Rights of Officers

Public Safety Statements

When involved in a Critical Incident

After involvement in a critical incident, supervisors may ask you questions as part of a “public safety statement.”  Any questions that don’t revolve around these basic questions should give you reason to invoke 5th Amendment rights, pending a “Garrity Statement”.

Typical statements include the following:

• Type of force used
• Location of injured persons, including those in need of medical attention, if any
• Description of outstanding suspects and their direction of travel, time elapsed since the suspect was last seen, and any suspect weapons they may possess.
• Direction and approximate number of any shots fired by the involved officer and/or suspects and any known results, if applicable.
• Description and location of known evidence.
• Other information as necessary to ensure officer & public safety, and assist in the apprehension of outstanding suspects including identity of all persons present