Police Lieutenant Promotional flashcards

34 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 directly manages. Optimal span in policing is roughly six to ten; wider spans reduce oversight quality and require delegation or added supervisory layers.

Weingarten rights

A unionized employee may request union representation during an investigatory interview reasonably believed could lead to discipline. The employer must grant it, discontinue the interview, or proceed without discipline.

Just cause seven tests

Reasonable rule, notice of the rule, investigation before discipline, fair and objective investigation, proof of violation, consistent enforcement, and a penalty proportional to the offense.

Herzberg two-factor theory

Hygiene factors such as pay and working conditions prevent dissatisfaction but do not motivate. Motivators such as recognition, responsibility, and advancement produce genuine job satisfaction and performance.

FLSA overtime rule

Non-exempt employees receive 1.5 times the regular rate for hours beyond 40 in a workweek. Exempt status requires the salary basis and duties tests, not merely rank or title.

ICS unity of command

Each individual reports to only one supervisor, preventing conflicting orders. Combined with a modular organization and span of control of three to seven, it keeps incident management coherent.

Incident Action Plan

A written plan covering one operational period that states objectives, tactics, assignments, and communications. It is approved before the next operational period begins through the planning cycle.

Contact team

The first arriving officers who immediately move toward an active threat to neutralize it, typically three to five members. They bypass injured victims and contain-and-wait doctrine once lives are at imminent risk.

Graham reasonableness

Use of force is judged by objective reasonableness from the perspective of a reasonable officer on scene, considering crime severity, immediate threat, and active resistance or flight.

Terry stop standard

An investigatory detention requires reasonable suspicion, specific and articulable facts suggesting criminal activity. A frisk additionally requires reasonable suspicion the person is armed and dangerous.

Miranda custody test

Custody exists when a reasonable person would not feel free to leave. Interrogation means words or actions reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response. Both are required for warnings.

Sixth Amendment attachment

The right to counsel attaches at formal charging, such as indictment, information, or arraignment. After attachment, police may not initiate interrogation without counsel present.

Search incident to arrest

A lawful custodial arrest permits a search of the arrestee's person and the immediate grabbing area, justified by officer safety and evidence preservation. It does not extend to distant rooms.

Automobile exception

With probable cause that a vehicle contains contraband or evidence, officers may search the vehicle and containers within it without a warrant, because vehicles are readily mobile and heavily regulated.

Chain of custody

A documented record of every transfer of evidence, showing date, time, handler, and purpose. Gaps raise doubts about authenticity and can defeat admissibility at trial.

General order hierarchy

Agency directives typically run from policy (broad intent) to procedure (how to comply) to rule (specific mandate). Later orders supersede conflicting earlier orders only to the extent of the conflict.

Body-worn camera activation

Policy usually requires activation at the start of enforcement contact and limits deactivation to privacy or victim interviews. Failure to activate is a policy violation, not automatically a suppression ground.

Pursuit termination criteria

Conditions requiring an officer or supervisor to end a pursuit, such as excessive danger to the public, traffic or weather conditions, and offense severity. Most policies limit pursuits to violent felonies.

Procedural justice elements

Voice, neutrality, respect, and trustworthiness. Research shows fair process builds legitimacy and willingness to obey the law more strongly than favorable outcomes do.

SARA problem-solving model

Scanning identifies and prioritizes the problem, Analysis determines causes, Response implements tailored action, and Assessment measures whether the problem was actually reduced.

Legitimacy in policing

The public's belief that police authority is entitled to be obeyed. It is built through fair, respectful process and transparency, not through enforcement volume or favorable outcomes alone.

Zero-based budgeting

A budget method requiring every expenditure to be justified from zero each cycle rather than incrementally from the prior year. It exposes obsolete programs but consumes substantial staff time.

Staffing formula

Required officers equal annual workload hours divided by available hours per officer. Available hours equal 2,080 minus leave, training, and administrative time, typically well below 2,080.

Capital versus operating budget

The capital budget funds multi-year assets such as vehicles, radios, and facilities, often through bonds or grants. The operating budget covers recurring expenses such as salaries, fuel, and supplies.

Kirkpatrick evaluation levels

Four levels of training evaluation: reaction (satisfaction), learning (knowledge gain), behavior (on-the-job application), and results (organizational outcomes). Each requires a different measurement method.

Halo and horns errors

Rater biases in which one positive trait (halo) or one negative trait (horns) colors ratings on all other dimensions. Behavior-based scales and documented examples reduce both.

Training needs assessment

Three-level analysis: organizational (where performance gaps exist), task (what the job requires), and person (who needs training). Training designed without it often misses the actual deficiency.

Garrity protection

Compelled job-related statements from a public employee cannot be used in a later criminal prosecution against that employee. The employer may still use them for administrative discipline.

Brady and Giglio disclosure

Prosecutors must receive exculpatory and impeachment information, including sustained dishonesty findings against officers. Withholding it can overturn convictions and end officer testimony careers.

Monell liability

A municipality is liable when an official policy, custom, or deliberate indifference to training causes a constitutional violation. Isolated employee misconduct alone does not establish municipal liability.

Early intervention system

A data-driven risk management tool that flags officers with repeated complaints, uses of force, or pursuits, triggering supervisory review and support before misconduct or liability occurs.

OODA loop

Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. Under stress, orientation is the bottleneck; deliberately reassessing the situation prevents tunnel vision and premature commitment to a flawed plan.

Problem analysis triangle

Crime requires an offender, a victim or target, and a place. Intervention can target any leg through handlers, guardians, and place managers, which expands the range of effective responses.

Root cause analysis

Techniques such as the five-whys method and fishbone diagrams that separate symptoms from systemic causes. Fixing symptoms alone allows the same problem to recur.