Community:Bureaucrats

Bureaucrats are users, usually administrators, with the technical ability to perform the following actions:
 * Add the administrator, bureaucrat, interface administrator, account creator, changes reviewer, or bot user group to an account.
 * Remove the administrator, interface administrator, account creator, IP block exemption, pending changes reviewer, or bot user group from an account.

They are bound by policy and consensus only to grant administrator or bureaucrat access when doing so reflects the wishes of the community, usually after a successful request. In the same fashion, they are expected to exercise judgement in granting or removing bot flags with the advice of the interface administrators. They are expected to be capable judges of consensus, and are expected to explain the reasoning for their actions on request and in a civil manner. Actions by bureaucrats are also bound by the policy on use of administrative rights.

Bureaucrats have been authorized by the community to remove administrator permissions in certain situations outlined below. Bureaucrats do not have the technical ability to remove bureaucrat rights from users or to grant or remove certain levels of access such as oversight or checkuser rights.

Users are granted bureaucrat status by community consensus. The process is similar to the process of granting administrator status, but the expectations for potential bureaucrats are higher and community consensus must be clearer. See Requests for bureaucratship.

On the wiki, there are currently 2 bureaucrats.

Procedures
These are instructions and procedures concerning bureaucratic actions and processes.

Promotions and RfX closures

 * Note: Similar to non-administrators closing deletion discussions, Requests for adminship can be closed by non-bureaucrats in certain cases; for example if the user has withdrawn the request or the outcome is very unlikely to be positive (see NOTNOW). Non-bureaucrats should be very careful in the latter case and only close RfAs when they are not in doubt. In such cases the requesting user should always be asked to consider withdrawal first.


 * Wait at least seven days after the listing was made on Requests for adminship
 * Check the history for the transcluded page to be reasonably sure that the comments are genuine
 * Determine whether there is a consensus that the person should be promoted using the traditional rules of thumb and your best judgement
 * Edit the nomination with the result.
 * For requests for adminship or bureaucratship
 * Remove the "Voice your opinion" and talk page link,
 * If there is a consensus, promote to admin or bureaucrat using Special:Userrights. If present, remove userrights made redundant by the sysop flag. Refer to Special:ListGroupRights for details on which other rights are included with the new user rights level. Please reference the RfA (or RfB) when making the promotion
 * Remove the request from requests for adminship
 * For successful nominations, add a summary of the outcome to successful requests for adminship or successful bureaucratship candidacies and update the relevant counts.

Removal of permissions
Bureaucrats may remove the "administrator" user right from an account in some situations:
 * If self-requested by the administrator
 * By official request of the Arbitration Committee
 * If the administrator is deemed inactive per consensus

Bureaucrats should include a permanent link to the request or relevant policy when removing permissions. If necessary, the affected user should be immediately notified and given a reason for the removal along with advice on seeking the reinstatement of the permissions.

Should the  group have been removed from the account since becoming an administrator, it should be restored when removing administrator permissions.

The interface administrator policy requires removal of the  permission upon removal of the administrator permission.

The use of these procedures is not intended to constrain the authority of the Wikimedia Stewards to undertake emergency removal of permissions on their own discretion, or removal following a request from the Arbitration Committee, pursuant to the relevant policies governing Steward actions.

Restoration of permissions
I

n the case that a former administrator or bureaucrat requests their permissions be restored via the bureaucrats' noticeboard:
 * 1) Check that the user in question is indeed a former administrator or bureaucrat (in particular, a bureaucrat restoring permissions should satisfy themselves that the account has not been compromised since the permissions were relinquished).
 * 2) Check that the prior access removal was voluntary, or due to inactivity.
 * 3) Check their talk page history and any pertinent discussions or noticeboards for indications that they may have resigned (or become inactive) for the purpose, or with the effect, of evading scrutiny of their actions that could have led to sanctions.
 * 4) To allow time for requests to be checked thoroughly, it is required that a minimum of 24 hours elapse for multiple bureaucrats and other editors to comment on the request before restoring permissions. This time may be lengthened at a bureaucrat's discretion, if new information arises.
 * 5) If a former administrator has been administratively inactive (defined by zero logged administrative actions) for a period of five years or longer at the time of their last administrative rights removal, and the removal was for inactivity, they should be successful in a new request for adminship to have the permission(s) restored.
 * 6) Before restoring the administrator flag, a bureaucrat should be reasonably convinced that the user has returned to activity or intends to return to activity as an editor. Should there be doubt concerning the suitability for restoration of admin permissions, the restoration shall be delayed until sufficient discussion has occurred and a consensus established through a bureaucrat chat.
 * 7) If the permission is restored, list the user at the List of resysopped users.

Interface administrator
The interface administrator user group may be granted or removed according to the interface administrators policy.