Status: Current guidance

Last revised: August 24, 2026

How to Use This Site

The Stratos documentation site is designed to answer three questions quickly:

1. What rule applies?
2. What facts must be documented?
3. Which person or department makes the decision?

Searching

Search by statute number, common name, or a fact from the scene. Useful searches include:

• SPC 9.61 or reckless driving;
• stolen vehicle pursuit;
• Schedule II 25 grams;
• citation M2;
• probable cause checklist; or
• fire incident command.

Search results identify the document title and matching content. Open the article to confirm any visible status, effective date, and revision information. Penal Code searches should be narrowed by statute number or exact offense name.

Reading a Penal Code entry

A typical statute contains four parts:

• Reference: The permanent citation, such as SPC § 3.21.
• Offense: The formal charge name.
• Grade: The default offense level and standard maximum penalty.
• Elements: The facts that must be supported by probable cause.

Officers should not charge from the offense name alone. Read every element, check applicable definitions, consider defenses, and apply the merger rules. Aggravated facts mentioned in an entry must be documented before the higher grade is selected.

Citing documents

Use these formats in reports and court filings:

• Penal Code: Stratos Penal Code § 3.21 (2026)
• Department SOP: LE SOP § 6.2, Vehicle Pursuits
• Court order: State v. Rivera, Warrant SR-2026-0042
• Administrative directive: Directive ADM-2026-03

When quoting a rule, copy only the necessary language and include a link to the current page. Do not cite screenshots when the live document is available.

Document status and revision information

The public site automatically shows when an article was updated. That timestamp does not, by itself, establish whether a policy is approved or in effect.

Controlled legal and policy documents should include a short visible block when status matters:

• Status: Current, Draft, Superseded, Archived, or Emergency Directive
• Effective date: when the document begins to apply
• Last revised: the date of the last substantive change

A label controls only when it is visibly printed in the article. Draft material is not enforceable. Superseded and Archived material is retained for reference only. An Emergency Directive should state its authority, effective time, and expiration or review date.

The admin editor also uses Draft, In Review, and Published workflow states, but those are not reliable public policy labels. Public guidance must not promise metadata a reader cannot see.

If a controlled page lacks a visible status block, request confirmation before relying on it for discipline, prosecution, or a major scene decision.

In-character law versus out-of-character rules

The Penal Code, court orders, and department policy operate in character. Server rules, consent requirements, prohibited-roleplay rules, and administrator decisions operate out of character. An in-character warrant never authorizes conduct that violates a server rule. An out-of-character rule violation should be handled through the proper support process, not converted into an in-character criminal charge.

Resolving conflicting documents

Use the following priority:

1. server rules and administrator safety decisions;
2. the current Penal Code;
3. valid court orders and statewide directives;
4. department SOPs;
5. training notes and informal instructions.

The more specific rule controls over a general rule when both come from the same authority. A later approved revision controls over an earlier inconsistent version.

Reporting a documentation issue

Submit documentation issues through the support process described in Contact Administration. Include:

• the page title and section heading;
• the exact sentence or link at issue;
• whether the issue is a typo, broken link, ambiguity, conflict, or proposed policy change;
• the scene or workflow affected; and
• suggested language, if available.

Do not silently edit a controlled legal or policy page. Substantive changes require review and a changelog entry.

Accessibility and mobile use

Headings, tables, badges, and color must never be the only way information is communicated. Every classification badge should include text. Tables should collapse into readable cards on small screens. Search, navigation, and statute permalinks should remain available on mobile devices.