25-038 Standby Subpoena Procedures

The SFPD Court Liaison Unit facilitates standby agreements on behalf of members who are subpoenaed by the prosecution and/or the defense. The required procedures for complying with these pre-approved standby subpoenas are outlined below. 

DEFENSE STANDBY

Members shall accept and acknowledge all e-subpoenas sent by the Court Liaison Unit. Defense standby subpoenas remain valid for 14-court days and are stamped with instructions for Step #2. 

Step #1: Send an email reply to confirm receipt. 

Step #2: Call the defense subpoena hotline redacted after 1645 hours on the date specified and before 0900 hours on the next court date. 

Step #3: Listen to the entire case status message and follow all instructions.  

Step #4: Press "zero" and leave a confirmation message to include your name, star number, and the defendant’s last name. Repeat steps 2-4 above when the case is trailing, according to the voicemail instructions.

Subpoena Officers, Clerks and/or Supervisors in receipt of a defense standby subpoena for a member who is not scheduled to work before the court date must immediately notify the Court Liaison Unit by phone and shall not return the subpoena before receiving instructions to do so. 

Members shall immediately notify the Court Liaison Unit in person, by phone, or by email at redacted and leave their contact information if they were present in court on a must-appear subpoena and ordered by the Judge to be on standby (does not apply to being ordered back or subject to recall). Members should seek clarification of the terms and their instructions from the judge and declare known conflicts before leaving the courtroom.

SFDA STANDBY 

Step #1: Submit the Law Enforcement Check-In Form linked in the email to confirm receipt of the subpoena. Forward the resulting confirmation email to the Subpoena Officer. Members are required to submit the Form separately for receipt and for standby check-ins. 

Step #2: After 1630 hours on the court date (or the "check-back" date) and before 0900 hours the following court date, check the status of the case on the SFDA website and follow the instructions in the "Further Details" column. If the case is not listed, call redacted.

Step #3: Submit the Law Enforcement Subpoena Check-In form to leave a check-in record. Do not forward confirmation emails for standby check-ins to the Subpoena Officer. Repeat Steps #2 and #3 on the dates specified in the "Further Details" column.

Members who receive a standby subpoena where the court date passed within five court days shall check the status of the case on the SFDA website linked in Step #2 above. If the status shows continued, cancelled, dismissed, bench warrant issued, or plea, members need not proceed with any further steps. If the status is trailing, follow Step #3 above.

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CANCELLATIONS

Members are accountable for receiving standby cancellations for the type of subpoena issued (as per email policy, as listed on the defense subpoena hotline, and as listed on the SFDA Jury Trial Status webpage). Further, members are responsible for phone/text cancellation notices sent to them while off-duty. Court overtime compensation will not be approved for subpoenas cancelled prior to the court date.

/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.