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Hamilton CountySheriff’s OfficeJim Hammond, SheriffPublic Relations DivisionStandard Operating ProcedureMedia Operations &Information ProcurementHCSO Public Relations DivisionStandard Operating Procedure (PRD - SOP - 32)1 PageUpdated: February 22, 2021

Hamilton County Sheriff’s OfficePublic Relations DivisionMission Statement“To promote the operations and activities of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office with integrity,consistency, accuracy, and respect”PRD - SOP – 32Guidelines for the Public Relations Division and Release of Public InformationTable of 18.19.20.21.22.23.24.PurposeMissionStructure of the Public Information OfficeRequesting Official Information from the HCSO Public Relations Divisiona. Tennessee Open Records Request (TNORR)b. Requesting Reports and Official Documentsi. HCSO Records Divisionii. General Sessions Court Clerk’s Officeiii. Circuit Court Clerk’s Officeiv. Mugshot Requestsv. Additional Information RequestsHCSO Press Releases (General Information / Requirements)Qualifications for HCSO Press ReleaseMedia Requests for Information (Weekends / After Hours)Request for On-Camera InterviewsJurisdictional QuestionsWarrants & Serving WarrantsActive & On-Going InvestigationsSilverdale Detention Center & Hamilton County Jail OperationsFire Investigations & Fire InvestigatorsCrime Scene Perimeters & AccessInformation Requests/Events/Incidents Not Covered under the HCSO PIO JurisdictionOfficer Involved Shootings & ProtocolDeath Investigationsa. Homicidesb. Suicidesc. AccidentRelease of Information Regarding Deceased PartiesRelease of Information Regarding On-Going Criminal InvestigationsJuvenile Cases / InvestigationsHospital / HIPPA RegulationsDRONE (UAV) System OperationsHCSO Frequently Used AcronymsHCSO Ranks / Classification2 Page

25. Law Enforcement Terminology26. Statement of Approval/ Signatures3 Page

Guidelines for the Public Relations Division and Release of Public InformationPRD - SOP - 321) PurposeTo create a fair and equitable protocol for the release of public information to the community and tomedia representatives.2) MissionThe mission of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Public Relations Division is “To promote theoperations and activities of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office with integrity, consistency, accuracy,and respect”The HCSO Public Relations Division and its staff strive to be fair and impartial to all media outlets andcitizens who request legitimate information pertaining to the daily activities and operations of thisagency.Neither the HCSO Public Relations Division nor its personnel are allowed to willingly offer informationthat can be used to jeopardize or endanger an active or on-going investigation, confidential informationprotected by law, judicial proceedings, or a victim or victim’s rights.3) Structure of the Public Relations Divisiona) The HCSO Public Relations Division currently employs one full-time Public Relations Managerand one full-time Public Information Officer who are available during business hours Monday –Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm unless otherwise defined. A member of the Public Relations Divisionwill be available on a limited on-call basis after hours, weekends, and on holidays.b) The Public Relations Division also employs a full-time Graphics Design Specialist which supportsthe overall mission of the division and creates media based items for social media, recruitment,photography, and the creation of documents and graphics for internal/external use.c) The HCSO Public Relations Division will make reasonable efforts to respond to inquiriesregarding critical incidents after normal business hours in the evening/overnight/early morninghours, but those not of an urgent nature will be addressed the next business day.d) During periods of time when the Public Relations Manager or the PIO are out of town orunavailable, someone from within the Public Relations Division or a designated person withinthe agency will be appointed to respond to media requests that meet the criteria and guidelinesoutlined in this policy.e) The Public Relations Division and the Public Relations Manager report directly to the ChiefDeputy and Sheriff. All subsequent staff in the Public Relations Division report to the PublicRelations Manager.f)Media requests must be directed through the Public Relations Division. No Inquiries should bemade directly to the Sheriff of Hamilton County or members of the Command Staff orpersonnel. Any inquiries made in an attempt to avoid the Public Relations Division or its staffcannot be guaranteed a response.4 Page

