110 – Written Directives

I. Purpose

This policy establishes specific guidelines for written directives issued by Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).

II. Definitions

Department Policy (Policy): A broad statement describing HCSO’s philosophy on a given issue. Each policy is a reflection of HCSO’s overarching principles and values, shaped by relevant legal requirements, professional ethics, and community needs.

Executive Orders: Temporary directives issued by the Sheriff or chief deputy that create policies or modify or clarify existing policies. Executive orders carry the same authority as policies and are effective from the date they are issued to the date they are rescinded.

Policy & Planning Unit (Policy Unit): The unit responsible for creating the initial drafts of all policies and ensuring that all written directives are published in a uniform manner.

Policy Approval Committee (PAC): The group of HCSO employees responsible for the initial approval of all policies that must ultimately be approved by the Sheriff. The PAC shall be composed of the following members or their designees:
• Policy Unit Manager
• Legal Services Director
• Detentions Operations Command Assistant Chief
• Field Operations Command Assistant Chief
• Strategic Operations Command Assistant Chief
• Chief Deputy
• Chief of Staff

The PAC may act without unanimous approval by its members, but it may not act without the approval of the policy unit manager, legal services director, chief of staff, and either the chief deputy or an assistant chief.

Policy Review Committee (PRC): The group of HCSO employees responsible for the initial review of new or revised policies and regular review of all existing policies. The PRC shall be composed of five members, including three regular members and two ad-hoc members:
• The three regular members shall be designated by the division commander or equivalent civilian manager from the following assignments:
• Policy & Planning Unit
• Training Division
• Internal Affairs Division
• The two ad-hoc members shall be designated for their special knowledge or experience on the terms or implementation of the policy at issue:
• An SME — preferably the same SME who assisted in the drafting or revision of the policy at issue, but a new SME may be designated if that person is unavailable
• A division commander whose operations would be affected by the new or revised policy

Policy Website: The online home of HCSO’s written directives, located at HCSOPolicy.com. All written directives are published here. Policies and executive orders are available here for both HCSO employees and the public at large. SOPs published here are available only to HCSO employees.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): The approved method of performing a specific operation or task within the bounds of policy. In the event of a conflict between policy and an SOP, the policy always controls. An SOP differs from a policy in two primary ways:
• An SOP uses precise language to describe particular duties and processes; a policy uses general terms to set broad parameters.
• An SOP applies only to a particular command, bureau, or division; a policy applies across all of HCSO.

Subject-Matter Expert (SME): A person with real, practical knowledge and experience about what it takes to do a particular job. A person may be considered an SME regardless of their rank; the important factor is that their knowledge and experience is helpful in the crafting of written directives.

Written Directive: All written materials produced by HCSO that describe or define employee responsibilities or expectations. This includes but is not limited to executive orders, policies, and SOPs.

III. Policy

HCSO uses written directives to ensure compliance with all relevant local, state, and federal laws and to clearly and accurately describe internal processes.

