Agency General Order/Standard Operating Procedure Guidelines and Samples

Overview

General orders or standard operating procedures are guidelines for when and how something is implemented, from how and when special equipment is used to how and when you call out a special team or unit, or how you process a particular kind of scene. These policies bring order to what can be a chaotic event and provide structure to fall back on.

Public Safety Agencies often have requirements to write formal policy for the implementation of Laser Scanning to their documentation practice. In order to assist you, we offer some downloadable sample Standard Operating Procedures here that can guide you as you write policy for your agency:

Scanning Unit Sample SOP

Crime Scene Sample SOP 1

Crime Scene Sample SOP 2

Sections you might want to include when writing your General Orders or Standard Operating Procedures:

1. General Description of the equipment your agency has available, model, software, and who is authorized to use the equipment.
2. Training criteria to use the equipment (either through FARO Training and Certification or internal training process).
3. Who maintains the scanner (storage) and all associated equipment, calibration, training records, etc. updates firmware and software.
4. Criteria for equipment use based on incident type or other factors and who makes the call to deploy the scanner (based on rank or assignment).
5. Safety practices to ensure both scanner and operator safety; scene security, weather, IP rating, etc..
6. The scanning process itself; settings, color use, use of targets, etc.
7. Use of a reference object such as a scale bar or other measurement device to verify accuracy.
8. Protocol to create your projects; case numbers, naming conventions for file base name, etc.
9. Who maintains raw data, SD card use, data storage/security, hashing, and backup process, external hard drive, or cloud storage.
10. Time frame for completion of scanning/post processing
11. End products to be produced.
12. Report writing verbiage indicating use of the scanner.
13. Who to contact for assistance and where reference materials can be found.

Not all sections may apply to you, but these should provide a good place to start. If you have questions or would like to share your policies for others to consider, you can email them to Alina.Burroughs@FARO.com