Bossier City Firefighters Association
Police Leave
Updated On: Sep 05, 2007

 

GENERAL ORDER DATE OF ISSUE: NUMBER: 06-01

January 9, 2006

____________________________________________________________________________________

SUBJECT: INDEX AS: Leaves, Attendance Record, Vacation,

Leave Military Leave, Sick Leave, Funeral

Leave, Holiday Leave, Civil Service Sick

Leave, Limited Duty Assignment,

Special Duty Assignment ____________________________________________________________________________________

REFERENCE: REPLACES: 05-01

Prepared by

Admin. Ass’t Chief Glenn Sproles

This directive consists of the following numbered sections:

I. Purpose

II. Definition

III. Absence Without Leave

IV. Absence Without Authorization

V. Injury and Sick Leave

VI. Military Leave

VII. Funeral Leave

VIII. Special Leave With Pay, Without Pay or Reduced Pay

IX. Return from Leave of Absence, Extended Illness

X. Family and Medical Leave

XI. Vacation

XII. Holidays

I. Purpose

The purpose of this order is to provide guidelines pertaining to the use of, reporting of and documentation of leave for civil service employees of the Bossier City Police Department.

II. Definition

Work Week:

The work week shall be defined as a seven (7) day period beginning at 12:00 A.M., Sunday morning, and concluding at midnight the following Saturday. A tour of duty which starts on Saturday and carries over into Sunday, shall be considered time for the previous week. A regular tour of duty which begins on a calendar day and ends the following calendar day, shall be recorded on the Attendance Record on the day the regular tour of duty began. (Example: If an employee begins work Saturday, July 18 at 10:00 P.M., and completes his/her tour of duty on Sunday, July 19 at 6:00 A.M., his/her work day shall be recorded as Saturday for the entire eight (8) hour period.

III. Absence Without Leave

Employees shall not be absent from duty except for sickness, injury, disability or approved days off on authorized leaves. Absence from duty without leave shall be followed by forfeiture of pay for the time of absence, and charges of absence without leave shall be made by supervisors or command personnel.

 

A. Employees who are not actually present, and who are not officially off duty, shall be recorded as zero hours worked on the Attendance Record for that day. It shall be the responsibility of supervisory personnel to notify the Division Commander when any employee is absent without leave.

B. Employees may not trade days off with other employees or change scheduled days off without prior written approval from his/her division commander. A swap shall not be approved if it causes any employee to work in excess of a forty (40) hour work week.

IV. Absence Without Authorization

When employees wish to be absent from duty, except for regular days off, they are to submit a Duty Release form to their Division Commander via the chain of command. Upon approval, the Division Commander shall submit one (1) copy to the Personnel Office for record keeping, who shall then forward it to the Executive Officer for final approval.

V. Injury and Sick Leave

A. Civil Service Sick Leave

1. Each employee regularly and permanently employed in the classified service shall be entitled to not less than fifty-two (52) weeks of sick leave with pay in accordance with Act 481 of 1948. Sick leave shall be granted any employee because of his/her own illness, incapacitation or exposure to contagious disease under circumstances in which the health of employees with whom he associates or members of the public necessarily dealt with, might be endangered by his/her attendance on duty, on written advice of a physician that sick leave be granted. To apply for Civil Service sick leave, an employee must submit a physician's certificate to be completed by both the employee and the physician detailing the nature of the illness or injury, physician's prognosis, medication, and the estimated time the employee will be absent from work. This form can be obtained from the Department's Personnel Office. See attachment to this General Order.

2. If an employee is off sick for an extended period of time due to a lengthy illness/injury, the employee must supply a physician's certificate on a monthly basis to the Personnel Office no later than the fifth day of the month. Physician’s certificates shall be completed in their entirety. Incomplete physician’s certificates will be returned through the Division Commander and the employee shall be considered absent without leave until the certificate is complete. Physician’s certificates shall only be accepted by facsimile if the employee is confined to a hospital or is under physician’s orders not to leave their residence. It shall be the responsibility of the employee's supervisor to see that this form is timely submitted.

3. Sick leave is applicable to maternity claims. Maternity leave commences when a physician certifies that the employee cannot perform all of the duties of her position and light duty within her classification is not available.

