POLICY STATEMENT

Title Delegation of Authority and Succession for 

the Director of the Pretrial Services Agency 

for the District of Columbia

Number 1010

Effective Date January 31, 2014

Approval

Clifford T. Keenan, Director

PRETRIAL SERVICES AGENCY 

for the

DISTRICT of COLUMBIA

Delegation of Authority and Succession for the 

Director of the Pretrial Services Agency for the 

District of Columbia

Table of Contents

Overview............................................................................................................................. 2

Purpose............................................................................................................................ 2

Administrator.................................................................................................................. 2

Judicial Review............................................................................................................... 2

Authorities....................................................................................................................... 2

Delegation........................................................................................................................... 3

Implementation of Orders of Succession........................................................................ 4

Continuity of Government Conditions (COGCON)....................................................... 5
Policy Statement 1010

Delegation of Authority and Succession for the Director

Effective Date: 01/31/2014

Page 2 of 5

Overview

Purpose This is a delegation of authority for the continuity of essential functions at the 

Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia (PSA) in case of the 

PSA Director’s absence, death, resignation, inability to act during a disaster 

or national security emergency, or if the Director otherwise has become 

unable to perform the functions and duties of the Office of the Director.

Administrator This policy statement is administered by the Office of the Director for control 

and review.

Judicial Review This memorandum is not intended to and does not create any right or benefit, 

substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 

the United States, its departments, agencies or entities, its officers, employees 

or agents, or any other person.

Authorities The Homeland Security Act of 2002, P.L. 107-296, as amended.

The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, 5 U.S.C. § 3345, et seq., as 

amended.

D.C. Code § 23-1303.
Policy Statement 1010

Delegation of Authority and Succession for the Director

Effective Date: 01/31/2014

Page 3 of 5

Delegation

The following officials, in the order listed below, have been delegated the 

authority to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Director in case 

of the Director’s absence, inability to perform, or vacancy in the office, until 

such time that condition ceases. In the event that the position of Director is 

vacant, as that term is used in the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, the 

Deputy Director shall act as Director until a successor is appointed by the 

Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of 

Columbia Circuit and the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for 

the District of Columbia, in consultation with the other members of the 

Executive Committee of the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of 

Columbia, as provided for in D.C Code § 23-1304(b) .

1. Deputy Director

2. Associate Director, Operations

3. Director, Office of Finance and Administration 

The Deputy Director is hereby designated the “First Assistant” for the 

purposes of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. If this position is 

vacant, the next designated official in the order of succession may exercise all 

the powers, duties, authorities, rights, and functions of the Office of the 

Director, but may not perform any function or duty required to be performed 

exclusively by the office holder.

Eligibility for succession to the Office of the Director is limited to officially 

assigned incumbents of the positions listed in the order of succession, above. 

Persons appointed on an acting basis, or on some other temporary basis, are 

ineligible to serve as a successor; therefore, the order of succession would fall 

to the next designated official in the approved order of succession. 

Continued on next page
Policy Statement 1010

Delegation of Authority and Succession for the Director

Effective Date: 01/31/2014

Page 4 of 5

Delegation, Continued

The Director’s order of succession is established by the PSA Director. Upon 

assumption of the duties of the Director, the successor will: 

 Notify the PSA Continuity Manager and the Office of the General 

Counsel, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency. 

The PSA Continuity Manager will advise:

 All PSA Office/Programs;

 PSA partners; 

 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Operations 

Center (FOC); and 

 Other appropriate Federal departments and agencies. 

In order to expedite responses to an emergency that may require PSA’s 

Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) implementation, the Director shall 

ensure annual training of personnel who may be making policy determinations 

and decisions.

Implementation 

of Orders of 

Succession

The successor, in consultation with the PSA Continuity Manager, will do the 

following when facing the issue of succession: 

Step Action

1 Confirm that the incumbent is debilitated or incapable of 

performing his/her legal authorized duties, roles, and 

responsibilities

2 Determine which official, by precedence in line of succession, is 

capable of assuming the role of the incumbent

3 Coordinate with Office of the General Counsel

4 Notify appropriate authorities when succession occurs

Continued on next page
Policy Statement 1010

Delegation of Authority and Succession for the Director

Effective Date: 01/31/2014

Page 5 of 5

Delegation, Continued

Continuity of 

Government 

Conditions 

(COGCON)

In accordance with Continuity of Government Conditions (COGCON) 

requirements, and to the extent practicable, at COGCON Level 2, at least one 

successor to the Director should be out of the national capital area at all times. 

At COGCON Level 1, at least one successor to the Director must be ready to 

commence continuity of operations from outside the national capital area. 

The Director will maintain leadership over PSA unless the Director cannot 

communicate, directly or indirectly, with members of the PSA Critical 

Functions Team. In this situation, or if the Director is not available, the next 

available individual in the Director’s order of succession will exercise 

leadership over PSA until the Director or someone higher than that individual 

in the order of succession, is available.