Publishing standards · September 18, 2026

Editorial and corrections policy

Responsibility and attribution

All Police Guide is responsible for content published under its site name. We do not invent author biographies, professional experience, certifications, or expert reviews. A link to an official source is a reference, not an endorsement of our website by that organization.

Sources and jurisdiction

For hiring requirements, we prioritize the current recruiting notice and the relevant state standards authority. For legal background, we use court and government educational resources and identify specialist sources such as the ACLU by name. A national overview does not replace a state rule or a department's policy.

Guides should connect factual claims to relevant sources, distinguish specific examples from general background, and explain uncertainty where a yes-or-no answer would be misleading.

Methodology

Every guide and tool follows the steps below before publication or a substantive update. This is the site’s editorial method; it does not represent personal professional credentials or a claim of legal or agency review.

1. Define the question and its scope

We identify the reader’s practical question, the location it applies to, and the date or agency context that could change the answer. A guide about one department, state, or hiring cycle is labeled as such. When a national answer would hide meaningful differences, the page explains the limit and directs readers to the authority that controls their situation.

2. Select the most direct source

We begin with the source closest to the claim: a current agency recruiting notice, the relevant state standards authority, or the controlling statute or regulation when it is available. For legal and civic background, we use courts and government educational resources. Named specialist organizations may add context, but they do not override an official rule or agency requirement. Search summaries, anonymous dashboards, and AI output are not treated as sources of authority.

3. Check each claim against the source

We compare the statement on the page with the linked material and retain the source’s material limits: who it applies to, which jurisdiction issued it, and when it was current. Requirements, dates, costs, and quoted language are checked against the source rather than inferred from a similar agency or a general article. Where the source supports context rather than a definite answer, the guide says so.

4. Make the evidence visible

Readers should be able to open the cited source and see why it is relevant. We link source names near the claims they support, distinguish examples from universal rules, and avoid presenting one agency’s policy as nationwide practice. If a useful point cannot be supported with a relevant, accessible source, it is narrowed, framed as uncertainty, or left out.

5. Run a pre-publication fact check

Before a guide or tool is published, we check that its key links open, the source names and dates match the linked material, the main claims are supported by those sources, and the page makes its jurisdiction and limitations clear. We also check that the title, headings, and internal links describe the page’s actual purpose. Pages do not add invented author biographies, credentials, quotes, statistics, or claims of professional review.

6. Review, update, and correct

Pages containing changeable hiring requirements, legal-background sources, or tool-service descriptions are scheduled for a source review at least every six months. We review sooner when an agency changes a notice, an important source changes or stops working, a tool’s data source changes, or a reader reports a possible error. A visible “Sources checked” date is changed after the supporting material is reviewed; it is not refreshed merely to make unchanged content appear new.

Dates and updates

A “Sources checked” date records a check of the references used for that guide. It is not a claim of legal review. When a source or substantive statement changes, the affected page is checked again and its supporting links and scope are updated as needed.

AI assistance

AI tools are used to help research, organize, and draft content and build reference tools. AI output is not a source of authority. Source links and the stated scope are provided so readers can verify the underlying information. The current guides do not claim review by a licensed attorney or serving officer.

Corrections

Send a page URL, the disputed statement, and any supporting source to [email protected]. Our correction standard is to compare the report with the relevant source, correct verified errors, and update the affected page’s source-check date when its supporting material is reviewed. If a claim cannot be supported, it should be narrowed or removed.

Advertising and independence

The website is being prepared for advertising. An advertisement, if introduced, must be distinguishable from our information and tool controls. Advertising does not constitute endorsement by a police agency or change the requirements stated in a cited official source.