. The ranking supervisor from the investigating division will be in command of the criminal investigation.
2. Upon arrival at the scene, be briefed by the field supervisor.
3. Coordinate media inquiries between the first patrol supervisor and the media relations unit.
4. Perform walk-through.
5. Perform Interview at investigative office
H. Media Relations responsibilities
1. Send a representative who will be responsible for coordinating media inquiries.
2. Coordinate with the assigned investigative unit and prepare a summary of the facts of the case for issuance to
the news media.
 Dallas Police Department General Order
317.00 Officer Involved Shootings or Other Critical Incidents Resulting in Serious Injury
or Death; Public Release of Video Recording
Revised 06/30/2020

3. Issue a summary to the media when the results of the departmental investigation are completed.
I. Other Responding Personnel
1. A member of the involved employee's chain-of-command should respond to the scene to offer support and
assistance but shall not discuss the details of the incident.
2. The involved employee's supervisor or other personnel shall not enter restricted areas or discuss the incident
with involved officers prior to completion of the debriefing interview and taking of statements in the investigating
offices.
3. A member of the involved employee’s chain of command shall initiate a request for control number.

317.03 Walk-Through

A. After the completion of the Crime Scene Response Section investigation or when approved by the Crime Scene
Response Section supervisor, the assigned investigative unit detective and Internal Affairs detective will conduct a
walk-through of the incident with involved employee and witness officer(s). To prevent possible contamination of the
crime scene, the walk-through should be led by Crime Scene Response Section personnel. The portion of the walk-
through that is conducted in the restricted areas of the scene shall be limited to:
1. The assigned investigative unit.
2. The involved employee (1).
3. The involved employee’s attorney (1).
4. The Internal Affairs detective (1).
5. The Crime Scene Response Section personnel (1).
6. Any other personnel deemed necessary to the investigation by the assigned investigative unit.
B. Prior to providing a statement to the assigned investigative unit, a walkthrough will be conducted with the above
personnel to obtain preliminary information. Immediately after the walk-through the involved officer(s), witness
officer(s), and the first responding patrol supervisor will report to the assigned investigative unit office where an
interview will be conducted.
C. A separate, additional walk-through will be conducted with the District Attorney’s Office that does not include any
involved employees or witnesses.

317.04 Interview and Additional Procedures

A. Immediately following the walk through and upon arriving at the assigned investigative unit office, involved officer(s),
witness officers(s) and the first responding patrol supervisor will be requested to provide a written statement.
1. All body worn camera or video evidence will be made available to the involved officer(s) and legal counsel prior
to the submission of any written statement.
2. Witness officer(s) will also be afforded the opportunity to review video, however they are not afforded legal
counsel.
B. After the conclusion of the preliminary investigation at the investigative office, the involved officer(s) and witness
officers(s) will be afforded a Critical Incident Recovery Period of a minimum of three (3) administrative days.
Additional Administrative Leave may be granted by recognized authority. During the Critical Incident Recovery period,
the involved officer(s) or witness officer(s) may contact the lead detective to provide supplemental information to the
original statement. Likewise, the lead detective could also develop additional questions thereby requiring a
supplemental statement from the involved or witness officers. Legal counsel may be present during the subsequent
interview of involved officer(s). The investigating supervisor will provide involved and witness officer(s) with a private
place to prepare all written statements.
C. The investigating detective shall request officers to submit a voluntary blood specimen in a police shooting in which an
individual is killed or injured.
D. The assigned investigative unit commander is responsible for preparing a preliminary executive summary to the
command staff before the end of their tour of duty. Additional summaries will be created for distribution to the rank
and file of the police department and the public thru the Media Relations Unit.
E. The assigned investigative unit is responsible for keeping the involved officer's Bureau, Division, or Section
Commander informed on the condition of critically injured victims and the status of the Grand Jury hearing. The
assigned investigative unit will assure that the involved officer is fully informed on the status of the case.
F. The Division, Section or Unit Commander of the involved officer will notify Psychological Services at the first available
opportunity. Psychological Services personnel will contact the involved officer within 24 hours to offer counseling
services. The involved officer will attend three discussion sessions to be coordinated by the Psychological Services
Unit. The first discussion will occur within the first week following the incident; the second session will occur three
months after the incident; and the third session will occur six months after the incident.
G. At the conclusion of any Administrative Leave or normally scheduled day(s) off the officer will be placed on Restricted
Duty until a determination is made by the chief of police to return the officer to full duty.

