DC SPO Pre Assignment Renewal Exam

A Special Police Officer is any person who is commissioned pursuant of the provision of the District of Columbia Code, Section Chapter 11 Title 6A, and who may be authorized to carry a firearm.

A Special Police Officer shall have the same powers as a law enforcement officer
to arrest without a warrant. For offenses committed within the premises or on fresh
pursuant for offenses committed on the premises.

The test used for reasonableness is not what an ordinary citizen would consider
probable cause, but what would make an experienced, intelligent officer believe
probable cause existed.

Special police officers shall satisfactorily complete a 16-hour, on-the-job training
course within ninety (90) working days following employment, and an 8-hour annual in-
service training course.

SPO’s can violate constitutional right if needed to execute a lawful arrest for a
felony crime.

A person arrested can be held for one week without being formally charged.

SPO’s must complete in-service training every 12 months and failure to renew by
the expiration date may result in revocation of the SPO commission.

A D.C. SPO may carry a firearm off duty without a concealed handgun permit.

What is the Use-of-Force General Order number for the MPD?

A D.C. SPO has arrest authority off duty when not in uniform and not at work.

Probable Cause is not needed when conducting an arrest.

The legal definition of deadly force is the force that could reasonably appear to
cause death or grave bodily harm?

Per the lecture, the 4 legal criteria for the use of deadly force are:
1. Ability, 2.Opprotunity, 3.Jeopardy, 4.Preclusion.

Deadly force can only be used

How many levels of force are there in the force use-of-force framework?

A consensual encounter is when a reasonable person would feel that he/she was
free to leave, during a stop with the police.

The use of force is Justified by SPO’s as long as it is deemed Reasonable and or
Necessary.

MPD General Order 901.04 deals with what issue?

Three (3) of the Six (6) Rules under Stat. 968.24 are: Stop must occur in a public
place. Officer must identify himself as a LEO. Officer must reasonably suspect that the
person is committing, has committed or is about to commit a crime or civil forfeiture.

Under Title 23, Section 582 SPO’s are not allowed to give chase once a subject
has exited the property

An encounter with a police officer; where a reasonable person would feel that
he/she was free to leave.

Arrest by Special Police Officer (Per Title 23, Section 581) there are 27 Probable
Cause Misdemeanors (As of august 2015). One of the is Simple Assault.

One of the below conditions must be met for a warrant-less arrest for Probable
Cause Misdemeanors:

Title 16, Section103 (a) Domestic Violence (Intra-Family Offense), Title 16,
Section 1031 Domestic Violence. Any act punishable as a criminal offense committed
by an offender upon a person related by blood, legal custody, marriage, having a child
in common, or who have shared mutual residence, and maintain or have maintained an
intimate relationship. Arrests for intra-family offenses are mandatory if probable cause
exists. Suspects who commit offenses not in your presence are arrestable without the
need for a warrant. There is no discretion, you must arrest!

The most common offenses that a SPO will encounter fall into three general
categories; unauthorized use of drugs and alcoholic beverages, property crimes, violent
crimes.