4. Employees on Civil Service Sick Leave Status:

a) Shall not be permitted to work in a police uniform,

b) Shall not be permitted to make an arrest,

c) Shall not be permitted to operate a departmental vehicle,

d) Shall not be permitted to carry a firearm or any other weapon.

B. Regulation Sick Leave

 

 

Civil Service employees are entitled to ninety-six (96) hours of Regulation Sick Leave per year, computed at a rate of eight (8) hours per month for normal sickness or minor injuries incurred off duty. Employees who are on leave for sickness or an off-duty injury, must exhaust the ninety-six (96) hour Regulation Sick Leave prior to being eligible for Civil Service Sick Leave. Any employee who has exhausted the ninety-six (96) hours Regulation Sick Leave and has not applied for Civil Service Sick Leave shall be considered absent without leave for each day of work missed.

Effective January 1, 2005, employees may elect to take forty-eight (48) hours of their Regulation Sick Leave without consulting a physician. The forty-eight (48) hours Regulation Sick Leave without the physician’s release does not have to be consecutive. Hours in excess of the forty-eight (48) hours in a twelve-month calendar year shall require a physician’s release to return to duty. An employee that fails to obtain a required physician’s release shall be considered to be absent without leave. The release must be submitted to the employee’s supervisor the first day the employee returns to duty, and then the release will be forwarded to the Personnel Office via the chain of command and retained in the employee’s medical file.

C. Reporting Responsibility

Personnel who are sick or injured and are unable to report for duty are to notify or cause notification to their supervisor or division commander at least thirty minutes prior to their scheduled reporting time. The supervisor shall, in turn, fill out a Duty Release form stating the reason for absence which shall then be processed in accordance with Section II. A Duty Release form shall be filled out for each day the employee is absent from duty unless he/she is on extended sick leave. Failure on the part of the employee to make necessary notification shall result in charges of being absent from duty without leave, and time off shall be deducted from pay. Any employee who is on extended sick leave shall submit a monthly progress report from the doctor to the Chief of Police, with a copy to be retained in the employee’s personnel file.

D. Limited Duty Policy

To establish a Departmental assignment policy for employees with medical or physical conditions which render them unable to perform their regular position duties due to job related injuries or job related medical conditions.

1. Definitions:

a) Limited Duty:

Limited duty is an alternative, temporary assignment within an employee's current job classification, or a different job classification, while recovering from a job related injury or medical condition. Employees returned to work by the city physician with restrictions shall be placed in a "Limited Duty" status.

b) Temporary:

For this directive, temporary is a period of time of 120 calendar days or less.

c) Employee:

An employee is an individual who occupies a full time position for the department. The term includes both sworn and non-sworn personnel as well as employees in a permanent or probationary status.

 

2. Assignments:

City policy is to return employees sustaining job related injuries to work as soon as possible when medically permissible. Limited Duty is an alternative assignment within an employee's current job classification, or an assignment in a different job classification while recovering from a job related injury or job related medical condition. Work assignments are subject to work restrictions determined by the city physician.

3. Employees in a Limited Duty status:

a) Shall not be permitted to work in a police uniform,

b) Shall not be permitted to make an arrest,

c) Shall not be permitted to operate a departmental vehicle,

d) Shall not be permitted to carry a firearm or any other weapon on duty.

4. Administration:

Employees, while in a Limited Duty status, shall be under the administrative supervision of the Department's Safety and Health Officer (SHO). The SHO, in consultation with commanding officers, shall secure alternative assignments for employees. Additionally, the SHO shall monitor the recovery and rehabilitation progress of injured employees; consult as necessary with the city physician and city safety and claims officer to resolve any issues or concerns with an employee; keep commanding officers informed of the recovery status of employees; and notify commanding officers of employees returned to full duty.

5. Procedures:

Upon release from a physician’s care, the employee shall obtain and produce a Letter Of Release for duty to the SHO. The employee shall then submit to an examination by the City Physician for final release to duty.

6. Work Schedules:

Work schedules shall be arranged to permit injured employees to keep physician appointments and any prescribed physical therapy and work hardening sessions.

