What is the key unit for the filing segment representing the New York City Police Department?

• A. New
• B. New York
• C. Police
• D. Department

Answer: (A)

In a filing plan, you organize a name by breaking it into segments and using the first meaningful word as the primary filing key. For New York City Police Department, the initial word that identifies the entity is New, so it serves as the main segment to place this record in the proper group. The remaining words—York, City, Police, Department—act as qualifiers to refine the entry but do not replace the primary segment. The other options don’t function as the main indexing unit because they either combine into a bigger segment that isn’t the primary key or are generic terms that don’t uniquely identify the organization.