Free PSD Legal and Ethical Standards Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A dispatcher takes a call from a known local journalist asking for details about a multi-car pileup, including the conditions and names of those involved. The dispatcher knows that some medical information was relayed over the radio. According to HIPAA and general confidentiality principles, which action is most appropriate?
- State that the incident is under investigation and refer the journalist to the agency's Public Information Officer (PIO). (Correct answer)
- Provide only the number of vehicles and the general location, but withhold names and medical status.
- Confirm the names of the individuals involved since that is public record, but withhold medical information.
- Inform the journalist that due to HIPAA, no information whatsoever can be released about any incident.
Correct answer: State that the incident is under investigation and refer the journalist to the agency's Public Information Officer (PIO).
The correct procedure is to refer all media inquiries to the designated Public Information Officer (PIO). Dispatchers are not authorized to release information. This ensures that the information released is accurate, appropriate, and consistent with agency policy and legal constraints like HIPAA, which protects patient health information.
Question 2: Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a potential violation of a public safety dispatcher's duty to act?
- A caller with a thick accent is difficult to understand, so the dispatcher asks them to repeat the address multiple times.
- A call about a noise complaint is placed on a lower priority queue while an active domestic violence call is being handled.
- A dispatcher fails to send any units to a verified address for a person reporting chest pains because the caller sounded intoxicated. (Correct answer)
- A dispatcher provides pre-arrival instructions for CPR to a caller who is unsure of what to do for an unconscious person.
Correct answer: A dispatcher fails to send any units to a verified address for a person reporting chest pains because the caller sounded intoxicated.
The 'duty to act' is a legal concept that requires a dispatcher to take action and provide service once a call for help is received. Basing the decision to not dispatch on a subjective judgment (like perceived intoxication) is a breach of that duty and can lead to severe liability. All requests for emergency medical service must be taken seriously and handled according to protocol.
Question 3: A public safety dispatcher is off-duty and sees a social media post from a friend containing a photo of a computer screen from a neighboring dispatch center, showing call details. What is the most ethical first step for the dispatcher to take?
- Ignore the post to avoid getting involved in another agency's internal affairs.
- Comment on the post, explaining that it is a serious confidentiality breach and should be taken down.
- Privately contact the friend who made the post and advise them to remove it immediately due to its confidential nature.
- Immediately report the incident to a supervisor at their own agency or the neighboring agency. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Immediately report the incident to a supervisor at their own agency or the neighboring agency.
Professional codes of conduct, such as those from APCO and IAED, emphasize the duty to maintain the integrity of the profession. Seeing a breach of confidentiality, even from another agency, warrants reporting it through official channels. This ensures the issue is handled properly by the appropriate authorities and addresses the security and ethical lapse, rather than just confronting the individual.
Question 4: Under the legal standard of 'negligence' in the context of public safety dispatch, which element refers to the direct link between the dispatcher's action or inaction and the resulting harm?
- Duty
- Breach of Duty
- Damages
- Proximate Cause (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Proximate Cause
To prove negligence, four elements must be established: a duty to act, a breach of that duty, damages (injury or loss), and proximate cause. Proximate cause is the legal term for the direct connection or causal link between the breach of duty and the resulting damages.
Question 5: The primary purpose of CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accreditation for a communications center is to:
- Guarantee a higher pay scale for all accredited dispatchers.
- Mandate the specific type of CAD software the agency must use.
- Demonstrate the agency's commitment to meeting professional standards of excellence. (Correct answer)
- Provide dispatchers with law enforcement powers and authority.
Correct answer: Demonstrate the agency's commitment to meeting professional standards of excellence.
CALEA accreditation is a voluntary process where agencies commit to meeting a body of internationally recognized professional standards. It signifies a commitment to excellence, improved service delivery, and increased accountability, but does not dictate specific software or pay scales.
Question 6: A dispatcher receives a call from someone reporting their neighbor is having a loud party. While taking the information, the dispatcher recognizes the address as that of a local celebrity. Later, the dispatcher mentions the call and the celebrity's address to a family member. This action is a breach of:
- Operational security by revealing call-taking procedures.
- Interagency interoperability protocols.
- The public trust and confidentiality standards. (Correct answer)
- Federal phonetic alphabet regulations.
Correct answer: The public trust and confidentiality standards.
All information obtained in the course of duty is confidential and should not be shared outside of official purposes. Sharing details of any call, regardless of its priority or the fame of the person involved, for personal conversation or gossip is a serious ethical violation that breaches the public's trust and violates confidentiality rules.
Free PSD Legal and Ethical Standards Questions and Answers 1
A dispatcher takes a call from a known local journalist asking for details about a multi-car pileup, including the conditions and names of those involved.
The dispatcher knows that some medical information was relayed over the radio.
According to HIPAA and general confidentiality principles, which action is most appropriate?