Personnel Orders are issued only by the Chief of Police or a designated Bureau Head. They may be distributed to all or just specific precincts, units or divisions. Personnel Orders are issued to announce the following:
- The appointment of new employees
- The assignment or transfer of employees from one unit to another
- The promotion or demotion of employees from one rank to another
- Special Duty assignments
- Training assignments
- Career development
- Details
- Dismissal or reinstatement of an employee
- Resignation, retirement or death of an employee
The Commander of the Administrative Services Division or his/her designee may exercise limited authority to approve Special Duty Personnel Orders. This authority is limited to short‑term Special Duty assignments that have been budgeted and approved by the employee's Commander. All out-of-town travel must be approved by the appropriate Bureau Head.
All Personnel Orders shall be color coded white and bear a serial number beginning with the letter "P," followed by a two-digit year, a hyphen, and a two-digit number of the order for that year. Example: P01‑102 (Personnel Order 102 of 2001). To issue a Personnel Order, a serial number must be obtained from Training Unit staff, who maintains a log of Personnel Orders for tracking purposes. Maintenance of original Personnel Orders is the responsibility of MPD Human Resources.