317.05 Administrative Investigation

A. The Internal Affairs Division will be called to the scene of any discharge of a firearm by a Dallas police officer. At the
point when the assigned investigative unit determines that existing evidence presently indicates a likelihood of no
criminal culpability by the involved employee who did, or may have caused, serious injury or death of another person,
such employee will be instructed to report to the Internal Affairs Division at a time to be determined by the Internal
Affairs detective.
B. In the case where the Special Investigations Unit of the Investigations Division does not assume responsibility for the
investigation, the Internal Affairs Division will conduct an administrative investigation and produce a shooting
summary. Internal Affairs must receive a Request for Control Number signed by an involved employee’s assistant
 Dallas Police Department General Order
317.00 Officer Involved Shootings or Other Critical Incidents Resulting in Serious Injury
or Death; Public Release of Video Recording
Revised 06/30/2020

chief. The Internal Affairs Division will conduct an administrative investigation in any of the cases listed in Section
317.01A.1.a, c, and e, which occur inside or outside the Dallas city limits.
C. Officers accidentally discharging a firearm that does not result in physical injury, or property damage, will be placed
on Restricted Duty and given a modified work assignment at the direction of their Assistant Chief. Officers will then
be required to attend and pass an 8-hour remedial firearms training class provided by the Firearms Training Center
before performing any armed police related duty. The Firearms Training Center will make it a priority to provide this
training to the officer in a timely manner. The Firearms Training Center will provide a memorandum to the respective
Assistant Chief of Police stating the officer has successfully completed the training.
D. In cases where only an administrative investigation is conducted, the ranking Internal Affairs Division detective will be
in charge of the overall investigation.
E. In addition to the involved officer being placed on Restricted Duty, witness officers to a death-in-custody incident or a
shooting that leads to death or any incident that results in serious physical injury of an individual may be placed by
his or her Division Commander on administrative hours of 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. If placed on
those hours, they will work that schedule until the conclusion of the internal investigation or until released by Internal
Affairs to return to regular duty hours. The purpose of the administrative hours schedule is to facilitate the
completion of the internal investigation.
F. While on Restricted Duty or administrative hours, all leave time previously approved for involved or witness officers
must be coordinated with the Internal Affairs Division detective and his or her supervisor.
G. When the involved officer and any witness officers subsequently report to the Internal Affairs Division, the
investigating detective will issue an Administrative Warning and separate interviews will be conducted. These
interviews may be audio recorded, and if so, two tapes will be made with one being provided to the officer at the
conclusion of the interview. A transcript of the interview will serve as the officer's Internal Statement. In such cases,
the officer will be required to report at a later date to review and sign a copy of the transcript. The officer will be
provided a copy of the transcript. The officer may also be subsequently required to submit a detailed written Internal
Statement of the event.
H. The Internal Affairs Division will determine if the use of force was justified by the orders of this Department. The
findings of the investigation will be summarized in a Special Report to the Chief of Police.
I. Upon completion of the Internal Affairs investigation, the report will be forwarded to the officer's Organizational
Commander for chain-of-command review. A copy will also be forwarded to the Firearms Discharge Review
Chairman.

317.06 Firearms Discharge Review Team (FDRT)

A. The Firearms Discharge Review Team is established to review and provide an initial evaluation, based on facts
known at the time, of incidents of intentional and accidental firearm discharge by any member of the Dallas Police
Department. They will also review other incidents as requested by the Chief of Police. The main purpose will be to
prevent similar situations from occurring in the future. Incidents occurring while members are acting within the scope
of their employment with the City of Dallas, either on or off duty will be subject to review.
B. The objective of the Firearms Discharge Review is to brief the Chief of Police and the Director of the Office of
Community Police Oversight (OCPO) concerning firearms discharge or other incidents as ordered by the Chief of
Police based on the following:
1. Adequacy of policy.
2. Adequacy of training.
3. Adequacy of equipment.
4. Adequacy of supervision.
C. The Firearms Discharge Review Team
1. Will be comprised of the following members:
a. A major designated by the Chief of Police to serve as the FDRT chairperson.
b. A lieutenant from the Special Investigations Unit.
c. A lieutenant from the Internal Affairs Division.
d. A lieutenant from the In-Service Training staff, and the Departmental Range Master.
e. If the above members are not available, substitutions will be made by the respective Division
Commanders.
2. Will meet to discuss the incident when called by the FDRT chairperson.
3. Will only be concerned with adequacy of issues listed in 371.06 (B) and not procedural violations.
4. Will be prepared to brief the Chief of Police and the Director of the Office of Community Police Oversight within
72-hours of the incident.
5. Will provide a final review after all criminal and administrative investigations of the incident are completed.

317.07 DPD Critical Incident Monitoring by Director of Office of Community Police Oversight

A. The Chief of Police shall provide the Community Police Oversight Board and the Director of the Office of Community
Police Oversight timely notification of all DPD critical incidents.
B. The Director of the Office of Community Police Oversight may monitor the criminal investigation of any DPD Critical
Incident.
1. The Director may attend or observe any portion of the on-scene investigation.
2. The Director may participate in preliminary briefings relating to the DPD critical incident.
3. The Director may observe witness interviews (from a separate room).
4. The Director may review documentary and physical evidence, including relevant police data, of any criminal
investigation of a DPD Critical Incident.
 Dallas Police Department General Order
317.00 Officer Involved Shootings or Other Critical Incidents Resulting in Serious Injury
or Death; Public Release of Video Recording
Revised 06/30/2020

5. The Director may meet with the Chief of Police throughout the criminal investigation to ask questions and
discuss any areas of concern identified while monitoring the investigation.
6. Before the conclusion of a criminal investigation of a DPD Critical Incident, the Director may meet with the Chief
of Police to hear preliminary findings and provide feedback about the investigatory process. The Director may
provide the Chief of Police with a recommendation on the outcome of the criminal investigation.
7. The Media Relations Unit will provide the Director with a copy of any publicly released video recording related to
a DPD Critical Incident.

