Health Care Department Operations Manual

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Chapter 5 – Administrative

Article 5 – Business Services

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5.5.2 Building Security and Access

  • Policy

    • California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS), Business Operations Section (BOS), shall manage physical building security and access including: access cards, physical keys, security cameras, security guards, panic buttons, and intrusion alarms for physical properties occupied by CCHCS.  Building access shall be restricted and security shall be closely monitored to ensure the safety and well-being of all staff (including contractors) and visitors.

  • Applicability

    • This policy applies to all staff and visitors on physical property where building security or access is monitored or managed by the BOS.

  • Procedure

    • Building Security

      • Staff shall carry their California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) identification badge and building access card on their person at all times.

      • Staff shall present their CDCR identification badge when entering a secured area where security guards or reception staff are stationed.

      • Staff or visitors without a valid CDCR identification badge shall sign in as a visitor and be escorted by a staff member with a valid CDCR identification badge while in the building.

      • Staff shall immediately report all security incidents or perceived threats to the BOS by calling (916) 691-3002 during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding State holidays, or (916) 691-3099 outside of normal operating hours.

      • Staff shall ensure that doors close and completely latch behind them when entering or exiting a door within a CCHCS property.

      • Staff shall not hold, prop open, or otherwise prevent any exterior or interior door from closing on CCHCS properties.

      • Staff shall not tamper with, bypass, or circumvent card readers electronically or physically to gain unauthorized entry into a secure area.

    • Building Access

      • To request a new access card, temporary access card, access modification, or access card reactivation, staff shall submit a manager-approved Service Request Form through the CCHCS Service Portal.  The form is available at the following link: Business Operations – Service Request Form.pdf – All Documents (sharepoint.com)

      • Requests for 24/7, after-hours, weekend access, and access for institution staff or non-CDCR/CCHCS staff must be approved by the requesting program’s Deputy Director, or designee.

      • Requests for access to restricted areas (i.e., non-general access areas) shall be approved by the Deputy Director, or designee, responsible for the oversight of the program located within the restricted area.

      • All access requests are subject to BOS management review.

      • Staff shall sign for their own access card upon receipt.

        • Elk Grove Campus and Sacramento Office staff shall retrieve access cards from the BOS located at Building C in Elk Grove, California.

        • Regional Offices staff shall retrieve access cards from their designated onsite BOS representative.

      • Staff shall not knowingly provide access to anyone who does not possess an access card, CDCR identification badge, or have the necessary access permissions to enter a secured area.

      • Staff shall not share usage of their assigned access card with other staff or visitors for any reason.

      • Lost, stolen, or damaged access cards shall be reported to the BOS immediately through the CCHCS Service Portal via the following link: https://cchcsprod.servicenowservices.com/sp?sysparm_stack=no

        • In the event of a lost, stolen, or damaged access card, a temporary access card shall be issued for a period of no longer than five business days.

        • Staff shall pay a replacement fee of $5.00 to CDCR Accounting.

        • The BOS shall issue a replacement access card once proof of payment has been provided.

      • Staff shall immediately return all found or recovered access cards to the BOS.

        • Staff shall not be reimbursed for access card replacement fees if the access card is located after the replacement fee has been paid.

      • Access cards that have not been used to gain entry for a period of 30 calendar days may be suspended by the BOS.

      • Upon staff separation/termination from CDCR/CCHCS, supervisors and managers shall be responsible for the collection of access cards and physical keys no later than the date of separation/termination from employment and shall return access cards and physical keys to the BOS.

        • Upon staff termination, termination notices or memorandums shall be routed to the BOS. 

        • Access card deactivation requests shall be submitted through the CCHCS Service Portal. Access cards and/or physical keys shall be returned to the BOS the day following the staff’s separation date as follows:

          • For staff located at the Elk Grove Campus, return to the BOS located at: Building C, 1st floor, Suite 100, via interoffice mail.

          • For staff located at CCHCS Regional Offices, return to the onsite BOS representative.

          • For staff located at Depot Park, Central Fill Pharmacy, or institutions, return via interoffice mail to the BOS located at the Elk Grove Campus: Building C, 1st floor, Suite 100, or mailed to the following P.O. Box.

            • Attn: Business Operations Section
              Building C, Suite 100
              P.O. Box 588500
              Elk Grove, CA  95758-8500

    • Physical Keys

      • To request physical keys to an office or cubicle, staff shall submit a manager-approved Service Request Form through the CCHCS Service Portal.

      • A Key Control Log for each CCHCS location shall be retained by the BOS to track the issuance of physical keys.

      • Staff shall sign for their own physical keys upon receipt.

        • Elk Grove Campus and Sacramento Offices staff shall retrieve physical keys from the BOS located at Building C in Elk Grove, California.

        • Regional Offices staff shall retrieve physical keys from their designated onsite BOS representative.

      • Upon receiving the requested physical key, staff shall sign and acknowledge receipt of the physical key on the Key Control Log provided by the BOS.

      • Staff shall not duplicate, distribute, destroy, or transfer ownership of physical keys.

      • Managers/supervisors shall be responsible for returning physical keys to the BOS which are assigned to their staff the following day after relocation or separation of staff.

    • Panic Buttons

      • Panic buttons shall only be activated by staff in the event of:

        • A life-threatening emergency.

        • A situation necessitating immediate armed emergency response.

        • A situation where it is impractical or unsafe for staff to use a telephone.

      • Acceptable criteria for activating a panic button shall be as follows:

        • Obvious criminal activity and/or workplace violence situation.

        • Serious disturbances by an individual or group.

      • Upon pressing a panic button, and only when it is safe to do so, staff shall:

        • Dial 9-9-1-1 to provide further details of the emergency and additional information which may assist emergency response personnel in quickly resolving the situation.

        • Contact the BOS emergency line at (916) 691-3099 to provide further details such as the reason for the panic button activation and the location where the emergency response personnel are required.

      • In the event that a panic button is pressed accidentally, immediately contact the BOS customer support line at (916) 691-3002 to provide notification of the mistake and to cancel emergency response.

    • Intrusion Alarms

      • Physical properties occupied by CCHCS have intrusion alarms which are armed between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., Monday through Friday, and 24-hours a day on Saturdays, Sundays, and State holidays.

      • Staff shall not touch, tamper with, modify, or clear alarms on intrusion alarm panels unless authorized to do so, in any form of writing, electronic, or otherwise from the BOS.

      • Staff with an access card provided by the BOS will not set off intrusion alarms when entering or exiting the building as building access cards will bypass intrusion alarms for a period of 60 seconds upon a successful card read on the card reader.

      • Staff shall not hold, prop, or otherwise prevent doors from closing.  A door which is held open for 60 seconds or longer will activate intrusion alarms.

      • Staff shall ensure that, when entering or exiting, the door properly closes and latches behind them to prevent activating an intrusion alarm accidentally or creating an unnecessary security issue.

      • Staff shall immediately report an intrusion alarm incident by calling the BOS emergency line at (916) 691-3099, upon becoming aware of the intrusion alarm.

      • Non-BOS staff shall not contact intrusion alarm monitoring companies or local law enforcement directly to cancel the dispatch of emergency responders.

  • Revision History

    • Effective: 01/2018
      Revised: 12/2020