MTA MTA Traffic and Patrol Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An MTA Police Officer must complete a use-of-force report after which of the following incidents?
- Verbally telling a passenger to move along
- Applying handcuffs to an arrested suspect (Correct answer)
- Both verbal commands and physical contact of any kind
- Only incidents resulting in visible injury to the suspect
Correct answer: Applying handcuffs to an arrested suspect
Use-of-force reports are required whenever an officer uses physical force, including applying handcuffs, regardless of whether injury occurs.
Question 2: During a shift briefing, a supervisor informs officers that a robbery pattern has been occurring at a specific station. This type of intelligence is best used to:
- Profile all passengers at that station
- Increase patrol presence and awareness at the identified location (Correct answer)
- Close the station until the suspect is caught
- Transfer responsibility to the NYPD
Correct answer: Increase patrol presence and awareness at the identified location
Crime pattern intelligence should direct officers to increase targeted patrol presence and alertness at affected locations to deter and detect criminal activity.
Question 3: An officer witnesses a fellow officer using excessive force on a restrained suspect. The witnessing officer's obligation is to:
- Do nothing, as it is not their responsibility
- Intervene to stop the excessive force and report the incident (Correct answer)
- Wait until after the shift and discuss it privately with the officer
- Only intervene if a supervisor is present
Correct answer: Intervene to stop the excessive force and report the incident
Officers have a professional and legal duty to intervene when they witness excessive force and to report the incident through proper channels.
Question 4: What does the 'reasonable person' standard mean in the context of police use of force?
- The officer must justify force by what any average citizen would do
- The force used must be what a reasonable officer with similar training would use in the same situation (Correct answer)
- The suspect must agree the force used was reasonable
- A civilian review board must pre-approve the force level
Correct answer: The force used must be what a reasonable officer with similar training would use in the same situation
The reasonable person standard evaluates force from the perspective of a similarly trained and experienced officer facing the same circumstances.
Question 5: When an MTA Police Officer arrests a person for theft of services (fare evasion - misdemeanor), the officer must:
- Release the person after issuing an appearance ticket without fingerprinting
- Process the arrest, which may include fingerprinting per NYSP guidelines (Correct answer)
- Immediately transport to central booking without documentation
- Only issue an oral warning for first-time offenders
Correct answer: Process the arrest, which may include fingerprinting per NYSP guidelines
Misdemeanor arrests require proper processing including potential fingerprinting per New York State Police and criminal procedure law guidelines.
Question 6: An officer is the first to arrive at a scene where a person has been stabbed on a subway platform. After ensuring officer safety, the NEXT priority is:
- Identify and interview all witnesses
- Render first aid and request EMS (Correct answer)
- Secure the crime scene perimeter
- Search for the suspect
Correct answer: Render first aid and request EMS
Rendering first aid to an injured victim and requesting EMS is the immediate priority after officer safety is established at a medical emergency.
MTA MTA Traffic and Patrol Procedures 2
An MTA Police Officer must complete a use-of-force report after which of the following incidents?