TeenPatrol Guide

(This document exists for historical purposes, and does not reflect current AWTeen policies.)

Revision #7 by Dr. Squailboont, 25-JAN-2007

I.  What Is Teen Patrol?
II.  Self-Conduct
III.  Dealing with the Public
IV.  Rules and Limitations
V.  Disciplinary Action

These guidelines are subject to change at any time. Updates will be appropriately announced in the TeenPatrol Forum. By choosing and continuing to serve in TeenPatrol, members are implicitly bound to adhere to all conditions set in this Guide.

I. What is TeenPatrol?

The TeenPatrol is essentially the AWTeen equivalent of Peacekeepers in other AWI worlds. TeenPatrol Members watch over the world ensuring that peace is maintained and that the AWI conduct and content guidelines are followed. TeenPatrol Members are the first line of defense against troublemakers in AWTeen, and have the ability to eject people when needed.

TeenPatrol Members are responsible for managing cases of vandalism. They are the lead investigators in these cases, and are to be the first on the scene. TeenPatrol has a large amount of responsibility, and its members should be treated with the utmost respect.

Current TeenPatrol Members

Becoming a TeenPatrol Member

The TeenPatrol program is open by invitation only. The best chance to become a TeenPatrol member is to join the Just Ask Me (JAM) program, managed by Mason. Recommendations from caretakers are also taken into consideration.

Invitations are sent to prospective members; they are never given on request. Past behavior in AWTeen and your standing in the JAM program are major factors in being invited to TeenPatrol.

Telegram Mason about joining the JAM program.

II. Self-Conduct

As the job of TeenPatrol is one of responsibility and power, members should always act in a professional manner to convey this responsibility and maturity. Members should always maintain a friendly (but professional) demeanor to the general public. This includes known trouble-makers, or other people that a particular TeenPatrol Member may personally dislike.

Favorable Attributes of TeenPatrol Members:

It is a TeenPatrol Members duty to remain firm, and calm, even in the most frustrating of situations.

III. Dealing with the Public

Most of the time TeenPatrol members are not actively using TP privileges, and thus act like any other citizen of AWTeen. But, as part of the job, sometimes a TP must login and deal with the public as a Teen Patrol Member. This is done to deal with problems such as controlling individuals, crowds, or vandalism. As such, the people they directly deal with may have no regard for the authority of a TeenPatrol. Below are some suggestions when dealing with the public.

  1. Choose your words carefully. You do not want to say the wrong thing and have it come back to bite you, or give them ammunition against you. Keep your statements brief, and simply worded until the situation is under your control. Always be very careful in making direct statements such as "I am going to eject you"; find another way around such words.
  2. Remain calm under chaotic situations. Yelling and showing frustration often drives chaotic situations to great extremes. Try to remain calm no matter what a person says. By staying calm you prove you are the better person, and maintain control of the situation. Remember that if a person gets out of hand you have the ability to assert your authority.
  3. Always discourage ill behavior. In a chaotic situation involving a crowd, let everyone know that you are there to handle the situation, and suggest the involved people to calm down. By doing so, these people will often people calm down, and become less rash about the situation at hand. Often times just being there is enough to calm the situation down.
  4. Handle vandalism with care. When dealing with victims of vandalism, they may be very upset. In their frustration they take it out on you by yelling or cursing. Assure the victims that you are there to help and ask them to remain calm so you can fix the situation as quickly as possible. Try to refrain from ejecting them at all cost; they may be distraught and not aware they are breaking rules. This is not saying don’t eject them at all-- if they do become out of control, a small ejection may calm them down into realizing you are only there to help. Remember, though, that it is a last resort maneuver.
  5. Never use Public Speaker in vain. This means that although you might sense a chaotic situation about to ensue, there is no need to login to the PPW and ask if everyone is doing okay. It is enough to simply ask off-PPW, and be able to quickly login should your assistance be requested or the situation climb out of control. By suddenly appearing in bold, it is possible to further alienate and/or aggravate some people. ("Why did you jump on bold just to check on me?!?")

Always remember to document everything. This protects yourself and provides clear evidence against any offenders.

IV. Rules and Limitations

4.1 Logging In and Out

  1. A TP has the right to log on at any time of any day to patrol, unless otherwise specified by AWTeen officials.
  2. A TP has the right to log out at any time of any day, and is not obligated to remain on duty for any reason.
  3. A TP does not have the right to remain on duty if ordered off duty by the TeenPatrol Manager or a Caretaker.

4.2 Use of Public Speaker Rights

  1. JAMs retain priority on Public Speaker rights for their normal duty in the Ground Zero Area.
  2. A TP may overtake the priority of a JAM on Public Speaker righs if either requested to do so by the JAM or if the TP has probable cause to do so.
  3. A TP may not use Public Speaker for any personal gain.

