23-193 Custody Transportation for Medical Treatment and Clearance
Department Notice
This document is not an official representation of the published policy. To access the official signed policy, please contact us at [email protected].
The purpose of this notice is to advise Department members regarding the newly implemented Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMSA) Final Destination Policy.
It has been customary for ambulances to transport police custodies to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, (ZSFGH), for treatment and medical clearance. This process has now changed.
Since October 1, 2023, Emergency Medical Services, (EMS), personnel have been transporting custodies to any open receiving Hospital within the city limits. These changes were brought about to mitigate impacts on ambulance availability/high rates of diversion/long ambulance offload times and to increase ambulance availability and decrease diversion at ZSFGH.
In essence, under the new EMSA Policy, patients who are in law enforcement custody such as being under arrest, detained, and incarcerated are subject to the following:
- All patients who are incarcerated (e.g., inmate from county jail or to/from court hearing) or in law enforcement custody (e.g., under arrest) who are transported from county jail booking/holding/parking areas must be taken directly to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (unless needing medical specialty care is not available at ZSFGH, e.g., burns).
- Patients who are in Law Enforcement Custody who do not meet the conditions as described in previous subsection shall follow standard destination criteria, which allows for transport to any open receiving Hospital and is subject to Diversion, and EMS Alert. Patients needing Specialty Care criteria must be transported to the most appropriate specialty care facility.
Instructions to Officers:
Officers will continue to request an ambulance to transport a custody for medical treatment and clearance.
Officers will accompany the custodies and wait for them to get medically cleared. Once this process is completed, custodies should be transported to County Jail for booking.
If for any reason, i.e., custody is being restrained, it is a safety concern, or there is a likelihood that the custody might be admitted to the hospital, a member can request that the custody be transported to ZSFGH rather than another receiving hospital.
If a conflict arises, officers should contact a supervisor for guidance and resolution.
San Francisco Police Department, (SFPD), Supervisors can contact the on-duty San Francisco Fire Department, (SFFD), Fire Rescue Captain through communications to seek a resolution.
Members assigned to the Airport Bureau shall follow San Mateo County procedures for transporting custodies.
/s/
WILLIAM SCOTT
Chief of Police
Per DN 23-152, all sworn & non-sworn members shall electronically acknowledge this Department document in PowerDMS within (30) thirty calendar days of issuance. Members whose duties are relevant to this document shall be held responsible for compliance. Any questions regarding this policy should be sent to [email protected] who will provide additional information.