NYS Following Written Instructions 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Standing Order 9 states: 'During a lockdown, all non-essential personnel must exit through Gate 2. Essential personnel are defined as sworn officers and medical staff. All others are non-essential.' A paralegal is present during a lockdown. Which exit must the paralegal use?
- Any available gate
- Gate 2 (Correct answer)
- The same gate as sworn officers
- The medical staff entrance
Correct answer: Gate 2
A paralegal is not a sworn officer or medical staff member, so they are non-essential and must exit through Gate 2.
Question 2: A form's instructions state: 'Use black or blue ink only. Do not use correction fluid. If an error is made, draw a single line through the error, initial it, and write the correct information.' An officer makes an error and uses correction fluid to cover it. Which rule was violated?
- The ink color rule
- The correction fluid prohibition (Correct answer)
- The initialing requirement
- The single-line rule
Correct answer: The correction fluid prohibition
The instructions explicitly prohibit the use of correction fluid; errors must be crossed out with a single line and initialed.
Question 3: Policy 6.1 reads: 'Officers may use force only when necessary to protect themselves or others from imminent harm, or to prevent the escape of a fleeing felon. Force must be proportional to the threat.' An officer uses maximum force to subdue a non-resisting misdemeanor suspect. Which element of the policy was violated?
- The 'imminent harm' justification
- The 'fleeing felon' exception
- The proportionality requirement (Correct answer)
- The self-protection clause
Correct answer: The proportionality requirement
Using maximum force against a non-resisting suspect violates the policy's requirement that force be proportional to the threat.
Question 4: An officer is given written instructions: 'Conduct inspections of Cells 10, 11, and 12 every two hours starting at 8:00 AM. Log each inspection in the cell block register immediately after completion.' The officer inspects Cell 10 at 10:00 AM but logs all three cells at 10:45 AM after finishing Cell 12. What rule was broken?
- The two-hour inspection interval
- The order in which cells must be inspected
- The requirement to log each inspection immediately after completion (Correct answer)
- The requirement to inspect all three cells
Correct answer: The requirement to log each inspection immediately after completion
The instructions require logging each inspection immediately after completion, not after all three inspections are done.
Question 5: A memo states: 'Detainees with medical alerts on file must be checked every 30 minutes. All other detainees are checked every hour. Medical alert files are kept at the booking desk.' An officer is unsure whether a detainee has a medical alert. What should the officer do first?
- Check the detainee every 30 minutes as a precaution
- Check every hour and note the uncertainty in the log
- Check the booking desk for the detainee's medical alert file (Correct answer)
- Ask the detainee directly about any medical conditions
Correct answer: Check the booking desk for the detainee's medical alert file
The memo specifies that medical alert files are kept at the booking desk, which is the proper source to resolve the uncertainty.
Question 6: Regulation 11.5 states: 'Officers must submit use-of-force reports within four hours of any incident. Reports submitted late must include a written explanation of the delay.' An officer submits a use-of-force report six hours after an incident with no explanation attached. Which part of the regulation was violated?
- The four-hour submission deadline only
- The written explanation requirement only
- Both the four-hour deadline and the explanation requirement (Correct answer)
- Neither; six hours is within a reasonable extension
Correct answer: Both the four-hour deadline and the explanation requirement
The officer violated both the four-hour deadline and the requirement to include a written explanation when filing late.
Question 7: An instruction reads: 'When escorting a prisoner, walk to the prisoner's left side and maintain a minimum distance of three feet from any wall or obstruction.' An officer escorts a prisoner through a narrow hallway where one wall is only two feet away. What should the officer do?
- Proceed through the hallway since the prisoner's safety is the priority
- Switch to the right side of the prisoner to maintain the required wall clearance (Correct answer)
- Wait for the hallway to be cleared before proceeding
- Maintain position on the left and proceed as quickly as possible
Correct answer: Switch to the right side of the prisoner to maintain the required wall clearance
Switching sides allows the officer to maintain the required three-foot clearance from the wall while complying with the escorting instructions.
NYS Following Written Instructions 3
Standing Order 9 states: 'During a lockdown, all non-essential personnel must exit through Gate 2.
Essential personnel are defined as sworn officers and medical staff.
All others are non-essential.' A paralegal is present during a lockdown.
Which exit must the paralegal use?