7. Retraining Requirements:

The SHO, the employee's commanding officer and the department's training director shall determine retraining requirements, if any, for sworn officers prior to reassignment to regular position duties.

8. Restrictions and Limitations:

A Limited Duty assignment cannot exceed the period of temporary disability or 120 calendar days, whichever occurs first.

9. Off-duty Employment:

Authorization for off-duty employment is suspended for employees in a Limited Duty status.

E. Special Duty Policy

 

 

To establish a departmental assignment policy for employees with medical or physical conditions which render them unable to perform their regular position duties due to non-job related injuries or non-job related temporary medical conditions.

1. Definitions

a) Special Duty:

Special Duty is an alternative, temporary assignment within an employee's current job classification, or a different job classification, while recovering from a non-job related injury or a non-job related temporary, medical condition.

b) Temporary:

For this directive, temporary is a period of time of 90 calendar days or less.

c) Employee:

An employee is an individual who occupies a full time position for the department. The term includes both sworn and non-sworn personnel as well as employees in a permanent or probationary status.

2. Assignments:

Employees temporarily unable to perform regular position duties due to non-job related injuries or temporary medical conditions may be returned to work in "Special Duty" assignments when medically permissible, subject to the requirements and limitations contained herein. Work assignments are subject to the work restrictions determined by the employee's physician with approval of the city physician.

3. Employees in a Special Duty status:

a) Shall not be permitted to work in a police uniform,

b) Shall not be permitted to make an arrest,

c) Shall not be permitted to operate a departmental vehicle,

d) Shall not be permitted to carry a firearm or any other weapon on duty.

4. Administration:

Employees, while in a Special Duty status, shall be under the administrative supervision of the Department's Safety and Health Officer (SHO). The SHO in consultation with commanding officers, shall secure Special Duty assignments for employees. Additionally, the SHO shall monitor the recovery and rehabilitation progress of Special Duty employees; consult as necessary with the employee's physician, city physician, and city safety and claims officer to resolve any issues or concerns with an employee; keep commanding officers informed of the recovery status of employees and notify commanding officers of employees return to full duty.

5. Procedures:

a) Employees must make application for a Special Duty assignment on a form approved by the Police Department. Applications shall be forwarded through the chain of command to SHO for approval or denial. The SHO shall inform employees of approved applications and their Special Duty assignments. If an application is denied, the reason(s) for denial, shall be communicated in writing to the employee by

 

the SHO. Applications denied are appealable to the Chief of Police, whose decision is final.

b) Upon release from a physician’s care, the employee shall obtain and produce a Letter Of Release for duty to the SHO. The employee shall then submit to an examination by the City Physician for final release to duty.

6. Retraining Requirements:

The SHO, the employee's commanding officer, and the department's training director shall determine retraining requirements, if any, for sworn officers prior to reassignment to regular position duties.

7. Restrictions and Limitations:

A Special Duty assignment cannot exceed the period of temporary disability or 90 calendar days, whichever occurs first.

8. Off-duty Employment:

Authorization for off-duty employment is suspended for employees who are in a Special Duty status.

F. Confinement

While on sick leave, the employee shall not leave his/her "place of confinement" without permission from his/her Division Commander. Exceptions to this are visits to the doctor or personal emergencies. A supervisor from the employee’s unit may visit the employee within three (3) days of the illness or injury and shall visit the employee at least once during the first seven (7) days of confinement and submit a report to the Division Commander who shall, in turn, notify the Executive Officer. An employee who cannot be located by his/her Division Commander during sick leave shall be subject to an immediate investigation. For the purpose of this section, "place of confinement" shall mean one of the following:

1. that address listed on the departmental records identifying that place where the employee resides when commuting to and from work;

2. the hospital to which the employee is confined;

3. any other address specifically authorized by the Division Commander to which the employee is assigned.

G. Injury to Employees While on Duty

1. All employees shall immediately submit a written report (E-1 Form) to their supervisor of each on-duty injury or occupational illness regardless of the degree of severity. The employee and/or the supervisor shall complete the report before the end of the shift that the injury occurred on and shall submit the report immediately to the Personnel Office. The Personnel Office shall file this report with the City Safety and Claims Officer. In addition, the employee shall be required to submit a physician's certificate to the Personnel Office.

