Policy
A Phase III Alert is a large-scale disturbance or event that requires resources beyond on-duty MPD personnel and affects the welfare of the city. A Phase III Alert may only be initiated by the Chief of Police, or in his/her absence, the next highest command officer. Under a Phase III Alert, the following additional steps shall be initiated:
- An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) shall be established and commanded by the Chief or his/her designee for those critical incidents involving only the Police Department.
- The mayor shall be notified of the Phase III Alert.
- The Minnesota Duty Officer shall be notified of the Phase III Alert status in order to contact the State Patrol, National Guard and other Federal agencies.
- For those large-scale disturbances or events involving the Fire Department and multiple city departments, an EOC will be established in room B-911 in City Hall and will be commanded by the Mayor. Command assistance will be provided by the Chief of Police and Deputy Chief of Field Services or other command staff designated by the Chief of Police.
- During a Phase III Alert, the on-scene incident commander shall remain at the scene and take direction from the EOC. Police on-scene operations will be directed by the on-scene Incident Commander.
- All police personnel will go on 12-hour shifts and immediate callbacks will be initiated. All days off will be canceled with the exception of vacations of more than four days.
- Neighboring law enforcement agencies shall be notified of the disturbance or event and mutual aid will be requested if it is needed.
- The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) shall inform other agencies of their reporting instructions.
- In the event of a Phase III Alert, police responsibilities will include traffic control, on-scene and perimeter security, and evacuation assistance.
Definitions
Refer to the Commonly Used Terms page for general definitions.
- Critical Incident:
An incident involving any of the following situations occurring in the line of duty:
- The use of Deadly Force by or against a Minneapolis Police Officer
- Death or Great Bodily Harm to an officer
- Death or Great Bodily Harm to a person who is in the custody or control of an officer
- Any action by an officer that causes or is intended to cause Death or Great Bodily Harm
- Incident Commander:
The Incident Commander (IC) is the first officer or supervisor to arrive on the scene of a call for service where multiple units, scenes, or assisting agencies are dispatched. The Incident Commander has overall command of the incident, until properly relieved by a supervisor of higher rank if necessary, and will be based at the incident command post. The priorities of the Incident Commander include:
- Assess incident priorities.
- Determine strategic goals and tactical objectives, not related to the operations of SWAT or ESU personnel.
- Identify a staging area, if needed.
- Develop and implement incident action plan.
- Develop appropriate incident management structure.
- Assess resource needs.
- Coordinate overall on-scene emergency activities.
- Authorize information to be released to the media.