Informal Inquiries. For purposes of this Article, the term “informal inquiry” shall mean a meeting between a supervisor or manager and an employee against whom an allegation has been made, or to discuss the facts of a given situation to determine whether or not there should be a formal investigation. By definition, an informal inquiry is preliminary in nature, and takes place prior to a determination as to whether the situation warrants the issuance of discipline. Informal inquiries will generally be used by Lieutenants, Captains, and District Chiefs for fact finding in the field. The parties agree that such inquiries should not be hindered by unnecessary procedural formality. However, nothing in this Section shall prohibit or restrict informal fact finding inquiries by Division Chiefs and above, provided appropriate due process protections as set forth herein are provided upon request of the employee.
Informal Inquiries. The employer will be permitted to conduct “informal inquiries,” and thereby avoid the requirement of a “formal investigation,” but only under the following circumstances:
A. An “informal inquiry” normally relates to matter of a routine and non-criminal nature.
B. It shall normally be conducted by the employee’s immediate supervisor or other Fire Department management, in a one-on-one setting during the employee’s regularly scheduled working time and at the regularly assigned duty Station.
C. It shall be conducted without a verbatim (taped or otherwise) record made of the inquiry, except by mutual consent.
D. If a law enforcement agency has initiated any of the charges, the employee shall be so advised.
E. During the inquiry or an investigation which the employer deems an informal inquiry, the employee has the right (at any time) to have the inquiry halted and treated as a formal investigation.
Informal Inquiries. The employer will be permitted to conduct “informal inquiries”, and thereby avoid the requirements of a “formal investigation”, but only under the following circumstances.
A. An “informal inquiry” normally relates to matters of a routine and non-criminal nature.
B. It shall normally be conducted by the employee’s immediate supervisor, in a one- to-one setting, during the employee’s regularly scheduled working time and at his regularly assigned duty station. An informal inquiry may also be conducted by telephone by staff personnel, especially in cases of telephone inquiries by private citizens about a recent incident/alarm. Such telephone inquiries will normally be during duty hours and shall not be initiated by S.I.S. staff.
C. It shall be conducted without a verbatim (taped or otherwise) record made of the inquiry except by mutual consent.
D. If a law enforcement agency has initiated any of the charges, the employee shall be so advised.
E. At the outset of the inquiry or the investigation, which the employer deems an informal inquiry, the employee shall immediately be informed of his right at any time to have the inquiry halted and treated as a formal investigation.
