Which document governs the use of force and its escalation for Court Officers in NYS?

• A. The agency's use-of-force policy and related NYS Court Security guidelines
• B. The employee handbook
• C. Building code regulations
• D. The cafeteria policy

Answer: (A)

The main concept is that use of force and how it is escalated for Court Officers in NYS is governed by the agency’s formal use-of-force policy together with the NYS Court Security guidelines. These documents lay out when force is permissible, the proportionality standard, and the required escalation steps—from presence and verbal commands to restraint techniques and, as a last resort, more forceful options. They also define de-escalation requirements, reporting obligations, and training expectations. The employee handbook might cover general conduct but doesn’t provide the specific force standards; building code regulations address physical safety of the facility, not how officers respond to threats; cafeteria policy is unrelated to on-duty safety protocols. So the policy and guidelines are the controlling reference for how force is used and escalated.