Guidelines

CSC Badges

Guidelines

  • Number: 563-1
  • Date: 2005-10-06
  • Issued under the authority of the Assistant Commissioner, Policy Planning and Coordination

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PREAMBLE

  1. The image of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is directly linked to the professionalism and comportment of its personnel. The issuance of a badge and its corresponding identification (ID) card represent the commitment to a deportment meriting the confidence of the Government of Canada.
  2. In recognition of our partnership with other elements of the criminal justice system, and in addition to the authority to designate staff as peace officers, staff may be authorized by the Commissioner or Senior Deputy Commissioner to receive a badge in accordance with these guidelines.

OBJECTIVES

  1. To establish the requirements and procedures for the creation, issuance, storage (returned or retired badges) of a uniquely-numbered badge and corresponding ID card for authorized individuals of the Service.
  2. Badges will be issued to authorized individuals only.
  3. To ensure that CSC employees who are authorized to have a CSC badge use it in a consistent manner that reflects positively on themselves and on the Service. The deportment and appearance of the authorized individual will reflect the professionalism of all Service personnel and the effectiveness of the Service in fulfilling its mandate.
  4. To appropriately identify specific CSC personnel to our criminal justice partners and permit the easy identification of those individuals by inmates, other staff and the general public.

AUTHORITIES AND CROSS-REFERENCES

  1. Corrections and Conditional Release Act, ss. 3, 4, 5, 10, 97 and 98.
  2. Commissioner's Directive 003 - Peace Officer Designations.
  3. Commissioner's Directive 060 - Code of Discipline (and related Standards of Professional Conduct).
  4. Commissioner's Directive 563 - Departmental Identification Cards.
  5. Commissioner's Directive 566-1- Control of Entry to and Exit from Institutions.
  6. Guidelines 351-1 - CSC Uniforms, Dress Code and Scale of Issue

DEFINITIONS

  1. CSC badge: a controlled item issued under these guidelines, which is uniquely numbered and must be fully accounted for at all times throughout its life cycle.
  2. Departmental Security Officer: is the senior manager at NHQ responsible for establishing and directing Departmental Security, the program that ensures co-ordination of all policy functions and implementation of policy requirements, as per Section 10.1 "Security Program" of the Government Security Policy.
  3. Authorized Individual: is an "authorized person" employed by CSC at the CX 1, 2, 3 or 4 level and any other individual who is authorized for issuance of a badge by the Commissioner or Senior Deputy Commissioner.
  4. VIP: the Visual Identification Processor program, approved software which is used for the production of all CSC identification, including photographs.
  5. Identification (ID) card: a wallet size card containing the individual's photograph and authorized data.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. The Departmental Security Officer (DSO) shall be responsible for approving the design and standards for all proposed identification methods and materiel including the CSC Badge.
  2. The Departmental Security Division at NHQ is responsible for the integrity and safeguarding of the badges prior to their issuance and for establishing the procedures and processes for their storage and distribution in all regions.
  3. Technical Services Branch at NHQ is responsible for the production of the numbered badges in accordance with the approved design and manufacturing criteria.
  4. The institutional head, or person-in-charge for any facility other than an institution, shall ensure that all authorized individuals comply with these guidelines.
  5. The institutional head, or his/her delegate, or the person-in-charge for any facility other than an institution, shall issue each CSC badge and ID card, and shall ensure the safeguarding of these items when they have been temporarily withdrawn from service, in accordance with paragraph 26.
  6. Procurement of materials necessary to produce the CSC Badge and initial corresponding ID card is the responsibility of NHQ. All Identification card renewals will be the responsibility of the institution and/or region.
  7. All authorized individuals must carry, in the wallet provided, both their ID card and their badge at all times while on duty or when involved in CSC-sanctioned activities.

PRINCIPLES

  1. Badges are issued to "authorized individuals" only and are an indication of the employee's status and responsibilities.
  2. Non-issued badges, and those which have been surrendered/returned for any reason, are to be stored in an approved security container equipped with an approved key or combination padlock.
  3. The CSC badge and corresponding ID card must be presented upon request as per directive 566-1, Control of Entry to and Exit from Institutions.
  4. The mere existence/presentation of a CSC badge and/or approved ID card does not automatically guarantee provision of access to a site, facility, area or office. Local access control procedures will prevail.
  5. A badge shall only be used for sanctioned CSC activities. It shall not be used at any other time.
  6. Improper use of the CSC badge constitutes an infraction under the department's Standards of Professional Conduct, among others.

