NYS Following Written Instructions 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A written instruction states: 'When two or more officers respond to a disturbance, the senior officer by rank assumes command. If officers are of equal rank, the officer with more years of service assumes command.' Two officers of the same rank respond — Officer A has 7 years of service and Officer B has 9 years. Who assumes command?
- Officer A, because they arrived first
- Officer B, because they have more years of service (Correct answer)
- Both officers share command equally
- A supervisor must be called before command is assigned
Correct answer: Officer B, because they have more years of service
When rank is equal, the instruction assigns command to the officer with more years of service, which is Officer B.
Question 2: Procedure 22 states: 'All packages entering the courthouse must be X-rayed. Packages that trigger an alarm must be set aside and the Bomb Squad notified. Do not attempt to open any package that has triggered an alarm.' A package triggers the X-ray alarm. A court officer decides to open it to check the contents. Which instruction was violated?
- The X-ray requirement for all packages
- The requirement to notify the Bomb Squad
- The prohibition on opening an alarmed package (Correct answer)
- The requirement to set aside alarmed packages
Correct answer: The prohibition on opening an alarmed package
The procedure explicitly prohibits opening any package that has triggered an alarm, which the officer violated by opening it.
Question 3: A memo instructs: 'Overtime requests must be submitted in writing no later than 72 hours before the overtime shift. Requests submitted less than 72 hours in advance will only be approved by the Division Commander.' An officer submits a written overtime request 60 hours in advance to their direct supervisor. What is the problem with this request?
- The request was not submitted in writing
- The request was submitted to the wrong authority for the timeframe (Correct answer)
- The request was submitted too early
- There is no problem; 60 hours satisfies the requirement
Correct answer: The request was submitted to the wrong authority for the timeframe
Requests submitted less than 72 hours in advance must go to the Division Commander, not the direct supervisor.
Question 4: Standing Order 6 reads: 'Officers shall not leave their assigned post without being properly relieved by another officer or receiving written authorization from a supervisor.' An officer's relief is 20 minutes late and the officer has an urgent personal matter. What should the officer do?
- Leave the post since 20 minutes beyond shift end is a reasonable wait
- Contact a supervisor to obtain written authorization before leaving
- Ask a nearby officer to informally cover the post
- Remain at the post until properly relieved or written authorization is obtained (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Remain at the post until properly relieved or written authorization is obtained
The order requires either proper relief by another officer or written supervisor authorization before leaving; neither condition has been met.
Question 5: An instruction sheet for completing an arrest report states: 'Section C must be completed only if the arrestee is a juvenile. Leave Section C blank for adult arrestees.' An officer arrests a 17-year-old. What should the officer do with Section C?
- Leave Section C blank because the exact age threshold is not specified
- Complete Section C because the arrestee is a juvenile (Correct answer)
- Ask a supervisor whether a 17-year-old qualifies as a juvenile
- Write 'N/A' in Section C since juveniles are handled differently
Correct answer: Complete Section C because the arrestee is a juvenile
A 17-year-old is a juvenile, so the instruction requires completing Section C.
Question 6: Policy 14.4 reads: 'Body-worn camera recordings must be uploaded to the secure server within two hours of the end of each shift. Officers must not alter, delete, or edit recordings.' An officer realizes their recording contains an embarrassing personal conversation and deletes a 30-second clip before uploading. Which rule was violated?
- The two-hour upload deadline
- The prohibition on altering, deleting, or editing recordings (Correct answer)
- The secure server upload requirement
- The body-worn camera activation policy
Correct answer: The prohibition on altering, deleting, or editing recordings
Deleting any portion of a recording violates the explicit prohibition on altering, deleting, or editing body-worn camera footage.
Question 7: A directive states: 'When escorting a high-risk prisoner, a minimum of two officers must be present at all times. If one officer must temporarily leave, the remaining officer must immediately request a replacement and must not move the prisoner until the second officer arrives.' One escort officer is called away for an emergency. What must the remaining officer do?
- Move the prisoner to a secure holding area while waiting
- Immediately request a replacement and keep the prisoner in place until they arrive (Correct answer)
- Proceed with the escort alone since the absence is temporary
- Secure the prisoner and wait without requesting a replacement
Correct answer: Immediately request a replacement and keep the prisoner in place until they arrive
The directive requires the remaining officer to immediately request a replacement and not move the prisoner until the second officer is present.
NYS Following Written Instructions 5
A written instruction states: 'When two or more officers respond to a disturbance, the senior officer by rank assumes command.
If officers are of equal rank, the officer with more years of service assumes command.' Two officers of the same rank respond — Officer A has 7 years of service and Officer B has 9 years.
Who assumes command?