Deck 5: The Police Role And Police Discretion

Question 1

The "defense of life" standard allowed police officers to use deadly force against people who were using deadly force against an officer or another person.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The police themselves emphasize their role as crime fighters and play down their job as peacekeepers and social service providers.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Officers have broad discretion on whether to arrest or not to arrest in domestic violence cases.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

An officer's discretion varies depending on the type of situation he or she encounters.

Question 5

The police role is extremely well defined and contains little ambiguity.

Question 6

Elaine Cumming and her colleagues reported that the ordinary work routines of police officers include mostly law enforcement activities and very few other activities.

Question 7

The entire criminal justice system is based on the concept of discretion.

Question 8

The growing popularity of less-than-lethal weapons (LTLW)by police officers in the United States virtually ensures their increased use in the law enforcement community.

Question 9

The "broken windows" theory suggests​ it is appropriate to allow a neighborhood to deteriorate if the neighborhood will not participate in its upkeep.

Question 10

Two studies indicate that people who engage in violent crime or who engage the police in violent confrontations are much more likely to be the victims of police shootings.

Question 11

Most of what happens in the U.S.criminal justice system happens without the use of discretion by the police.

Question 12

In 1985,the fleeing felon rule was declared unconstitutional by the U.S.Supreme Court in the landmark case of:

A) Mapp v.Ohio.
B) Lawrence v.Texas.
C) Tennessee v.Garner.
D) Terry v.Ohio.

Question 13

Minority groups allege they are the victims of race-based policing due the NYPD stop-and-frisk policies.

Question 14

Gender does not play an important role in use of force incidents by police officers.

Question 15

Police are free or have the ability to ignore crimes or to exercise discretion regarding them,even when the crime is serious.

Question 16

In most cases where stops were made,the behavior of the suspect was what concerned the officer.

Question 17

Police generally have much less discretion than other officials in the criminal justice system.

Question 18

Movies and television shows about the police emphasize the police crime-fighting role.

Question 19

The police officer is generally the first decision maker in the U.S.criminal justice system and is often the most important.

Question 20

The primary goal or objective of the police should be to arrest all offenders.

Question 21

Which of the following is incorrect?

A) The police make more arrests for minor violations than serious crime.
B) The police make more arrests for drug offenses than they do for driving while intoxicated (DWI/DUI)
C) The police make more arrests for aggravated or felony assault than they do for misdemeanor assault.
D) Violations of liquor laws,drunkenness,disorderly conduct,vagrancy,and loitering are responsible for approximately 1.72 million arrests a year.

Question 22

According to the text,the legality and morality of the "fleeing felon" rule have been challenged because of the U.S.legal concept of:

A) presumption of innocence.
B) fundamental fairness.
C) cruel and unusual punishment.
D) application of equality.

Question 23

Officer Smith believes her role is to maintain order on her beat by arresting criminals.According to Broderick,she would be considered a(n):

A) realist.
B) optimist.
C) enforcer.
D) idealist.

Question 24

Of the following,the police make more arrests for ____________________ crimes than for the other types.

A) violent
B) property
C) financial
D) quality-of-life

Question 25

Most police contacts involve:

A) motor vehicle or traffic-related issues.
B) family violence.
C) arrests of offenders.
D) testifying in court.

Question 26

Officer Brown believes his role is keeping the peace and preserving the social order,yet he is very careful not to violate the constitutional rights of individuals.According to Broderick,he would be considered a(n):

A) realist.
B) optimist.
C) enforcer.
D) idealist.

Question 27

The Magic City Police Department maintains order through informal police intervention,including persuasion and threats,or hassling or roughing up disruptive people instead of formal arrests.According to James Q.Wilson,it would be considered to be a ____________________ department.

A) watchman
B) legalistic
C) moralistic
D) service

Question 28

Officer Green believes that it is impossible to achieve the goals and objectives of the police department and concentrates his efforts on the concept of police loyalty and the mutual support of his fellow officers.According to Broderick,he would be considered a(n):

A) realist.
B) optimist.
C) enforcer.
D) idealist.

Question 29

Which of the following is not one of Broderick's police operational styles?

A) enforcers
B) dreamers
C) realists
D) optimists

Question 30

Robert Lilly's research concluded that the majority of police calls are in reference to:

A) burglaries.
B) thefts.
C) information.
D) social services.

Question 31

Sheehan and Cordner state that the two primary goals and objectives of police departments are:

A) maintaining order,and protecting life and property.
B) preventing crime and arresting offenders.
C) preventing crime and maintaining order.
D) protecting life and property,and preventing crime.

Question 32

The police role is:

A) very ambiguous.
B) very clearly defined.
C) mainly related to violent crime.
D) mainly related to arresting offenders.

Question 33

Police officers have ____________________ discretion.