REQUIREMENTS

  1. An ID card, corresponding to the numbered badge shall be issued, in the appropriate format as per CD 563.
  2. A badge issued to an authorized individual shall remain in the employee's possession until they no longer occupy the position of an "authorized individual".
  3. The badge is the property of CSC and, as such, must be returned upon request of the institutional head, or person-in-charge for any facility other than an institution, when an employee no longer has the need for it, whether by appointment or assignment to a CSC position where a badge is not authorized for use, or through leaving the Service permanently, or even temporarily (i.e. - long-term leave, secondment, while under suspension, etc.).
  4. Personnel who no longer meet the definition of an authorized individual, or who are suspended pending a disciplinary investigation, must surrender their badge and corresponding ID card to the institutional head, or his/her delegate, or the person-in-charge for any facility other than an institution.
  5. When a badge is surrendered, a new ID card, not associated to a badge, must be issued by the facility in accordance with CD 563. The issuance of a new ID card is not required when the employee is under suspension.
  6. A temporarily surrendered badge and corresponding ID card will be re-issued to the employee upon return to his/her substantive position or another authorized officer position, at the end of the secondment or absence.
  7. Should the employee not return to an authorized officer position, or the badge is otherwise permanently surrendered, the badge must be returned to NHQ for re-issuance to another authorized individual.
  8. Employees with a minimum of 20 years of service as authorized individuals are entitled to receive a replica badge stamped "Retired", upon leaving CSC, in commemoration of their service. Under exceptional circumstances, the Commissioner has the discretionary power to retire a badge.
  9. Recruits will be issued a badge, with their ID card, upon appointment to an authorized officer position in accordance with paragraphs 16 and 31.

PROCEDURES

  1. Form CSC/SCC 0962 must be completed on the commencement of duty and at the start of any extension for non-indeterminate personnel prior to being issued a CSC badge and associated ID card.
  2. Section 2 of Form CSC/SCC 0962 concerning the access privileges may not apply to all sites as the form is designed to accommodate both ID and access control card requirements.
  3. Under issuance of any new badges and associated ID cards, the person responsible for production at the facility must update the information in the VIP and ensure that a new photograph of the authorized person is included if the existing photograph has not been updated within the previous twelve (12) month period.
  4. The photograph of the individual shall be full colour showing the full face, head and upper shoulders, and shall be sized to occupy as much of the frame as possible. The employee must wear his/her uniform if one has been issued.
  5. The "Correctional Officer" option must be selected in VIP when producing the authorized individual's ID card. This selection will automatically generate the unique number corresponding to a badge.
  6. For authorized individuals as per paragraph 15 of these guidelines, the original of form CSC/SCC 0962, signed by the employee's manager, is to be forwarded to Departmental Security Division at NHQ. A copy should also be retained at the issuing site.
  7. For first-time recipients of a badge, upon receipt of the form at NHQ, a new ID card corresponding to the numbered badge will be produced and returned, along with a wallet and the badge, to the institutional head, or person-in-charge for any facility other than an institution, who will be responsible for ensuring sign-off of the form and issuance of the badge and ID card.
  8. The authorized individual must sign to acknowledge receipt of the badge and ID card as well as to indicate his / her agreement to respect the guidelines on the use of the badge. This document will be retained on the employee's personal file.
  9. The institutional head, or person-in-charge for any facility other than an institution, is responsible for ensuring the implementation of procedures referred to in paragraphs 33, 34, 37, 47 and 49.
  10. Permanently surrendered badges are to be returned to the Departmental Security Division at NHQ for re-issuance to new authorized individuals.
  11. Since the badge is a controlled item, individuals who have been issued a badge are responsible for its care and custody and may be held financially responsible and accountable for theft, damage or loss.
  12. Should theft, damage or loss occur, the badge holder must immediately complete and sign a report and provide it to the SIO at the institution.
  13. The Departmental Security Division at NHQ must be informed of the damage, theft or loss of the badge and corresponding ID Card.

A/Assistant Commissioner,
Correctional Operations and Programs

Original signed by:

Fraser McVie

 

For more information

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