4.3 Duty and Conduct

  1. More than one TeenPatrol member may be logged in at the same time. Unless backup has been explicitly requested, only one (1) member may be actively patrolling the Ground Zero area.
  2. Patrol Area: TeenPatrol Members must remain within 200 meters of GZ while on activity patrol, unless a situation deems that they leave this area to provide assistance to other TP members or people requesting help.
  3. A TP is required to assist all citizens and tourists that request help, and is required to leave GZ if help is requested outside of GZ.
  4. A TP may remain on duty for as long as they deem necessary to resolve any problems at hand and control situations.
  5. A TP has full authority in all public areas. Public areas are considered as “the defined patrol area including the Extended Chat Network”.
  6. A TP does not have to be on duty to offer basic assistance to a citizen or tourist.
  7. A TP is subject to the same rules of AWTeen as any other citizen and tourist, including the world's current rating.

4.4 Problem Solving and Ejection Rights

  1. A TP has the right to warn any citizen or tourist, and retains the right to eject them if deemed necessary. The following is the proper protocol when ejection is warranted.
    • Offense #1:  First warning
    • Offense #2: Second warning
    • Offense #3: Third and final warning, first ejection for five (5) minutes.
    • Offense #4: Second ejection for one (1) hour.
    • Offense #5: If possible, referral to Teen Patrol Manager or a Caretaker. Otherwise, ejection for one (1) week.
  2. A TP may NEVER issue warnings in public. All warnings should be issued through private whispers or telegrams.
  3. Proper notification to all ejected parties shall be immediately provided following any ejection. This includes their duration of ejection, reason for ejection, and name and citizen number of ejecting TP member.
  4. Ejections shall not be made public knowledge through either public or private chat.
  5. A TP may NEVER eject any individual for personal gain, for personal matters, or for personal issues.
  6. A TP must document to the fullest extent the ejection of all individuals in the following ways.
    • Exact VRT date and time of the incident.
    • The citizen number and name of the offender. (If a tourist is involved, include only the name).
    • IP address of the offender
    • A log of all chat and specific action taken prior to the ejection(s).
  7. All documentation regarding rule 4.4.6 (the rule directly above) shall be immediately posted in the TeenPatrol forum.

4.5 Ejectable Offenses

  1. The following all is all considered ejectable offenses, but ejectable offenses are not limited to this list.
    • Any direct insult towards any citizen and/or tourist.
    • The use of any sexual material, including words, images, cybersex, and sexual slurs.
    • Religious and ethnic slurs, lewd behavior of any kind, and cursing.
    • The continued use of all capital letters. This is considered shouting and constitutes disruptive behavior.
    • The continuous and/or repetitive posting of text constitutes flooding, which shall be considered disruptive.
    • The continued vandalism of property after warnings to stop.
  2. Some of these rules may be subject to change during special times or events, and when such an event occurs, the Teen Patrol Manager or any CT may issue a directive suspending one or more of the above guidelines for the duration of the special event. The addition of guidelines specifically for such a special event may also be issued.

4.6 Vandalism Investigation

  1. TeenPatrol Members are required to investigate all reports of vandalism.
  2. TPs are only to report discovered facts, and the methods used to discover these facts. There is no place for speculation.
  3. TeenPatrol Members must report all findings to the Teen Patrol Manager or to the proper Caretaker when investigating vandalism.
  4. A TP has the right to remove all parties involved in vandalism and property disputes away from the conflict area. This will be done first by asking. If parties involved refuse to leave, teleportation may be used to remove them. If they persist, than they meet the criteria for rule 4.4.1 (three warnings, followed by ejection).

V. Disciplinary Action

Any and all violations of these guidelines are subject to disciplinary action. The degree and time of such action may vary from warning to dismissal, and is at the discretion of the TeenPatrol Manager, Caretakers, and any other person authorized to carry out these actions.

There is NO appeal process for any disciplinary action taken. Repeated attempts to appeal disciplinary action may result in further action, such as ejection from the world and/or permanent banishment from the TeenPatrol program.

5.1 Warnings

  1. A warning may be issued to one or more TeenPatrol members by the TeenPatrol Manager or a Caretaker.
  2. Upon issuing a fourth warning, a two-week suspension will follow. (This time may be increased or decreased at the discretion of the TeenPatrol Manager.)
  3. Should a seventh warning be issued to a TeenPatrol Member, the Manager will consult with one or more Caretakers and the Member may be dismissed from the TeenPatrol program.

5.2 Dismissal

  1. By discretion of either the TeenPatrol Manager or the Caretakers, TeenPatrol Members may be dismissed at any time for any reason.
  2. Upon dismissal from TeenPatrol, the dismissed Member may not be permitted to re-enter the program for thirty-one (31) days following the dismissal. (This time may be adjusted at the discretion of the Manager.)
  3. At the discretion of the TeenPatrol Manager, dismissed members may be permanently banished from ever re-entering the TeenPatrol program.