User talk:Vivalas
The Nanotrasen Defense Forces Code of Operational Justice, abbreviated as NDFCOJ or simply "Ship Law", is the working penal code established by Nanotrasen to mandate the behavior of it's employees onboard any of its military vessels (Defined as any Nanotrasen ship or station armed with an anti-ship weapon for the express purpose of anything other than self defense). Ship Law is intended to be much more strict than its counterpart, Space Law, which is used aboard its civilian (unarmed) vessels.
In Ship Law, crimes are categorized into 3 categories, Misdemeanors, Felonies, and Capital crimes. Each category varies in severity of both crime and punishment.
Ship Law is NOT a suggestion, and must be enforced and followed by security personnel aboard the ship. Everyone is held to the same standard, including security and command staff, and they are to be punished in the same way a normal crew member would be in the case of an infraction.
Execution of the Law
Pardons / Dropping Charges
In cases where a crew member is victimized by another crew member, the affected crew member may drop the charges of the suspect. However, should the Head of Security or Captain choose to, they may press the charges on behalf of the corporation. Crimes against an individual may only be pardoned by Central Command if the affected individual elects not to drop the charges.
Crimes against the ship (vandalism, sabotage, etc.), any crime that affects the ship, may be pardoned by the Captain or a unanimous command vote of all active heads in absence of the Captain.
Crimes against the corporation may only be pardoned by Central Command.
Arrest / Processing Procedure
Arrests are only valid if carried out by a security officer or member of command. A Citizen's Arrest may only be made by normal crew if the arrest is made in self defense, or if the action of the suspect could have serious implications (e.g, someone arresting the clown for breaking into munitions). The validity of a Citizen's Arrest is left to the discretion of command.
The following procedures must be followed by an arresting officer, otherwise the charges may be considered invalid and the officer could be charged with Mishandling of Prisoners, at the discretion of command staff or Central Command.
- If not on Situation Amber or at General Quarters, the arresting officer must announce to the suspect his crimes and attempt to bring them in without using force or restraints. Exceptions are given if the suspect is wanted for a violent or Felony / Capital crime, or is known to resist arrest / has escaped from confinement.
- If the suspect complies with the arrest peacefully, then they are to be transferred to the brig. If not, then force may be applied as necessary to subdue the suspect. See the section on Application of Lethal Force for guidelines of what to do if the situation rapidly escalates.
- Once in the brig, the suspect is to be searched and all contraband (weapons, tools, anything that could help escape or be used to assault officers while incarcerated). Officers will be responsible for ensuring that all legal possessions of the suspect be returned when their term is up. Any item that the suspect may be charged with a crime for possessing must be confiscated. Prisoners must be allowed to retain their PDA, headset, shoes, and uniform while in confinement, unless these items are abused.
- Unless the suspect surrendered peacefully, bucklecuff them to the bed, and flash (or have an officer use the cell flasher), and then remove their handcuffs and vacate the cell.
- Once the term is up, ensure that the records for the suspect have been updated, that their status has been set to released, and that they can leave the brig.
If the prisoner attempts to break lights or cause damage to the cell, they are to be flashed and have the object they are using confiscated. If the prisoner attempts to escape, they are to be warned and have their timer reset. If they are warned three times, or manage to escape the cell, then lethal force is authorized to subdue them.
Application of Lethal Force
General Guidelines
- If a suspect is armed with a weapon and is actively resisting threat or threatening crew and officers, lethal force may be used if they are given one warning before hand, or if they are attacking another crewmember with the intent to kill or seriously injure.
- If a security officer feels that their life is in danger from an armed assailant or multiple assailants, they may utilize lethal force to subdue targets, but will be expected to justify their actions.
- Lethal force is automatically authorized for boarders and hostile entities that are not crew, or in situations where non-lethals are ineffective (hulks, for example).
Situation Amber and General Quarters
If the current alert level is Amber or General Quarters, restrictions on lethal force become much more lenient.
On Amber, lethal force is authorized if the suspect is suspected of Felony or higher crimes, and actively flees / resists lawful arrest by security. The suspect must be warned in the form of warning shots or verbal warning before lethal force is allowed.
Additionally, if a suspect is assaulting officers or command staff on Amber, lethal force is allowed if the suspect refuses to desist after being warned.
On General Quarters, which tends to be situational and brief, any crewmember acting in a disruptive way may be terminated by security or command personnel with extreme prejudice. Use of this clause in trivial situations will be punished accordingly.
Crimes and Sentences
All crimes for which an indiviual may be lawfully arrested are listed below. Crimes are given a numerical code with a letter suffix. The suffix indicates the scope of the crime (I = Crime Against an Individual, S = Crime Against the Ship, and C = Crime Against the Corporation)