Deck 4: Becoming a Police Officer

Question 1

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, what percentage of local police departments offer their officers some type of education achievement pay, including tuition reimbursement?

A)1
B)16
C)31
D)64

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What police department has served as the model for field training programs across the country since the 1970s?

A)San Jose, California
B)Reno, Nevada
C)Dallas, Texas
D)Chicago, Illinois

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Courts have typically supported minimum height and weight requirement for applicants to police forces.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The requirement to regularly update the skills and knowledge base of veteran officers is known as __________.

A)in-service training
B)field training
C)the written examination
D)recruit training

Question 5

One of the concerns with the requirement of higher education for police officers is the fear of minority discrimination.

Question 6

Many police departments view their current officers as effective recruiters for careers in policing.

Question 7

Today, the typical police officer is ____________ educated than previous generations of police officers.

A)better
B)less
C)similarly
D)None of these choices (not possible to know).

Question 8

Previous height and weight requirements were believed to discriminate against ____________.

A)people with disabilities
B)African-American and Hispanic candidates
C)younger candidates
D)women and minority candidates

Question 9

The police selection process is relatively simple.A candidate can become hired as a police officer within several months after taking the entrance examination.

Question 10

Police agencies generally require the vision of an applicant to be correctable to _______.

A)20/20
B)20/30
C)20/40
D)20/50

Question 11

If a competent job analysis is performed, the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for performance in that department are considered to be ___________.

A)occupationally related
B)department related
C)discriminatory
D)job related

Question 12

Use of the Internet and social media has not yet been an effective method for police employers to get their message out about job openings.

Question 13

Police applicants today must be at least 5 feet 8 inches tall to be selected for employment.

Question 14

Police officer candidates are administered polygraph examinations in the vast majority of police departments

Question 15

Courts have traditionally upheld the no-smoking policies in police departments.

Question 16

Physical agility testing during the application process has been criticized for discriminating against _________.

A)Hispanics
B)African Americans
C)women
D)people with disabilities

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT something that is taken into consideration during a candidate's oral interview?

A)Poise
B)Presence
C)Speaking accent
D)Communication skills

Question 18

Police departments are required to have the same hiring standards across an entire state or region.

Question 19

At one time, the main requirement for becoming a police officer was the applicant's physical size, strength, and level of courage.

Question 20

According to a 2013 report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, only 1 percent of local police departments required a four-year college degree.

Question 21

The U.S.Census Bureau predicts that by 2050, minority populations will be _________ percent of the population.

A)25
B)33
C)54
D)64

Question 22

What stage of the police selection process is most subject to litigation?

A)Background examination
B)Written entrance exam
C)Physical agility test
D)Medical exam

Question 23

In a 2010 report, the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that about ________ percent of police departments required applicants to take a polygraph.

A)15
B)26
C)50
D)80

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT considered by departments when selecting police applicants?

A)Education
B)Physical abilities
C)Vision
D)Criminal history of parents

Question 25

A BJS report found that 5 percent of municipal police agencies use this type of screening procedure.

A)Polygraph exam
B)Written aptitude test
C)Voice stress analyzer
D)Psychological evaluation

Question 26

What selection process can be used to examine a candidate's poise, presence, and communication skills?

A)One-on-one interview
B)Oral interview in front of a panel
C)Polygraph
D)Psychological evaluation

Question 27

By 2006, what was the national average for hours new police officers spent in academy training?

A)407
B)532
C)661
D)761

Question 28

What landmark court decision allowed for police departments to create a job analysis to identify the important tasks that must be performed by a police officer?

A)Guardians Association of New York City Police Department v.Civil Service Commission of New York
B)Dothard v.Rawlinson
C)Dred Scott v.Sandford
D)Escobedo v.Illinois

Question 29

What is the term for the ability to interpret, understand, and manage one's own and others' emotions, which encompasses many competencies that are valued in law enforcement such as self-awareness, self-control, conflict management, and leadership?

A)Emotional intelligence
B)KSAs
C)Common sense
D)Exhibited intelligence

Question 30

Adverse impact or different rate of selection occurs when the selection rate for any gender, race, or ethnic group is less than __________ percent of that for the group with the highest selection rate.

A)50
B)60
C)80
D)90

Question 31

What organization got together with the Bureau of Justice Assistance to create the Discoverpolicing.org job board and informational website?

A)Police Benevolent Association
B)Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP)
C)International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
D)President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice

Question 32

What percentage of U.S.police departments conduct criminal background checks for all applicants, according to a Justice Department survey?

A)45 percent
B)75 percent
C)90 percent
D)100 percent

Question 33

Most federal law enforcement agencies require what amount of education?