g) In an effort to structure the method information is requested from the HCSO, the followingstandard operating procedure has been established.h) This standard operating procedure is part of the HCSO’s Media Policy which has been approvedby the Sheriff. The items in this SOP can be altered or changed by order of the Sheriff, ChiefDeputy, or in exigent circumstances.i)This SOP is designed so that the Public Relations Division and its staff may equitably andconsistently address the requests received by the public or from media representatives.j)The HCSO Media Policy dictates that no HCSO civilian, sworn civilian, or law enforcementpersonnel may speak to the media while on duty or on the scene of an incident unless beinggiven specific clearance from the Sheriff, Chief Deputy, Public Relations Manager, or theirsupervision so as to ensure the release of accurate information.4) Requesting Official Information from the HCSOa) Tennessee Open Records Requests Technically speaking, any request for information from a member of the media or from aprivate citizen can be, by law, treated as a Tennessee Open Records Request. Under theTennessee Open Records Act and the Freedom of Information Act, once a (TNORR) or (FOIR)request has been made, the HCSO has seven (7) working days to respond. Upon suchrequest, normal fees for procurement of information and printing can be charged to theentity or person who requests said information. The HCSO reserves the right to treat any request from the media as a TNORR or FOIR. Thefactors below are examples of when it may be necessary for the HCSO to respond to a mediarequest for information as an FOIR as opposed to an immediate response from the PublicInformation Officer:a. Lack of staff availabilityb. The request for information will require extensive review and time to compileinformationc. The request will require the printing of informationd. The request pertains to personnel records and other HR related issuese. The request pertains to a closed Investigative Report (Closed) Freedom of Information Requests should be directed to the HCSO Human Resource Office.Inquiries should be made to Director of Human Resources, Carole Miller, via email atcmiller@hcsheriff.gov. The official form has been attached to this email and should bestored electronically for future use. The following information requests must be made to the HCSO via the TNORR or FOIRprocess:a. Requests for personnel records, service time, employment status, or salaryb. Requests for closed Internal Affairs Investigation Reportsc. Inmate Records (booking reports, phone/audio conversations and inmate medicalrecords)5 Page

The following information requests must be made to the Hamilton County District Attorney.a. Requests for dash cam, body cam, or any other type of official video record**If approved by the HCDA, the information will then be requested from the HCSO ITDivision and will be supplied to the DA’s office and ultimately to the requestor.b) Requesting Reports and Official Documents The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Public Relations Division does not issue or supplyreports or official documents. Incident reports from other law enforcement agencies arealso not released through the HCSO Public Relations Division. All requests for records mustbe directed to the HCSO Records Division or the originating agency. Incident reports can take up to (4) business days or longer to process depending on thecircumstances of the incident, charges, or type of offense. Incident/Arrest Reports involving an on-going investigation may not be released through theRecords Division until the conclusion of the investigation. Reports that have not been completed and released to the Records Division will not beissued to the general public or members of the media. Reports involving juveniles will not be released to the media or the public without courtapproval. The reports and official documents below should be requested from the following offices:The HCSO Records Division is open Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Reports from thisoffice are not issued on the weekends or after hours. The following reports and officialdocuments can be requested through this office:1) HCSO Incident Reports*2) HCSO Arrest Reports*3) HCSO Traffic Reports**(Please note, all HCSO internal reports can take up to 48 hours or longer to process through the system. ThePIO cannot release information on reports until they have been approved, cleared, and issued to the RecordsDivision.) Refer to section (ii)The media may pick up hard copies of HCSO incident reports, arrest reports, andaccident reports at the following Record Division Offices Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to4:00 pm:HCSO Downtown Records Office601 Walnut StreetHamilton County Justice Building (Jail Building)Floor 1BChattanooga, TN 37402423-209-71116 Page

Incident and Traffic Reports can also be requested online athttps://secure.hcsheriff.gov/irro/default.php. The General Sessions Court Clerk’s Office is open Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.Reports from this office are not issued on the weekends or after hours. The phone numberfor the Sessions Court Clerk Office is 423-209-7600.The following reports and official documents can be requested through this office:1) Affidavits The Circuit Court Clerk’s Office is open Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Reports fromthis office are not issued on the weekends or after hours. The phone number for the CircuitCourt Clerk Office is 423-209-6700.The following reports and official documents can be requested through this office:1) Order of Protection Mugshot RequestsLocal members of the media have access to the HCSO mugshot system. Mug shots are generallyavailable within (1) to (2) hours after the booking process. The length of time it takes to book aninmate depends on the number of people ahead of them in the line to be booked, staffinglevels, and in some cases, the priority level of the offender. The following items are available online 24 hours a day for the media agencies andresidents:Hamilton County Jail Booking Reportshttp://www.hcsheriff.gov/cor/cor booking.phpInmate Information Hamilton County Top 12 Most Wantedhttp://www.hcsheriff.gov/most wanted/most wanted.phpSubmit a Tip to Patrol Deputieshttp://www.hcsheriff.gov/uniform services/patrol feedback/feedback.phpTennessee Crime Online Statistics (Provided free via the TN Bureau of Investigation)http://www.tncrimeonline.com/5) HCSO Press Releasesa) A press release issued by the HCSO Public Relations Division is an official informationaldocument released to the media and the community via the HCSO’s website and the HCSO’s7 Page