What is the purpose of a Garrity Warning?

• A. To protect officers from self-incrimination during department investigations by offering statements that cannot be used against them.
• B. To force officers to testify in all proceedings.
• C. To apply only to civil lawsuits.
• D. To waive rights to counsel.

Answer: (A)

The Garrity warning protects an officer’s right not to be forced to self-incriminate during internal department investigations. When an investigator compels answers, the officer is told that those statements cannot be used against them in a criminal prosecution, which helps the officer speak honestly without fearing the information will be used to prosecute them. This allows the agency to gather information for internal discipline while preserving the officer’s constitutional protections.

This isn’t about forcing testimony in all proceedings, it isn’t limited to civil lawsuits, and it doesn’t waive the officer’s right to counsel—counsel can still be involved, and the emphasis is on immunity from use in criminal prosecutions rather than a blanket surrender of rights.