MA Police Captain flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Span of Control

The number of subordinates a supervisor can effectively direct. In policing, a sergeant's effective span is roughly six to ten officers; wider spans require delegation and written directives.

Unity of Command

The principle that each employee answers to exactly one supervisor at a time. Dual assignment of authority is a recognized cause of discipline breakdown and unclear accountability.

Progressive Discipline

A documented sequence from counseling to written reprimand, suspension, demotion, and discharge. Escalation is defensible only when prior notice and documentation exist.

Probable Cause

Facts and circumstances that would lead a reasonable officer to believe an offense has been committed and the person to be arrested committed it. It is a totality-of-circumstances test.

Search Incident to Arrest

A warrantless search of the arrestee's person and the area within immediate reach, justified by officer safety and evidence preservation. It does not authorize a full vehicle search.

Terry Stop

A brief investigative detention based on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity that is articulable and particularized. A frisk requires separate suspicion that the person is armed and dangerous.

Graham v. Connor Standard

Use of force is judged by objective reasonableness from the perspective of a reasonable officer on scene, considering the severity of the crime, immediate threat, and active resistance, without hindsight.

Qualified Immunity

A defense shielding officers from civil liability unless they violated clearly established law of which a reasonable officer would have known. It does not apply to state-law claims automatically.

Chain of Custody

A documented record of every transfer of evidence, including collector, date, time, description, and receiving party. A break affects the weight of evidence rather than causing automatic exclusion.

Hearsay

An out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. Common exceptions include excited utterance, present sense impression, dying declaration, and business records.

Showup Identification

A one-on-one identification conducted shortly after a crime. It must be justified by exigency and proximity in time; unnecessarily suggestive procedures may be suppressed.

SARA Model

A problem-solving framework: scanning identifies the problem, analysis finds causes, response implements a tailored strategy, and assessment measures results. It underpins community policing.

Directed Patrol

Deployment of officers to specific places and times based on crime analysis, such as hot spots and repeat calls, rather than equal distribution across a shift.

Differential Police Response

A triage system that assigns immediate response to in-progress violence and alternate response, such as phone or online reporting, to cold property calls.

Incident Command System

A scalable, modular command structure in which the Incident Commander sets objectives. Command transfers only through a documented briefing and a single action plan.

Unified Command

A command structure used when multiple agencies have jurisdiction. Each retains authority but shares one set of objectives and one action plan for the operational period.

START Triage

A mass casualty triage method that first moves ambulatory patients to green, then assesses respirations, perfusion, and mental status to assign red, yellow, green, or black categories.

Active Shooter Contact Team

First arriving officers who locate, isolate, and neutralize the threat without waiting for specialty units. Their priority is stopping the killing before rescue and stabilization.

Implied Consent

Massachusetts law under G.L. c. 90 § 24(1)(f) that a licensed driver consents to breath testing. Refusal triggers license suspension and is admissible at trial.

Per Se OUI Limit

The blood alcohol concentration that establishes OUI without further proof: .08 percent for operators 21 and over and .02 percent for those under 21 in Massachusetts.

Standardized Field Sobriety Tests

Three validated tests: horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn, and one-leg stand. They must be administered per NHTSA protocol and documented with observed clues and conditions.

Blood Draw Warrant Rule

Absent consent or exigency, a blood draw requires a warrant. McNeely and Birchfield limit warrantless blood testing, and refusal cannot be overcome by force.

Civil Service Removal

Under G.L. c. 31, covered employees may be removed only for just cause, with written notice and a hearing. Probationary employees have narrower appeal rights.

Deadly Force Statute

G.L. c. 6 § 13D permits deadly force only to prevent imminent death or serious bodily harm, or to apprehend a subject posing such a threat.

Civil Rights Act Remedy

G.L. c. 12 § 11I creates a civil action for interference with constitutional rights by threats, intimidation, or coercion, and allows damages and injunctive relief.

Public Records Exemptions

G.L. c. 4 § 7(26) lists exemptions to the public records law in G.L. c. 66 § 10, including CORI and materials from active investigations.

Garrity Warning

A specific advisement that statements compelled under threat of discipline cannot be used in a criminal prosecution. It must be given before compelled questioning.

Sustained Finding

An internal affairs disposition meaning the allegation is proven by sufficient evidence. Sustained findings may trigger discipline and Brady/Giglio disclosure review.

Weingarten Rights

The right of a union-represented employee to union representation in an investigatory interview that the employee reasonably believes may lead to discipline.

Relief Factor

A multiplier, typically 1.6 to 1.8, that converts net patrol positions to authorized strength by accounting for leave, training, court time, and other absences.

Police Details

Paid assignments by private parties under G.L. c. 44 § 53C and departmental rules. Captains must ensure compliance, rotation, and proper billing.

Mandatory Bargaining Subjects

Wages, hours, and other conditions of employment that an employer must bargain over with the union. Staffing levels are generally a management right unless the CBA says otherwise.