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Your Voice - August 2017

Lou Turriaga

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As your Director, many issues come to my attention regarding various Department systems and functions, as well as adherence to policies and procedures. One issue that arises frequently is the Department’s use of the Training Evaluation and Management System (TEAMS) II. I encourage you to review the Department Manual Sections relevant to TEAMS II and to familiarize yourself with the various report views available and under what circumstances these reports can be used.

TEAMS II is a database whose development was mandated when the City of Los Angeles entered a Consent Decree with the United States Department of Justice on June 15, 2001. Paragraph 39 of the Consent Decree established the system as “… a database containing relevant information about its officers, supervisors, and managers to promote professionalism and best policing practices and to identify and modify at-risk behavior (also known as an early warning system).” The system allows supervisors and managers to view and analyze operational and personnel information pertinent to supervising and auditing employees, units, division and the Department. Per Special Order No. 23 issued in 2007, “TEAMS information shall be provided to those with a ‘need to know’ or ‘right to know’ that information; and, access to TEAMS information pertaining to individual employees shall be restricted in a manner such that those who are not empowered via a ‘need to know’ or ‘right to know’ that information are prohibited from accessing such information.”

Per the LAPD Manual, “Employees are reminded that any misuse or abuse of information contained within the Risk Management Information System (RMIS) or other TEAMS II Systems may result in disciplinary action.” LAPD Manual Section 3/405 outlines the Department’s policy regarding confidential files, documents, records and reports in the custody of Department employees. The unauthorized use of information obtained through employment with the Department can subject the employee to possible disciplinary action and/or criminal prosecution. This includes information obtained from manually stored records, as well as information obtained from automated records (e.g., RMIS).

Employees are responsible for reviewing their own TEAMS II Employee Summary Reports to ensure the information is accurate and complete. Should an employee find a discrepancy in his/her TEAMS II report, per the Department Manual, the employee “shall complete an Employee’s Report, Form 15.07.00, include a thorough description of the disputed information, attach any supporting documentation, and submit it to his/her commanding officer. The employee’s commanding officer shall conduct a preliminary investigation of the disputed information, and submit an Intradepartmental Correspondence, Form 15.02.00, to the commanding officer of the entity responsible for entering the information into TEAMS II, recommending that the information be corrected, if appropriate.”

It is important that you be aware of the various types of TEAMS II Reports that are available to users and what information is contained in those reports. Employees who are applying for a promotion/advanced paygrade position should ensure that they submit the correct TEAMS Report with their application. If you are in a supervisory position, it is imperative that you ensure you have the correct type of TEAMS II report for each employee depending on the reviewing/monitoring that you are conducting. Employees who are receiving applications for promotion/advanced paygrade positions should review the TEAMS Reports with each application to ensure that it is the correct version.

Per LAPD Manual:
1/668.04 TYPES OF TEAMS II REPORTS. The TEAMS II report provides Department employees with various degrees of personnel information, which is presented in different
report formats or views. In other words, each report format includes a different combination of personnel summary information appropriate for its specific use. The following is a list of available reports:
• Monitoring Purposes–Supervisory/Management Review. This contains all occurrences in each of the personnel summary information categories and is used by a supervisor or manager who is reviewing the activities of an assigned subordinate.
• Performance Review–Reference for Performance Evaluation. This is used as a reference when completing an employee’s performance evaluation. The system will prompt for the range of dates (only containing information for the period that is being evaluated, up to a 15-month history) to be reflected in the performance evaluation.
• Employee Request–Request of Employee’s Own TEAMS II Report. This is used when an employee wishes to review his/her own TEAMS II report and contains all occurrences in each of the personnel summary information categories.
• Promotion/Paygrade Advancement–Used by Interview Panel. This is used by a panel during the interview portion of the civil service or advanced paygrade selection process. This report is filtered to display only sustained and guilty complaints. Additionally, the report does not display sick or Injured on Duty (IOD) time.
• Final Selection Process/Transfer–For Commanding Officer’s Use. This is used by the commanding officer as a part of the final selection process for job opportunities and promotions once a candidate is placed in a selection pool. It is also used by a commanding officer when considering the transfer of an employee. The report is filtered to eliminate certain information as required by law.
• TEAMS Evaluation Report, Form 01.78.04–Used for personnel transferring into or loaned to Professional Standards Bureau (PSB), Force Investigation Division (FID), Gang Enforcement Detail (GED), Community Law Enforcement and Recovery (CLEAR) Program, Narcotics Enforcement Detail (NED), Gang and Narcotics Division (GND), Narco Section, or the position of Field Training Officer (FTO). The Department has established specific criteria for selecting sworn personnel to specialized or sensitive assignments. This information is to be used to ensure that all mandated selection criteria for these assignments are appropriately addressed.
• Disciplinary Review–Used for Complaint Investigations. This is used as part of the complaint investigation process and may be used during both the investigation and adjudication of a complaint. The report is filtered to display only the dispositions of complaints as allowed by law.
• Customized TEAMS II Report. Occasionally, a customized TEAMS II report may be required. Such requests may be made only by a Department employee at the rank of captain or above by contacting the Commanding Officer, Legal Affairs Division (LAD).
• Risk Management Executive Committee (RMEC) Profile Review.
• Professional Standards Bureau (PSB)/Force Investigation Division (FID)/Office of Inspector General (OIG) Review.
• Risk Management Information System Threshold View.