7-341 - Stake-Out and Decoy Operations

Policy

In any situation where a crime is anticipated and officers decide to employ an armed stake‑out or decoy operation within a building or on private property, the safety of the public shall be the major concern.

The manager of the property shall be contacted for permission and on‑scene employees or residents notified for maximum personal safety should they choose to remain. Any employee or person who is expected to be on the scene who is under the age of eighteen or who is unable to give informed consent because they are mentally impaired or physically helpless shall be barred from the area before any stake‑out or decoy operation begins.

Apprehensions of armed or dangerous suspects shall not be attempted inside a building where non‑police personnel are present unless it is obviously necessary to protect human life.

When officers have advance information that causes them to:

• establish a stake‑out or surveillance,
• recognize potential suspects from descriptions or prior knowledge
• have probable cause to believe that a crime of violence is about to occur,
• have any reason to believe that the suspects may be armed and/or dangerous,

An attempt to arrest shall be made before the suspects enter the building if time and circumstances make it possible to do so safely.

• Probable Cause: Having reasonable grounds for supporting the requested Court order, to include: search warrants, arrests or other legal process. Probable cause is required by the Fourth Amendment. Officers must have an objectively reasonable basis for believing that a crime may have been committed or that there is evidence of the crime present in the place to be searched.