A)High school diploma
B)400 academy hours
C)Associate's degree
D)Bachelor's degree

Question 34

The U.S.Supreme Court case of Dothard v.Rawlinson (1977) revolved around what police candidate issue?

A)Height and weight requirements for necessary job performance
B)Age limits for prospective police candidates
C)Minimum educational requirements
D)The admissibility of a polygraph in the selection process

Question 35

Approximately how many police academies exist in the United States?

A)260
B)350
C)650
D)1,000

Question 36

Researcher Hrand Saxenian says ________ is the single most important criterion in the police selection.

A)Courage
B)Age
C)Attitude
D)Maturity

Question 37

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, ____________ percent of local police departments provide college tuition reimbursement to their officers.

A)6
B)37
C)76
D)87

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT a typical review item during a police candidate's background investigation.

A)Credit check
B)Phone records
C)Employment history
D)Driving record

Question 39

Nationwide, the education requirement for the majority of police departments is ___________.

A)a four-year college degree
B)a two-year college degree
C)some college
D)no college, but at least a high school degree or its equivalent

Question 40

Rather than lose an otherwise quality candidate, departments often provide training or guidance before which phase of the application process?

A)Background investigation
B)Psychological examination
C)Physical agility test
D)Written entrance exam

Question 41

Discuss the pros and cons of online training programs for police officers.

Question 42

During the police screening process, most departments reject applicants with what type of arrest on record?

A)An adult or juvenile felony conviction
B)An adult or juvenile misdemeanor conviction
C)Adult felony arrests
D)Juvenile felony arrests

Question 43

The majority of today's police departments __________.

A)maintain a height requirement
B)have eliminated the height requirement
C)have maintained the height requirement, but allow officers to be measured while wearing boots
D)have lowered the height requirement to 5 feet 2 inches

Question 44

What is considered a "learning position" for potential police candidates while they are pursuing their education?

A)Police dispatcher
B)Police cadet
C)Public service attendant
D)Community service attendant

Question 45

An officer with a high level of_________ _ is ideal because it encompasses many competencies that are valued in law enforcement such as self-awareness, self-control, conflict management, and leadership.

Question 46

The period of time that a department has to evaluate a new officer's ability to perform his or her job effectively is called the _________ _period.

Question 47

Recently graduated recruits from the police academy receive a type of on-the-job training called __________.

Question 48

What is the abbreviated name of the federal government program that gave grants for police officers to attend college?

A)GRAD
B)LEEP
C)DIPLOMA
D)GAIN

Question 49

The President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended that police departments provide an absolute minimum of ___________ hours of classroom work.

A)800
B)500
C)400
D)600

Question 50

Discuss the pros and cons of police officers paying for their physical and classroom training at private academies before being hired by a police department.

Question 51

Explain what a job analysis is and its importance in the police hiring process.

Question 52

If a competent job analysis is performed, the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for performance in that department are judged to be __________.

Question 53

__________ is the name of the "shoot/don't shoot" training course that forces officers to make split-second decisions with fire arms.

Question 54

Due to recent changes in legislation and general attitudes, the prior use of which drug has become more flexible in regard to recruiting new police officers?

A)Marijuana
B)Alcohol
C)Opiates
D)Cocaine

Question 55

A __________ identifies the important tasks that must be performed by police officers, and then identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform those tasks.

Question 56

The initial training a police officer receives is called __________.

Question 57

Identify the sources you can use to find information about law enforcement jobs.

Question 58

The __________ in Quantico, Virginia, is one of the most well-known law enforcement leadership and administrative officers courses in the United States.

Question 59

During the field training phase, a recruit is assigned to three different __________ , who provide daily and weekly evaluations on the recruit's performance.

Question 60

As an alternative or in addition to the FTO program, a field training program designed to produce graduates capable of providing customer-centered, responsible, community-focused police services is called the __________ model.

Question 61

Describe some initiatives for recruiting young people to law enforcement careers and explain why they are important.

Question 62

Explain the debate over whether or not a college education should be required for police officers.

Question 63

Considering the findings of the Hiring in the Spirit of Service project, do you think the community should be included in police recruitment and hiring? Why or why not?

Question 64

Why are field training programs and probationary periods vital phases in the police hiring process?

Question 65

If a college degree is required for employment as a police officer, should tuition reimbursement be offered? Why or why not?

Question 66

Define emotional intelligence and explain why it is important in policing.

Question 67

Explain why changes have been made in the physical requirements to become a police officer and give some examples of those changes.

Question 68

Discuss the challenges that police departments face when considering candidates who have a history of drug use and the policy changes departments have made as a result of societal changes.