Sheriff Department Etiquette

The Protocol-Etiquette Reference published by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was intended to provide information to help employees handle a variety of situations, said Woody Williams, the department’s executive officer. But the manual’s extensive detail has also led to some joking in the department. When eating bananas at the table, the guide advises “peel and break into bite size pieces with a fruit knife and eat with a fruit fork.”

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Handbook Has the Answers on Deputy Etiquette

San Bernardino —
A 43-page Sheriff’s Department handbook gives deputies advice on how to eat a banana, how to shake hands and a variety of other issues concerning proper conduct. It also answers the question: Is an awards banquet the time for the well-dressed detective to break out that safari jacket or expensive cowboy hat?
The Protocol-Etiquette Reference published by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was intended to provide information to help employees handle a variety of situations, said Woody Williams, the department’s executive officer. But the manual’s extensive detail has also led to some joking in the department. When eating bananas at the table, the guide advises “peel and break into bite size pieces with a fruit knife and eat with a fruit fork.”
Williams said the booklet was prepared several months ago after some employees asked for etiquette guidance. “Some of the items in it, upon further reflection, might have been left out without hurting the purpose of the document even a little bit,” Williams said.
The manual also provides rundowns on telephone courtesy, greeting and dealing with the public, and courtroom courtesy. There is also a section on buffet etiquette: “Do not load up your plate” and “never take an item, change your mind and put it back.”
Other tips:
* Save the velvet or needlepoint lounging slippers for a black-tie affair at someone’s home or club. “At business dinners and at public events they look foppish, as does a velvet smoking jacket worn with black trousers. This handsome ensemble belongs at a black-tie dinner in a private home, not in a public place.”
* Forget the expensive cowboy hat at a management dinner or awards banquet. Same thing goes for the white sport coat, safari jacket or tuxedo.
* Toasting should be nonpolitical and done while sober.
* “If a bug crawls out of your salad, dispense with it without making anyone aware of the incident.” — Associated Press, 1992 

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