317.08 Public Release of Video Recording regarding DPD Critical Incidents

A. Purpose: The Dallas Police Department’s commitment to the public is to be transparent and accountable regarding
DPD Critical Incidents. The department respects the interest of the public to be informed in a timely manner with the
most accurate information available. In the continuous effort to foster public trust, the department acknowledges its
responsibility to educate the public on the department’s procedures and the conduct of its employees, especially
when an officer’s use of force results in serious injury or death of an individual.

Recognizing that a video recording may not tell the whole story, the department will provide context, if necessary,
when releasing video recordings to the public to provide the most accurate depiction of the police encounter based
on the information known at the time.

The department strives to balance its commitment to transparency and accountability to the public with the privacy
interest of individuals, applicable laws regarding confidentiality, preservation of the integrity of any related
investigations. Such circumstances may necessitate the blurring of images or the delay or deviation from the
standard release procedure.
B. A video recording that depicts a police encounter related to a DPD Critical Incident regarding an Officer Involved
Shooting will be publicly released within 72 hours of the incident, after the Chief of Police and Director Briefing, as
stated in 317.06C. The internal briefing will occur within 72 hours after the incident.
C. A video recording that depicts a police encounter related to a DPD Critical Incident regarding Use of Force resulting
in serious bodily injury or death or a Death in Custody will be publicly released within 72 hours after the incident.
D. Applicability: This procedure applies to a video recording of a police encounter related to the following:
1. DPD Critical Incident, meaning an officer-involved shooting or a use of force incident that results in serious
bodily injury or death of an individual;
2. All deaths while an arrestee/detainee is in the custody of DPD, unless there is no preliminary evidence of any
misconduct, use of force, or act committed by the arrestee/detainee that depicts the individual intended to
cause his own injury or death; or
3. Any other DPD police encounter where the Chief of Police determines that the release of the video recording is
in the public’s interest.
E. Video Recording Release Procedures
1. The assigned investigative unit will obtain any video evidence related to a DPD Critical Incident.
2. The assigned investigative unit will coordinate with the Media Relations Unit to prepare a video recording of the
police encounter for public release.
3. The Media Relations Unit will provide a copy of the publicly released video recording to the Open Records Unit
for response to any Public Information requests. The Media Relations Unit will maintain a copy of the publicly
released video recording for three years from the date of the incident.
4. The assigned investigative unit will make all efforts to provide the injured individual (or next of kin of a deceased
individual) an opportunity to view the prepared video recording of the police encounter prior to release. If the
injured individual (or next of kin of the deceased individual) seeks to review the video recording prior to release
to the public, the injured individual (or next of kin of a deceased individual) will be allowed to view the video
recording prior to release to the public.
a. At the request of the injured individual (or next of kin of a deceased individual) to be present with the
requestor for the viewing of the prepared video recording, the Chief of Police or designee, at the Chief’s
discretion, may be present during the viewing.
5. The assigned investigative unit may provide the appropriate District Attorney’s office an opportunity to view the
video recording of the police encounter prepared for public release. If the District Attorney’s office seeks to
review the video recording prior to release to the public, the assigned investigative unit will make the video
recording available to the District Attorney’s office within 72 hours after the assigned investigative unit has
possession of the video recording.
6. The assigned investigative unit may provide the Director of the OCPO an opportunity to view the video
recording of the police encounter prepared for public release. If the Director of OCPO seeks to review the video
recording prior to release to the public, the assigned investigative unit will make the video recording available to
the OCPO within 72 hours after the assigned investigative unit has possession of the video recording.
7. The Media Relations Unit may notify the involved officer of the video recording of the police encounter prepared
for public release and provide an opportunity for the involved officer to view the prepared video recording prior
to release.
8. The Chief of Police has discretion to publicly release, in whole or in part, any video recording related to a DPD
Critical Incident, Death in Custody, or any other DPD police encounter in the interest of transparency and public
trust.
a. If the Chief of Police determines that a video recording of a police encounter related to a DPD Critical
Incident or Death in Custody will not be released to the public, in accordance with this General Order, the
Chief of Police will notify the Director of the OCPO.
 Dallas Police Department General Order
317.00 Officer Involved Shootings or Other Critical Incidents Resulting in Serious Injury
or Death; Public Release of Video Recording
Revised 06/30/2020

F. Release – Limited Waiver

1. The release of any specific video recording related to a DPD Critical Incident does not waive the department’s
right to withhold other audio or video recordings or investigative materials in the same or any other case, as
permitted by departmental procedures or as permitted or required by law.
2. The public release of any video recording shall only be made in accordance with the General Orders and
Standard Operating Procedures of the department.