NYPD Lieutenant cheat sheet

Patrol Guide entries are the operational source for field procedure; when a Patrol Guide procedure and a bureau manual conflict on tactics, the Patrol Guide controls unless a court order or statute says otherwise.

A supervisor conducting a roll call inspection verifies uniform, equipment, firearms, and Department ID before assigning posts; deficiencies are corrected before the officer goes on patrol.

Use-of-force reporting: any force beyond compliant handcuffing requires a report through the chain of command; force resulting in injury to a subject or member requires immediate notification to the desk officer and the commanding officer.

Prisoner processing: arrestee is searched, handcuffed, transported in a Department vehicle, and brought to the district for arrest processing; a supervisor reviews any injury and any use of force before the arrest is finalized.

A commanding officer may modify a Patrol Guide procedure only through a written request to the appropriate deputy commissioner; field personnel may not waive a procedure on their own authority.

Missing persons: a report is taken immediately for any person under a specified age, any person with a documented disability, and any case with suspicious circumstances; no waiting period applies.

Property and evidence: vouchered property is recorded on the property voucher, entered into the Department property system, and delivered to the property clerk within the prescribed time; a supervisor reviews vouchers for completeness.

Vehicle pursuit: only marked Department vehicles may pursue unless a supervisor authorizes an unmarked vehicle; pursuits are terminated by the supervisor when risk outweighs the need for apprehension.

Departmental notifications: a supervisor notifies the duty captain for incidents involving death, serious injury, firearm discharge, or a member's arrest.

The Department's rules and regulations govern member conduct; violations are charged under the applicable rule section and adjudicated through the Department's disciplinary process.

Members are required to report misconduct they observe or learn of to a supervisor; failure to report is itself a chargeable offense.

A member may not engage in outside employment that conflicts with Department duties or that requires the use of police authority without prior Department approval.

Members must be truthful in all official communications; a false official statement is charged separately from the underlying conduct and carries severe penalties.

Members may not accept gratuities, gifts, or discounts offered because of their status as a police officer, except as expressly permitted by Department rules.

Associations: members must disclose certain associations and may be restricted from associating with persons engaged in criminal activity; the restriction applies on and off duty.

Residency and address reporting: a member must report a change of address within the time required by the rules and must be reachable for duty.

Members are subject to drug testing under the Department's random and reasonable-suspicion programs; refusal to submit to a lawful test is a chargeable violation.

A member whose firearm is discharged, or who is involved in a serious incident, is subject to a mandatory alcohol and drug test under Department procedure.

Supervisor's field checklist on arrival at a crime scene: ensure scene safety, render aid, establish a perimeter, identify and separate witnesses, preserve evidence, and designate a scene log.

Sector integrity: a supervisor keeps officers on assigned sectors except when a supervisor redirects them for an emergency; redirecting officers requires notifying the desk officer.

Roll call briefing content: crime pattern information, wanted persons, recent incidents, and post assignments; a supervisor verifies that officers understand the assignment before dismissal.

Radio discipline: the supervisor monitors the precinct frequency, acknowledges priority calls, and ensures a unit responds; if a unit fails to respond, the supervisor assigns another and documents the failure.

Levels of mobilization: the patrol supervisor may request additional resources through the desk officer; a mobilization beyond precinct resources is requested through the borough duty office.

Crowd control: supervisors deploy officers in teams, maintain a command post, and ensure a documented use-of-force policy is followed before any dispersal order.

A supervisor responding to a dispute or domestic incident ensures the parties are separated, a report is completed, and any court order is verified before clearing the scene.

Post-incident review: the supervisor critiques the response at the scene when practical and documents significant tactical issues for the commanding officer.

Arrest authority: a police officer may arrest for any offense when he has reasonable cause to believe the person committed it, and may arrest for a traffic infraction or petty offense under the conditions set by CPL 140.10.

Search incident to lawful arrest covers the arrestee's person and the area within the arrestee's immediate control; it does not extend to a vehicle's entire passenger compartment after the arrestee is secured.

Consent searches require voluntary consent given by a person with authority over the area searched; the officer must be able to articulate the facts supporting voluntariness.

Stop and frisk: a stop requires reasonable suspicion of a criminal offense; a frisk requires reasonable suspicion that the person is armed, and is limited to a pat-down for weapons.

Miranda warnings are required before custodial interrogation; a supervisor must ensure the questioning officer has read the warnings and obtained a waiver before any substantive questioning.

Felony complaint and arraignment: after arrest, the defendant must be brought before a court for arraignment without unnecessary delay; the accusatory instrument must be filed as required by CPL article 100.

Discovery: the prosecution must disclose material in its possession as required by CPL article 245; supervisors ensure officer notes and recordings are preserved and produced.

Burglary, robbery, and grand larceny are distinguished by entry, force or threat, and value; the supervisor confirms the elements with the officer before approving the complaint.

A warrantless entry into a dwelling requires exigent circumstances or consent; the supervisor must document the basis for the entry in the report.

Case assignment: a supervisor assigns a detective or officer to a case based on solvability factors and caseload, and documents the assignment in the case management system.

Case review cadence: the supervisor reviews open cases at defined intervals, checks for investigative leads, and documents the review with the next action and due date.

Evidence chain of custody: every transfer of evidence is documented with the date, time, and name of the person transferring and receiving; a break in the chain must be explained in the case file.

Wanted-person and arrest-warrant follow-up: the supervisor verifies that the warrant was entered into the system, that the officer attempted service, and that the result is recorded.

