108 – Supervisory Authority & Responsibilities

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I. Purpose

This policy outlines the authority and responsibilities of supervisors within the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and establishes guidelines for those employees being supervised to ensure the proper functioning of HCSO’s chain of command.

II. Definitions

Acting Authority: The authority of a supervisor to issue orders to employees of lower rank even when that supervisor is not in the employees’ direct chain of command.

Command Authority: The authority an employee of any rank may have when they are the primary unit on the scene. For example, a deputy who is the primary responding unit on a call has the command authority to direct other responding units to carry out supporting tasks and responsibilities until or unless a supervisor or other unit takes over that authority.

Chain of Command: Chain of command is the hierarchy of leadership that begins with the employee’s immediate supervisor and ends with the Sheriff.

Command Staff Members: Those employees including chief deputy, chief of staff, assistant chiefs, majors, and any professional staff holding equivalent supervisory responsibilities.

Dating Relationship: For purposes of this policy, a dating relationship means a continuing relationship of romantic or intimate nature. A casual acquaintanceship or ordinary fraternization in a business or social context does not constitute a dating relationship.

Family or Family Member: For purposes of this policy, an employee’s family is a broad category of relationships by blood and marriage made up of the following family members:

  • Current and former spouses,
    • Biological parents of the employee’s children, regardless of their relationship status with the employee,
    • Biological and adopted children,
    • Stepchildren,
    • Foster children and foster parents,
    • Parents,
    • Stepparents,
    • Siblings,
    • Stepsiblings,
    • Grandparents,
    • Grandchildren,
    • Aunts,
    • Uncles,
    • Nieces,
    • Nephews,
    • Cousins,
    • Parents of the employee’s spouse, and
    • Spouses of the employee’s children.

    Official Communication: Written communication pertaining to activities, duties, tasks, or responsibilities undertaken by an individual in their authorized capacity as an HCSO employee and forwarded through the chain of command. Official communication is distinct from communication pertaining to personal or unofficial matters.

    Prohibited Dating Relationship: A dating relationship prohibited under the terms of this policy.

    Reporting Subordinate: An employee located below and assigned directly, or through the chain of command, to a second employee.

    Unlawful Order: An order that violates federal state, or local statutes. All unlawful orders are violations of HCSO policy.

III. Policy

To function effectively, HCSO must ensure that supervisors understand the scope of their authority over the personnel in their command and that all employees understand their responsibility to obey all lawful orders from supervisors and those with acting authority — regardless of whether those orders come from supervisors in the employee’s direct chain of command.