IV. Procedure

Internal Legal Review and Publication for All Written Directives
1. All written directives issued by HCSO are subject to an internal legal review prior to publication.
2. After internal legal review and approval by the relevant chain of command, all written directives shall be published to the policy website by the Policy Unit.
Drafting, Approval, and Regular Review
Each of the three types of written directives issued by HCSO — executive orders, policies, and SOPs — has a distinct drafting, approval, and regular review process involving a distinct set of HCSO employees.
1. Executive Orders
  The Sheriff or chief deputy may designate a third party to draft the text of an executive order, but there is no need for additional approval or review.
  1. After the Sheriff or chief deputy approves an executive order, the executive order shall be numbered as follows: 01-2026 for the first executive order issued in 2026, 02-2026 for the second executive order issued in 2026, and so on.
  2. If an executive order does not provide a certain date for its effect to end, the Policy Unit is responsible for incorporating its language into policy and then coordinating with the Sheriff or chief deputy to rescind the executive order.
2. Policies
  The Policy Unit is responsible for overseeing the drafting, approval, and regular review of policies.
  1. Drafting
    1. Any HCSO employee may request a change in policy by submitting a completed Request for New or Revised Policy Form to [EMAIL REDACTED]. Bureau commanders, division directors, and those of higher rank may reach out to the Policy Unit informally to begin that process.
    2. After receiving a request, the Policy Unit shall contact an SME with relevant knowledge and experience to assist the Policy Unit.
    3. The Policy Unit shall prepare a complete draft of the new or revised policy with the advice of the SME on applicable procedural or technical matters.
    4. Once the Policy Unit has completed a draft of the new or revised policy, it shall contact a division commander with relevant knowledge and experience as well as a new SME if the original SME who assisted with the drafting is unavailable. Those two people will serve as the ad-hoc members of the PRC for that particular policy.
    5. The Policy Unit shall notify the PRC that a new draft is ready for review, send a copy of the draft to each member of the PRC, and schedule a time for the PRC to meet to discuss any questions or concerns about the draft. This meeting need not be in person, but should take place within two calendar weeks of the notification that a new draft is ready for review.
    6. After meeting with the PRC, the Policy Unit shall incorporate all necessary changes to the draft and prepare a clean version with which to begin the approval process.
  2. Approval
    1. The Policy Unit shall notify the PAC that a new draft is ready for approval, send a copy of the draft to each member of the PAC, and schedule a time for the PAC to meet to discuss any questions or concerns about the draft. This meeting shall be in person, and should take place within four calendar weeks of the notification that a new draft is ready for approval.
    2. After meeting with the PAC, the Policy Unit shall incorporate all necessary changes to the draft and prepare a clean version for the Sheriff’s final approval.
    3. The Policy Unit shall notify the Sheriff that a new draft is ready for their approval and send a copy of that draft to the Sheriff, Chief Deputy, and Chief of Staff. At the request of any of these three recipients, the Policy Unit will be available to discuss any questions or concerns they have about the draft.
    4. Upon the Sheriff’s approval, the Policy Unit shall publish the new or revised policy on HCSOPolicy.com and notify all employees of its publication.
  3. Regular Review
    The Policy Unit shall oversee the regular review of all policies and coordinate with the PRC to review each policy at least every two years. This process of regular review is intended to ensure continued compliance with Texas law and consistency with HCSO’s principles and values.
    Revisions or corrections to policies can be made at any time, however, and need not wait for biennial review.
  4. Conflicts between Policies
    In the event of a conflict between two policies, the policy that has been most recently amended shall control.
    Note: Any employee who believes they have discovered a conflict between two policies shall contact the Policy Unit as soon as is practicable to inform that unit of the potential conflict.
3. SOPs
  Each bureau, division, or unit may have different procedures for the drafting, approval, and regular review of SOPs, but all bureaus, divisions, and units must ensure four things before sending an SOP to the Policy Unit for internal publication:
  1. The SOP does not conflict with any existing policy.
  2. The bureau commander or their designee has approved the SOP. If the SOP affects more than one bureau, the assistant chief or their designee must also approve it.
  3. The internal legal review of the SOP has been completed.
  4. The SOP itself is in compliance with HCSO style and formatting standards.

V. Employee Compliance

All HCSO employees are responsible for knowing and complying with all written directives that affect their work at HCSO. This requires regular review of the policy website.
Newly created or revised written directives must be discussed at roll calls by supervisors in affected units.
The revision, amendment, or repeal of any written directive shall not affect the prior operation of that written directive. Any prior action taken under the written directive, or any previous violation of the written directive and any punishment or disciplinary action incurred or imposed in consequence of such violation will not be affected retroactively.

Revision

This policy has been revised on the below listed dates:

April 21, 2009

December 22, 2020

November 3, 2022

April 21, 2023

December 11, 2024

January 22, 2025 (Technical Changes)

May 20, 2025

February 6, 2026