2. Any checks received relative to workman’s compensation shall be endorsed by the employee and turned over to the Personnel Office, and this office shall submit the check to the City Safety and Claims Officer.

 

H. Civil Service: Section 3.3

Nothing herein is intended to limit the Chief of Police’s continuing right, at anytime and from time to time, to have an employee examined by a physician designated by the Chief of Police, whenever the Chief determines such procedure may be in the public or departmental interest.

VI. Military Leave

A. Any Civil Service employee who is a member of the National Guard or any other organized reserve of the United States Armed Forces shall be granted leave with pay for the duration of his/her training orders; and such leave shall not exceed eighty (80) working hours during one (1) calendar year.

B. All employees shall always be granted such leave for military purposes. After an employee has exhausted the eighty (80) paid hours, all additional time off on military leave of whatever duration during the remainder of that calendar year, shall be without pay. An employee may use vacation time, holiday time and/or an authorized shift swap in compliance with Section III for time which he/she would not otherwise be entitled to pay. Leaves granted for military service shall in no way affect annual leaves granted to employees. (Rule 1, Section 5, Bossier City Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board).

VII. Funeral Leave

Civil Service employees may take up to five (5) days off for the death of a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, mother-in-law or father-in-law, and up to three (3) days off for the death of a grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or other relative residing in the employee’s household. The employee may take one (1) day of funeral leave to attend a funeral in which he/she is a pallbearer. All funeral leave shall be at the discretion of the Division Commander and Executive Officer.

VIII. Special Leave With Pay, Without Pay or Reduced Pay

A. The Appointing Authority may, upon written request of any regular employee and with prior approval of the Civil Service Board, grant employees special leaves of absence for a period not to exceed eighteen (18) months whenever such leave may be granted with or without pay or with reduced pay as the circumstances may warrant, only with written approval of the Board. (Rule 1, Section 4.1, Bossier City Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board).

B. No employee shall be granted a leave of absence to seek employment outside the City service unless, in the opinion of the Appointing Authority, it is in the best interest of the City.

IX. Return from Leave of Absence, Extended Illness

A. In cases where leaves of absence are ninety (90) days or less, returning personnel are directed to check with the head of the training division for review of all policies and procedures which were issued during the leave time.

B. When leaves of absence are more than ninety (90) days in duration and less than one (1) year, the employee shall check with the head of training for all departmental policies and procedures issued during his/her absence. Also he/she shall be required to attend the next scheduled Retainer course at the Academy. Firearm qualification shall also be required before returning to duty. Employees returning from extended medical leaves may be required to submit to a physical examination from the City Physician prior to returning to duty.

X. Family Medical Leave

 

A. Each full-time employee of the classified service, after having served one (1) year, shall be entitled up to twelve (12) weeks of unpaid leave, without credit for departmental seniority, when appropriate documentation is supplied to the Appointing Authority for those reasons provided by Public Law 103-3 (Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993).

B. An employee shall be required to first exhaust any or all compensatory time and any or all accumulated leave time before being granted unpaid leave without seniority. A request for Family and Medical Leave of Absence must be submitted on City of Bossier Request for Leave Form (City of Bossier form Per-1). This form must be completed in detail, signed by the employee, submitted to the Chief's Office for approval and forwarded to the City Personnel Director. The form should be submitted thirty (30) days in advance of the effective leave date when possible and be in accordance with Bossier City Management Regulation 27-166.

XI. Vacation

A. Vacation time constitutes a prescribed number of work hours off, earned during the calendar year, depending on the length of service. This time is reported in hours. Vacation leave may be taken in not less than 4 hour increments.

B. All employees shall use at least one-half (1/2) of their earned vacation time by July 1st of the year in which they are eligible to take it.

1. Unless approved by the Appointing Authority, or designee, employees shall not carry over vacation days from one calendar year to the next calendar year.

2. Upon leaving employment (retirement, resignation, etc.), employees shall only be compensated for a maximum of thirty (30) days vacation.

