Personal Appearance & Equipment

Use Of Bureau Equipment

I. DEFINITIONS

Bureau equipment and/or property means and includes:

  • All equipment issued to employees.
  • Bureau vehicles, accessories, and Bureau owned property contained therein.
  • Comptroller of Maryland buildings, including equipment or property they contain.
  • All other bureau equipment or property, which comes into the possession of an employee at any time.

II. CARE AND SECURITY

A. Bureau personnel are required to properly care for and maintain all issued equipment.

B. All Bureau equipment is subject to periodic inspection (scheduled and unscheduled).

C. Particular attention should be given to valuable or otherwise sensitive equipment and/or equipment containing sensitive information including, but not limited to:

  1. Firearms
  2. Ammunition
  3. Vehicles
  4. Laptop Computers
  5. Zeltex Machines
  6. Badges
  7. Bullet-Resistant Vests
  8. Handcuffs

D. Field Enforcement Bureau (FEB) members who are issued any sensitive item, including those items listed in Section C above, are responsible for securing the item(s) and keeping it from view of the public when it is not under the direct supervision of a FEB employee.

III. REPLACEMENT

A. Upon written request by a member of the Bureau, and with approval of the Director, the Bureau will replace or repair any issued property, which has been destroyed or damaged in the line of duty, or through normal wear and tear. Bureau property that has been lost, damaged, or destroyed due to carelessness, negligence, or neglect on the part of an employee may be replaced at the employee’s expense.

B. Reimbursement for a member’s personal property that is damaged or destroyed while he/she engaged in any law enforcement duty will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Director.

IV. DISPOSAL

No Bureau property will be thrown away, sold, destroyed, or otherwise disposed of, except with the permission of the Director.

V. RETURN OF EQUIPMENT - TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

Employees must return all Bureau issued equipment upon separation of employment. The Bureau Administrator/Agent in Charge will inventory all returned equipment and report any discrepancies to the Director.

VI. STORAGE / INVENTORY OF EQUIPMENT

A. Any sensitive or otherwise valuable equipment will be kept in a locked storeroom. Weapons, ammunition, and other sensitive items as determined by the Director, Deputy Director or Agent In-Charge will be stored in the safe.

B. An annual inventory of all Bureau equipment will be conducted by the Bureau Administrator/Agent In-Charge. The results will be reconciled to current records, and any discrepancies will be investigated. Final approval of the inventory will be by the Director or Deputy Director.

VII. DIVISION EQUIPMENT

A. The Bureau Administrator/Agent in Charge is the designated custodian for Bureau equipment.

  1. Desktop Computers/Laptop Computers
    1. All desktop and laptop computers are designated equipment and identified by an inventory number, recorded in inventory records.
    2. Both desktop and laptop computers are limited to use by authorized employees identified by specific passwords.
    3. Care should be used to protect computer equipment from power surges and damage. Employees are cautioned that eating and/or drinking during use exposes the equipment to the risk of damage of the equipment or files.
    4. All sensitive and important files should be stored on the Comptroller’s secure network.
    5. Software security is maintained by the Information Technology Division (ITD).
    6. The ITD requires users to protect data on all computer equipment and employs sufficient procedures and software to ensure data integrity. ITD also offers continuing training in the use of new programs. Employees are encouraged to avail themselves of these training opportunities.
  2. Laptop Computers
    1. Laptop computers are assigned to some members of the Bureau.
    2. Users are to give special consideration to the security of laptop computers.
    3. Field vehicles are equipped with laptop computer mounts to help protect the equipment from damage when in use and to avoid unnecessary risk to the vehicle occupants, in the event of an accident or collision.
    4. When leaving a vehicle for an extended period in public places, laptops should be either secured in the trunk or otherwise covered from view. If a laptop is secured within the car’s locking dock station, it is not required to remove it.

B. Other Equipment

  1. The Bureau Administrator/Agent In-Charge is responsible for the accounting and inventory of all equipment.
  2. Inventory records will be maintained on all required equipment.
  3. Inventory records will be maintained in a secure location separate from the actual property/equipment recorded in inventory.
  4. Annually, or as otherwise approved by the Director, an inventory will be conducted of all equipment. Any discrepancies will be reported to the Director or designee.

C. Loss Management

  1. Supervisors are responsible for monitoring the care and use of any Bureau equipment that is in the possession of their subordinates.
  2. Supervisors will conduct monthly inspections of vehicles and sensitive equipment in the possession of subordinates.
  3. Employees are responsible for properly maintaining their vehicles and equipment, and immediately reporting a loss or breakage of issued equipment.
  4. The Bureau Administrator/Agent In-Charge also is responsible for monitoring the condition and use of equipment and other bureau property.
  5. The Bureau Administrator/Agent In-Charge is responsible for instituting corrective measures to rectify any concerns related to procedural controls or problems identified during internal or external review.

D. Access to Facilities

  1. All areas within the Bureau’s control containing sensitive, evidentiary, or otherwise valuable property or documentation are kept locked. The Annapolis office and Motor Fuel Testing Lab are kept locked after normal business hours and/or weekends and holidays.
  2. Keys/access to the offices and/or secure areas are limited to authorized personnel.
  3. The Office Administrator is responsible for assigning keys to authorized personnel.
  4. Areas containing property/evidence and where certain equipment is stored, are accessible only to authorized personnel. Access is limited to those employees who have a need to enter the secured area.
  5. Secured property rooms are only accessible to the Property Manager and the designated alternatives.
  6. Written or electronic logs are to be maintained in all secured property storage areas to record entry/exit of those areas.
  7. Immediate supervisors and the Bureau Administrator/Agent In-Charge share responsibility to collect keys, and ensure that access codes are changed, if necessary, when an employee leaves the Bureau.
  8. The Bureau’s Agent In-Charge has overall responsibility to monitor compliance with procedures relating to facility access.

VIII. CANCELLATION

None.