I. The process to reassign employees who are
temporarily unable to perform their regular duties
to limited-duty assignments is governed by this directive.

II. Employees shall not feign injury or illness
in an attempt to seek limited-duty assignments.

III. The Chief of Police shall make the final
determination for all limited-duty assignments.

DEFINITION

A. Limited-duty assignment: A temporary
assignment that provides an employee who is
unable to fulfill his or her regular duties
the opportunity to contribute to the department
while actively pursuing a transition to the
employee’s regular assignment. An officer who
accepts a limited-duty assignment shall also
accept the restriction of his or her police
authority in accordance with Policy 5.03,
RESTRICTION OF POLICE AUTHORITY.

B. Regular-duty assignment: The element
and chain of command to which an employee was
assigned directly prior to the employee’s
initial limited-duty assignment.
OPTIMUM UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES (OUR) SYSTEM

The department’s OUR system fills limited-duty
assignments with officers who have had injury/
illness claims accepted by the city’s Workers’
Compensation Branch, Department of Human Resources.
Therefore, sections III
and IV below that address qualifying and requesting
for limited-duty assignments do not apply to
employees who are processed through the OUR system.
However, all other sections of this directive that
govern limited-duty assignments (e.g., policy,
definition, assignments, supervision, attire, hours
of work, etc.) shall apply to all employees who are
placed in such assignments.

QUALIFYING FOR LIMITED DUTY

Employees may qualify for limited-duty assignments
if they are unable to fulfill their regularly assigned
duties as a result of work- or nonwork-related
circumstances that may include (but are not limited to):

A. Physical conditions;

B. Psychological conditions; and

C. Administrative reasons.

REQUESTING A LIMITED-DUTY ASSIGNMENT

A. Requests for limited-duty assignments
shall be made in writing and submitted via the
chain of command to the Chief of Police. Each
request shall include all of the following:

1. The requestor’s name, position, and current assignment;

2. The requested start and end date of the limited-duty assignment;

3. A justification for the request;

4. A detailed description of the physical, psychological,
or administrative restrictions; and

5. Any supporting documentation, such as doctors’
reports, court documents, or administrative reports.

B. While awaiting the decision for the request,
the employee’s bureau chief may place the employee
in an interim, limited-duty position. Tasks required
of this position shall comply with the restrictions
on the employee’s limited-duty request.

C. Upon reviewing the request, the Chief of
Police shall grant or deny the limited-duty
assignment based on considerations that may include
(but are not limited to) the following:

1. Justification of the request;

2. Availability of an assignment;

3. Length of the limited duty;

4. Safety of employees; and

5. Effect on the operations of the police department.

D. If the restrictions for the limited-duty
assignment request are changed, the employee shall
submit an updated request, via the chain of command,
to the Chief of Police for approval.

E. The Chief of Police can discontinue an
employee’s limited-duty assignment at any time.

ASSIGNMENTS

An employee whose limited-duty request has been
approved shall be placed in a limited-duty assignment as follows:

A. The employee’s bureau chief shall make the
assignment in accordance with the restrictions on the request.

B. Regular-duty commanders shall notify their
bureau chiefs when an employee’s limited-duty
assignment approaches six months. The notification
shall be made at least two weeks before the end of each
six-month period.

C. At the end of every six months, the
employee’s regular-duty bureau chief shall be
responsible for evaluating the employee for the
continuation of limited duty. If the employee
needs to continue in a limited-duty assignment,
the employee should be placed in another element.

SUPERVISION

The element to which the employee on limited duty
is assigned shall be responsible for supervising
the employee and complying with this policy.

ATTIRE

A. Employees assigned to limited duty shall
wear appropriate civilian attire as outlined by departmental policy.

B. Metropolitan police recruits assigned to
limited duty shall wear the police recruit uniform.

HOURS OF WORK

A. Employees on limited duty shall be assigned
to work a five-day, eight-hours-a-day work schedule.

B. Employees on limited duty shall not work
any overtime or holidays except to attend court, if necessary.

C. Provisions of this section may be temporarily
waived by the assistant chief of the employee’s limited-duty assignment.

COURT ATTENDANCE, SPECIAL DUTY, AND OFF-DUTY EMPLOYMENT

A. Employees on limited duty shall attend court,
as directed by subpoena, dressed in appropriate civilian attire.

B. Employees on limited duty shall not work special duty.

C. Employees on limited duty may work at their
off-duty employment. Performing tasks at their
off-duty employment that are listed as restrictions
in their limited-duty requests may be grounds for
revoking an employee’s limited-duty status.

LENGTH OF LIMITED DUTY

A. The approval of the initial limited-duty
assignment shall not exceed 18 months from the date
indicated on the initial request.

B. A request for an extension of a maximum of
six months may be submitted as described below.

C. At no time shall a limited-duty assignment exceed 24 months.

FILING FOR AN EXTENSION

A. The employee may submit an extension to
continue the limited-duty assignment. The request
shall be in writing via the chain of command to the
Chief of Police. The request for an extension
shall include all of the following:

1. A copy of the initial limited-duty request;

2. The name, position, and current limited-duty assignment;

3. A justification for the request;

4. A detailed, updated description of the physical,
psychological, personal, or administrative restrictions; and

5. Any documentation, such as doctors’ reports,
court documents, or administrative reports.

B. The request for the extension must be
submitted at least 30 calendar days prior to
the end of the employee’s current limited-duty
assignment. Failure to comply with this time
requirement may result in the denial of the request.

C. The employee’s supervisor shall submit
a request to the Chief of Police to have the
employee’s employment status evaluated. The
assessment may include (but is not limited to) the following:

1. Job placement;

2. Medical retirement; and

3. Failure to meet minimum qualifications.

D. The Chief of Police shall review the
requests and approve or disapprove the extension
and/or employment-status evaluation. Upon review,
the reports shall be forwarded to the Human Resources Division (HRD).

E. The HRD shall initiate letters informing
the supervisor’s employee of the approval or
disapproval of the extension and providing an employment-status evaluation.

F. If the extension is denied but the employee
is not able to return to full duty, the employee
shall be immediately placed on an appropriate leave.

TERMINATION OF LIMITED-DUTY ASSIGNMENT

A. The limited-duty assignment shall end
whenever the employee is able to return
to full duty. The employee shall then return
to the employee’s regular-duty assignment.

B. When an employee’s limited-duty assignment
period ends and the employee is not able to return
to full duty, the employee shall immediately be
placed on an appropriate leave.

1. The employee’s supervisor shall immediately
submit a request to the HRD for an evaluation of the
employment status of the employee, such as job
placement, medical retirement, or failure to meet
minimum qualifications (if not previously submitted).

2. If an employee fails to meet the minimum
qualifications of his or her position, the employee
may be terminated. The protocol outlined in Policy
3.45, FAILURE TO MEET MINIMUM JOB REQUREMENTS, shall be followed.