New York City Police Department Policy Manual

The New York City Police Department patrol guide and related manuals form one of the largest and most detailed policy sets in the country. The public-facing materials outline expectations for patrol, investigations, supervision, use of force, interactions with the public, and administrative procedures across a complex urban environment.

For NYPD supervisors, policy study is less about memorizing every line and more about understanding how core sections fit together. Promotion candidates usually focus on high-impact areas such as use of force, stop and frisk, incident reporting, supervision and discipline, vehicle operations, and interactions with vulnerable populations. A common approach is to build a study schedule by major topic, then connect each topic to realistic scenarios an NYC supervisor might face on a busy tour.

Commonly emphasized policy areas for promotion-oriented study at large urban agencies like NYPD include:
- Use of force and de-escalation expectations
- Investigative stops, searches, and seizures
- Vehicle pursuits and emergency driving
- Handling of complaints and internal investigations
- Supervision, discipline, and corrective action
- Domestic incidents, vulnerable persons, and mental health response
- Documentation, report writing, and notifications
Candidates should know not only what the policy says, but how it will be applied when a critical incident occurs.

When studying NYPD policy for promotion, officers often benefit from:
- Organizing the patrol guide by topic rather than chapter number
- Writing brief “policy snapshots” for each major area (what is allowed, what is prohibited, and what must be documented)
- Practicing scenario-style questions that involve multiple policies at once (for example, force, reporting, and supervision in a single event)
- Paying attention to directives that change how supervisors must respond after force, complaints, or serious incidents.
Because large-agency exams can weigh written detail heavily, it is useful to connect rules to concrete examples and past calls rather than memorizing text in isolation.