IV. Procedure

  1. Chain of Command
    1. Each employee is responsible for knowing the identity of their immediate supervisor and any immediate subordinates.
    2. There may be situations when a supervisor gives an order to an employee even though the supervisor is not in that employee’s direct chain of command. In instances of acting authority such as this, the employee shall still obey all lawful orders.
    3. A reserve deputy of any rank may not exercise any supervisory authority over full-time, regular deputies unless previously authorized by the Sheriff or Chief Deputy.
  2. Official Communication
    1. All official communication addressed to the Sheriff shall be forwarded through the chain of command with the least possible delay. Each supervisor in the chain of command shall initial such communication before forwarding it.
    2. No person other than the chief deputy has the authority to stop or otherwise detain any official communication, and this authority of the chief deputy is limited to official communication addressed to the Sheriff that has already moved through the chain of command to reach the chief deputy.
  3. Obedience to Orders
    1. An employee shall not willfully disregard any lawful order from their direct supervisor or another supervisor with acting authority.
    2. If a supervisor cannot directly transmit an order to the intended employees, they may delegate another employee of equal or lesser rank to transmit the order to the intended employees.
      1. Upon receiving such an order, an employee shall obey the order as if it had been issued directly from the supervisor.
      2. A supervisor who delegates transmission of an order in this manner is responsible for confirming the order was properly conveyed by their delegated employee and that the intended employees carried out the order.
  4. Conflicting Orders
    1. If an employee acting under an order from one supervisor receives a conflicting order from another supervisor, then:
      1. Such conflict shall be discretely and respectfully brought to the attention of the supervisor who issued the most recent order.
      2. If the most recent order is not rescinded, the employee shall obey them. In doing so, the employee shall not be held accountable for the failure to obey the original order.
      3. The supervisor who issued the most recent order is responsible for notifying the supervisor who gave the original orders and justifying the decision to overrule the original orders.
  5. Unlawful Orders
    1. Any employee who reasonably, and in good faith, believes they have received an unlawful order has the right to refuse that order.
    2. The employee shall discretely and respectfully inform the supervisor who issued the order that they will not obey the order and their reasons for refusing.
    3. If there is a subsequent investigation to determine why the order was not obeyed, the employee shall be responsible for establishing that the order was unlawful under the circumstances.
  6. Supervisory Responsibility
    1. A supervisor shall know and understand their areas of responsibility and the objectives to be achieved by the organizational unit under their command. Well-stated goals shall ensure consistent operational decisions.
    2. The supervisor must have confidence both in themselves and the personnel under their command to delegate authority appropriately. However, the supervisor must remember that the responsibility for accomplishing assigned tasks always remains with the supervisor and cannot be delegated.
    3. Supervision requires effective communication skills. Personnel being supervised must understand exactly what is expected of them. Optimally, there should be no ambiguous job or task descriptions.
    4. Personnel under a supervisor’s command must understand the parameters or limitations under which they work and the extent of their authority — if any — to make operational decisions.
    5. Supervisors shall provide accurate and timely feedback at all stages of an assigned task to ensure that:
      1. The personnel under their command know that the supervisor is aware of what they are doing,
      2. The personnel under their command know that the supervisor is aware of how the task is being performed,
      3. Mistakes are corrected immediately,
      4. Positive reinforcement is provided immediately, and
      5. Modifications to task performance or task objectives may be made as required.
    6. Supervisors must understand that personnel may make mistakes while performing job assignments. Depending on the severity, mistakes and errors of judgment made in good faith may be considered primarily as a training opportunity rather than the basis for disciplinary action.
    7. Each supervisor must determine the point at which repetitive mistakes cease to be opportunities for training, coaching, or counseling and instead become problems that must be resolved through other measures.
    8. A supervisor is not relieved of accountability and responsibility for the completion of assigned tasks by personnel under their command simply because they are not physically present.
    9. In interacting with personnel under their command, supervisors shall act in a professional, equitable, and consistent manner.
    10. A supervisor shall ensure that all applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures are followed by all personnel. Line inspections shall be a regular activity to ensure employees are acting in concert with the agency’s requirements involving personal appearance, use and maintenance of equipment, and adherence to directives and policies.
    11. While on duty, a supervisor has the responsibility to prevent or correct any violation of department policy that they observe, regardless of whether those policy violations are committed by employees under their direct command.
      1. If a supervisor witnesses an employee commit such a policy violation, they shall immediately correct the employee’s actions — without foreclosing disciplinary action at a later date.
      2. The witnessing supervisor shall follow up with the employee’s direct supervisor as soon as practicable to inform them of the employee’s actions and to make a recommendation on whether disciplinary action would be appropriate.
    12. Supervisors are expected to serve as role models whose behavior should be emulated by personnel under their command. For this reason, all supervisors shall conduct themselves in a professional manner while on duty or while engaged in any other HCSO or law-enforcement-related activities.
    13. All supervisors shall conduct themselves in accordance with the standards set by these policies.
  7. Command Authority

    Upon arrival at a scene any supervisor of senior rank may take command of the situation by notifying the acting supervisor of this action.

  8. Supervisor-Subordinate Relationships
    1. At all times, supervisors shall maintain professional relationships with all personnel under their command. To that end, supervisors shall not flirt with, have physical contact with, or send sexually oriented communications to personnel under their command.
    2. Prohibited Dating Relationships
      1. Dating relationships between supervisors and personnel under their command is strictly prohibited.
      2. A supervisor of any rank shall not have a dating relationship with any other employee assigned to the same division, unit, or office. This prohibition expands as the supervisor’s rank increases.

        Example One: A sergeant shall not have a dating relationship with any employee assigned to their division.

        Example Two: A major shall not have a dating relationship with any employee assigned to their bureau.

    3. Addressing Prohibited Dating Relationships
      1. If a prohibited dating relationship arises, both involved employees shall immediately inform the immediate supervisor of the higher-ranking employee in the relationship.
      2. Upon being informed of the prohibited dating relationship, the informed supervisor shall recommend through official communication to their own supervisor that one or both involved employees be moved to new positions so that the dating relationship complies with this policy.
    4. If, at any time, a dating relationship between employees becomes unwelcome, adversely affects any employee’s work environment, safety, the safety of others, or violates any other provision of this policy or other HCSO policies, HCSO shall take necessary remedial action.
    5. Employees who share a residence or are family under the terms of this policy are prohibited from working in the same division or under the same chain of command unless one of the following conditions exists or the situation has been approved in writing by the Sheriff or their designee:
      1. Separation of the employees by at least three ranks and a working relationship that involves no direct supervision,
      2. Separation of the employees by shift (i.e., days, evenings, nights), or
      3. Separation of the employees by work site (i.e., different HCSO facilities).

        Note: Any additional exceptions to this subsection must be approved in writing by the Sheriff or their designee.

Revision

This policy has been revised on the below listed dates:

April 21, 2009

June 15, 2021

September 29, 2025 (Now incorporates former # 401- Command Situations and #248- Supervisor-Subordinate Relational Disclosure)

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