(a) Each municipal police department and county sheriffâs department, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and the University of California and California State University Police Departments shall, on or before January 1, 2027, develop, adopt, and implement written policies and standards to promote safe, consistent, and effective service, implementation, and enforcement of court protection and restraining orders that include firearm access restrictions, including, but not limited to, civil harassment restraining orders, criminal protective orders, domestic violence restraining orders, emergency protective orders, juvenile restraining orders, postsecondary school violence restraining orders, workplace violence restraining orders, and elder or dependent adult abuse restraining orders other than orders described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (u) of Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code related to financial abuse. (b) The policies and standards developed pursuant to this section shall ensure that the agency consistently complies with the requirements of California laws governing service and enforcement of protection and restraining orders and governing relinquishment of firearms by individuals who are armed and subject to those court orders, including new mandates and responsibilities placed on law enforcement agencies pursuant to Chapter 242 of the Statutes of 2023 and Chapter 544 of the Statutes of 2024. (c) In developing these policies and standards, the law enforcement agency shall also review and update existing protocols, policies, or standards pertaining to protection or restraining orders and law enforcement responses to domestic violence incidents to ensure these relevant protocols, policies, and standards are consistent with one another and current law and to ensure that they provide consistent and accessible guidance to law enforcement officers. (d) The policies and standards shall provide a standard agency process for law enforcement to serve the order against a restrained person in a timely manner and ensure the agency consistently complies with the requirements of California law governing service of protection and restraining orders, including pursuant to Section 6383 of the Family Code and Section 527.12 of the Code of Civil Procedure. These policies and standards shall ensure that officers who have served protection or restraining orders consistently accomplish all of the following steps as soon as possible and within one business day of serving the order: (1) Completing the appropriate proof of service form developed by the Judicial Council for the protection or restraining order. (2) Filing the proof of service form with the court. (3) Ensuring proof of service information is entered into the California Restraining and Protective Order System through the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to record that the order has been served on the restrained person. (e) The policies and standards shall ensure that officers effectuate firearm relinquishment at the time of service by requesting, at the time of service, that the restrained person immediately and safely relinquish to the officerâs control any firearms, ammunition, body armor, and other prohibited items in the restrained personâs possession or control, or subject to the restrained personâs possession or control. The policies and standards should ensure officers consistently accomplish the following steps upon serving a protection or restraining order: (1) Notify the restrained person that they are required to immediately transfer all firearms and prohibited items they possess or control to the officer serving the order. (2) Request that the restrained party immediately transfer to the officer, safely and unloaded, any firearms or other prohibited items they possess or control. (3) Conduct a lawful search as necessary for the protection of the officer or other individuals present and take custody of any firea
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