Exam Study Guide

We require anyone from the ages of 14-15 to pass an exam with a 70% or higher in order to join the department. You can utilize the information below to practice for the exam.

Codes and Signals

You should have a good understanding of the 10 Codes that we use in this server, we recommend at least memorizing the highlighted codes in this link.

SADPS Codes and Signals: https://bit.ly/3CZYW7y

Use of Lethal Force

Officers should attempt to use non-confrontational verbal skills, empathy and/or active listening to stabilize a person in crisis or when confronted with a situation where control is required to effect an arrest or protect the public’s safety. The suspect should be allowed to comply before force is used unless this causes unnecessary danger to the officer or others. De-escalation may also incorporate the use of additional time, distance and resources as well as persuasion, command presence, repositioning, and warnings, to reduce the intensity of a potentially violent situation to decrease the potential need to use force.

Police officers may not use deadly force merely to prevent escape in misdemeanor cases. The use of deadly force to prevent escape of felony suspects is constitutionally unreasonable except where the escape presents an immediate risk of death or serious physical harm to another.

Where the suspect poses no immediate threat of death or serious physical harm to others, the harm resulting from failing to apprehend him does not justify the use of deadly force to do so. If an officer uses unnecessary and/or excessive force, or acts wantonly and maliciously, they could be found guilty of assault, even of culpable homicide if they kill the person they are attempting to arrest.

At such time as a police officer perceives what they interprets to be a threat of loss of life or serious physical harm to themselves or others at the hands of another, they have the authority to display a firearm, with finger outside the trigger guard and have it ready for self-defense.

A police officer is authorized to use that force reasonably necessary to protect themselves or others from death or serious physical harm at the hands of another. There must be an apprehension of real or immediate danger based on an overt and/or constructive act by another.