A) little
B) tremendous
C) limited
D) no

Question 34

The Smalltown Police Department uses social service agencies to provide counseling for minor offenders.According to James Q.Wilson,it would be considered to be a ____________________ department.

A) watchman
B) legalistic
C) moralistic
D) service

Question 35

Egon Bittner has stated that police work has,from its earliest origins,been a:

A) religious vocation.
B) respected profession.
C) feared occupation.
D) tainted occupation.

Question 36

Officer White concentrates her efforts on helping people in trouble,rather than on keeping society safe.According to Broderick,she would be considered a(n):

A) realist.
B) optimist.
C) enforcer.
D) idealist.

Question 37

The police make approximately ____________________ million arrests a year.

A) 3.3
B) 10.16
C) 12.2
D) 13.12

Question 38

The Humortown Police Department issues many summonses and makes many misdemeanor arrests.According to James Q.Wilson,it would be considered to be a ____________________ department.

A) watchman
B) legalistic
C) moralistic
D) service

Question 39

According to the text,the police attempt to prevent crime by trying to create a sense of:

A) safety and security.
B) community involvement.
C) omniscience.
D) omnipresence.

Question 40

Which of the following is not one of James Q.Wilson's operating styles?

A) watchman
B) legalistic
C) service
D) aggressive

Question 41

Statistics clearly indicate that police officers:

A) overuse force.
B) do not overuse force.
C) overuse threats.
D) display their weapons too often.

Question 42

Which of the following is not one of the factors that may influence police discretion as indicated by research findings?

A) time of day
B) the offense
C) subject's attitude
D) subject's race

Question 43

Studies of police discretion have shown that the most significant factor in the decision to arrest is the:

A) location of the offense.
B) officer-offender relationship.
C) seriousness of the offense committed.
D) offender's past criminal history.

Question 44

The police try to create a sense that they are always there.This is called __________.

Question 45

In the 1970s,the American Law Institute proposed a(n)____________________,which included new policies on the use of deadly force.

A) administrative rule
B) National Bill of Police Rights
C) legislative bill
D) Model Penal Code

Question 46

The availability of a choice of options or actions one can take in a situation is called __________.

Question 47

Based on 2010 statistics,approximately ____________________ people were killed justifiably by police in a three-year period.

A) 25
B) 390
C) 1,322
D) 10,227

Question 48

The ____________________ standard allows police officers to use deadly force against people who are using deadly force against an officer or another person,as well as in certain violent felony situations.

A) castle exception
B) defense of property
C) defense of life
D) defense of community

Question 49

Most police patrol time is spent:

A) as uncommitted time.
B) as committed time.
C) responding to calls for service.
D) responding to dispatch.

Question 50

Choke holds,carotid holds,and neck restraints became a source of controversy after:

A) several lawsuits.
B) some deaths.
C) further study.
D) changes in law enforcement policies.

Question 51

The first decision maker in the criminal justice system and often the most important is the:

A) judge.
B) defense attorney.
C) police officer.
D) prosecutor.

Question 52

In 1985,the U.S.Supreme Court dealt with police use of deadly force,declaring the __________unconstitutional.

Question 53

In the landmark case Tennessee v.Garner,the U.S.Supreme Court declared the ____________________ rule unconstitutional.

A) fleeing felon
B) consent search
C) detention
D) stop and frisk

Question 54

Ninety-six percent of local police departments have turned to the use of __________ in an attempt to reduce the use of deadly force.

Question 55

The federal government has redefined its deadly force policy used by federal agents and has adopted the __________ standard.

Question 56

According to the text,one way of controlling discretion,particularly improper application of discretion,is the establishment of:

A) strong policies.
B) employee early warning systems.
C) citizen review boards.
D) active reporting systems.

Question 57

Which of the following is part of the federal government's imminent danger standard for use of deadly force?

A) firing warning shots
B) shooting at moving vehicles
C) prisoner attempting escape who was being held in a high-security prison
D) nonfatally shooting a suspect in the leg

Question 58

Which of the following is not one of the reasons police exercise discretion?

A) If the police enforced all the laws,all the time,they would be in the station house or court much of their time.
B) Complete enforcement would alienate the public from the police.
C) Most violations of law are minor and do not require full enforcement.
D) The police want to show they have a caring attitude toward the community.

Question 59

Arresting offenders and assisting prosecutors in bringing charges against defendants is one of the primary methods used by police to maintain order and protect __________and __________.

Question 60

Which of the following is not one of the major factors Herbert Jacob says causes the police to exercise discretion?

A) department policies
B) characteristics of the crime
C) relationship between criminal and victim or between police and criminal or victim
D) geographic area of the crime

Question 61

During the 1970s,many police departments developed an alternative to the fleeing felon doctrine; it was called the __________.

Question 62

The U.S.system of criminal justice is interested in the __________,in addition to the letter of the law.