Pattern analysis: the supervisor compares recent incidents for common method, location, and suspect description, and directs a crime pattern bulletin to patrol.

Case closure: a case is closed only when the supervisor reviews the investigative file, confirms the disposition, and approves the closing entry.

Victim and witness contact: the supervisor ensures the victim was contacted, provided with the case number, and advised of available services.

Digital evidence: body-worn camera and surveillance recordings are preserved before the retention period expires; the supervisor confirms the preservation request is documented.

A supervisor documents performance issues as they occur, using specific dates, times, and observable behavior rather than conclusions about attitude.

Progressive discipline: the supervisor first addresses minor issues through counseling and documented instruction; repeated or serious violations are referred through the disciplinary process.

A member's medical or restricted-duty status is honored; the supervisor assigns only duties consistent with the restriction and documents the assignment.

Absence and lateness: the supervisor verifies the member's notification, records the absence in the timekeeping system, and refers a pattern of abuse to the commanding officer.

Training requests and evaluations are routed through the chain of command; the supervisor records the member's strengths and specific development needs.

Conflict between members: the supervisor separates the parties, documents statements, and refers the matter to the commanding officer for resolution.

A supervisor must not retaliate against a member for reporting misconduct, filing a grievance, or cooperating with an investigation.

Commendations: the supervisor submits a written commendation for exceptional performance with the specific facts and the result achieved.

Disciplinary charges are served in writing with the specific rule or regulation violated and the factual basis; the member is entitled to representation.

A member subject to interrogation that may lead to discipline is entitled to union representation upon request; the supervisor must honor the request before questioning continues.

The 48-hour rule: a member may not be disciplined for a statement made during an internal investigation unless the statement was obtained in compliance with the rule's requirements.

Grievance procedure: a member files a grievance through the union and the Department's grievance process within the contractual time limits; the supervisor responds at the first step.

Suspension: a commanding officer may suspend a member pending trial on charges; the suspension is documented and the member is notified of the reason.

The disciplinary matrix guides penalty recommendations; the supervisor identifies the relevant penalty range and any aggravating or mitigating factors.

A member's disciplinary record is confidential and is released only as authorized by law and Department procedure.

Settlement of a disciplinary matter requires approval through the chain of command and the Department's legal office.

Community contact: the supervisor ensures officers introduce themselves, explain the reason for the contact, and provide a name and shield number when asked.

A complaint about officer conduct is accepted regardless of the complainant's demeanor; the supervisor documents the complaint and routes it to the Internal Affairs Bureau.

Language access: the supervisor arranges interpretation for a limited-English-proficient person before taking a statement or obtaining consent.

Precinct community council meetings are attended by a command representative; the supervisor records issues raised and the follow-up action.

De-escalation: the supervisor directs officers to slow the encounter, use time and distance, and request specialized resources when a person is in crisis.

Bias-free policing: enforcement decisions are based on observed behavior and specific descriptions, never on race, ethnicity, religion, or other protected characteristics.

Youth contacts: the supervisor ensures a parent or guardian is notified when a juvenile is taken into custody, as required by law and procedure.

Media contact at a scene is handled through the commanding officer or the Department's press office; the supervisor does not release information independently.

Daily activity report: the supervisor reviews the command's daily activity, verifies the reported numbers against source records, and forwards it to the commanding officer.

Overtime is approved in advance where practicable; the supervisor documents the operational reason and the hours worked.

Equipment inventory: the supervisor verifies assigned equipment against the inventory record, reports losses, and documents the replacement request.

Court appearances: the supervisor verifies that officers scheduled for court are released from patrol duty and that the appearance is recorded.

Personnel roster changes are reported to the command's administrative unit with the effective date and the authority for the change.

Correspondence is routed through the chain of command; the supervisor reviews outgoing correspondence for accuracy and proper format.

A command inspection verifies compliance with Department directives; the supervisor documents deficiencies and the corrective action taken.

A report must answer who, what, when, where, how, and why; the supervisor returns a report that omits any of these elements.

Complaint reports are reviewed for the elements of the offense, the arrestee's statements, the witnesses, and the property involved before approval.

The supervisor corrects reports by documenting the correction and the reason; the original entry is not destroyed.

Domestic incident reports require the relationship, the injury, the weapon, and the prior history; the supervisor verifies the required notification was made.

Arrest reports must match the complaint and the prisoner's information; a mismatch in name, date of birth, or charge is corrected before the prisoner is processed.

Property vouchers are compared with the arrest report and the evidence log; a discrepancy is resolved before the property leaves the command.

Records retention: reports are retained per the Department's schedule; the supervisor does not authorize destruction outside the schedule.

A missing or late report is documented and reported to the commanding officer with the reason for the delay.

Operational order format: state the situation, the mission, the execution (who does what), and the support and communication requirements.

Use active voice and past tense for reports: 'Officer Smith observed' rather than 'it was observed by Officer Smith.'

A report states facts and observations; conclusions such as 'the subject was nervous' require the specific behavior that supports them.

Reading a directive: identify the issuing authority, the effective date, the scope, and the action required of the reader before applying it.

A time sequence in a report is written chronologically with the time of each event; unexplained gaps invite cross-examination.

Quotations in a report are placed in quotation marks and attributed; paraphrasing a subject's statement without attribution misstates the evidence.

A memorandum to a superior states the purpose in the first sentence, the facts in the body, and the recommended action at the end.