C. Employees who become sick or are injured while on vacation shall be carried as on "sick leave" after presenting acceptable proof of sickness or injury.

D. Civil Service employees having completed one (1) year service shall receive one-hundred twenty (120) hours of paid vacation per year until the completion of the third year of service. After completion of three years of service, the employee shall receive one-hundred forty- four (144) hours of vacation. Thereafter, they shall receive eight (8) additional hours per year of service to a maximum of two-hundred forty (240) hours of vacation per year.

E. Employees with the greatest seniority of time in grade shall have the first choice of vacation, if they have made a request no later than January 31st of the vacation year. Time in grade is defined as continuous, unbroken service in the rank currently held. If a date has not been chosen within the prescribed time, vacation shall be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

F. Cancellation of any scheduled time off requires a duty release to void the original duty release and shall be submitted within two (2) working days of the canceled time off.

G. Any regular employee whose employment relations are terminated after the first twelve (12) months of any calendar year shall be given the full fifteen (15) days vacation leave. Any such employee whose services are terminated before the expiration of the first six (6) months of any respective calendar year shall not be given vacation leave for that year. Each such employee, whether his employment relations are terminated during the first or last half of a respective calendar year shall be given all vacation leave accrued and unused, if any, for the year preceding termination. If said relations are terminated because of the death of such

 

employee the amount of said leave shall be paid to the employee's spouse, if married, if not to the estate.

XII. Holiday

Civil Service employees receive seven (7) holidays per calendar year. This time is reported in hours. The holidays observed and the policy concerning the holidays shall be as follows:

A. Observed Legal Holidays

New Years Day Labor Day

Martin Luther King’s Birthday Memorial Day

Thanksgiving Day Independence Day

Christmas Day

B. Employees shall be allowed sixteen (16) hours off for each of the seven (7) observed holidays, with the exception of Martin Luther King’s Birthday for which eight (8) hours off shall be allowed. Holidays occurring during vacation leave shall not be counted as vacation time, and the employee’s Attendance Record shall reflect use of the holiday.

C. Holiday leave must be taken in not less than 4-hour increments.

D. Employees may be required to work on a holiday, but they shall be allowed to take sixteen (16) hours off for that holiday worked, with the exception of Martin Luther King’s Birthday, for which eight (8) hours off shall be allowed.

E. If an employee is on sick leave at the time of a legal holiday, then the employee shall forfeit that particular holiday. If an employee has already taken that particular holiday, then he/she shall forfeit the next scheduled holiday.

F. Holidays must be taken within the calendar year in which they fall. For example, an employee may not schedule a 1998 New Year’s Holiday to be taken in December, 1997. However, holidays may be carried over into the following year upon prior approval of the Division Commander.

G. Cancellation of any scheduled time off requires a duty release to void the original duty release and shall be submitted within two (2) working days of the canceled time off.

 

TO BE COMPLETED BY EMPLOYEE: SS#:___________________________________

Name of Patient:______________________________ Current Assignment:__________________________

Home Address:__________________________________________________________________________

Attending Physician:______________________________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________ Telephone Number:____________________

Bossier City Police Department

PHYSICIAN’S CERTIFICATE

Date: _____________________________ Employee’s Signature:___________________________________

TO BE COMPLETED BY PHYSICIAN:

Date of first examination for current illness/injury:__________________________________________________

Diagnosis:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What surgery was performed?:_________________________________________________________________

Date surgery performed:______________________________________________________________________

Is employee able to return to duty?: _____________________________________________________________

Prescribed Medications: ______________________________________________________________________

Employee is released to return to: Light Duty effective:__________________________________

Full Duty effective: _____________________________________

If unable to return to duty, approx. date of return: __________________________________________

Please advise regarding prognosis and treatment: __________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Date:__________________ Signature of Physician: ________________________________________

It is my responsibility to furnish the Bossier City Police Department or any of it’s representatives, any and all information, facts and particulars, requested in connection with my absence from work and to permit them, or anyone appointed by them, to examine all x-rays, or records regarding my physical condition or treatment. I authorize and request any and all of my physicians and hospitals to furnish all necessary information required by the department.


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