Deck 6: Police Culture, Personality, and Police Stress

Question 1

The idea of danger permeates the police subculture.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The longer officers are in their profession, the more hostile they become.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The rate of police suicides has dropped in recent decades.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

One factor that identifies a police shooting as "suicide by cop" is that the suicidal subject must confront law enforcement to the degree that the officer or officers are compelled to react with deadly force to defend themselves or others from serious bodily injury or death.

Question 5

A study on police depression revealed that ____________________ officers had higher levels of depression.

A)female
B)white
C)Asian
D)male

Question 6

The American Institute of Stress ranked police work as the top stress-producing job in the United States.

Question 7

Most police departments have management programs to deal with the stress problems of police officers.

Question 8

The strong bonding that occurs among police officers places the highest value on the obligation to back up and support a fellow officer.

Question 9

The police have a subculture that is not substantially different from that found in other occupations in society.

Question 10

In a suicide by cop situation, the only victim is the suspect that has been shot by the officer.

Question 11

A recent study by John Violanti reveals that police commit suicide at a rate up to 53 percent higher than other city workers.

Question 12

Police officers and their families tend to avoid socializing with other police officers and their families, choosing to socialize instead with people in other lines of work.

Question 13

The stress affecting police officers rarely affects their families.

Question 14

Heart attacks, ulcers, weight gain, and other health problems are not signs of stress in police officers.

Question 15

Officers who express a loss/increase in appetite usually have an eating disorder?

Question 16

Suicide is a serious problem in policing.

Question 17

The concept of the blue curtain was developed by Jerome Skolnick.

Question 18

Studies have indicated that police officers face serious marital problems, health problems, and problems with alcohol and drugs.

Question 19

The majority of studies have determined that the police personality derives from the socialization process in the police academy, field training, and patrol experience, instead of being inherent in the personality of those who enter into the police profession.

Question 20

The police subculture is characterized by clannishness, secrecy, and isolation from those not in the group.

Question 21

According to a study of 437 deputy-involved shootings that occurred in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, suicide by cop incidents accounted for ____________________ percent of deputy-involved police shootings.

A)less than 1
B)11
C)39
D)59

Question 22

In a seminal 2004 article, Cross and Ashley assert that the police culture often makes __________________appear as an accepted practice to promote camaraderie and interaction among officers, but it can evolve into a coping mechanism to camouflage daily stress and trauma.:

A)drug use
B)excessive exercise
C)alcohol consumption
D)bullying

Question 23

The stress produced by elements inherent in the quasi-military character of the police service, such as adjusting to changing tours of duty, odd working hours, and working holidays, is classified as __________.

A)external stress
B)organizational stress
C)personal stress
D)operational stress

Question 24

Dorothy Bracey found that due to a poor diet and lack of exercise, a significant sample of American police possessed a body composition, blood chemistry, and general level of physical fitness greatly inferior to that of a similarly sized sample of _____________.

A)college students
B)prison convicts
C)military personnel
D)high school seniors

Question 25

Researchers estimate that ____________________ percent of all police officers have alcohol problems.

A)less than 5
B)10 to 15
C)20 to 30
D)over 50

Question 26

According to research, compared to other professions, the police exhibit higher rates of _____.

A)divorce
B)suicide
C)stress
D)All of the above.

Question 27

According to research, which subgroup was more likely to use constructive coping relating to stress?

A)African-American males and African-American females
B)White females and African-American females
C)White males and African-American males
D)White males and white females

Question 28

One of the best-known study of the police personality, Behind the Shield, was written by __________.

A)Richard Harris
B)Howard Abadinsky
C)Larry Siegel
D)Arthur Niederhoffer

Question 29

A situation in which police officers only trust other police officers and do not aid in the investigation of wrongdoing by other officers is called the ___________.

A)red curtain
B)blue curtain
C)blue shield
D)red shield

Question 30

Some studies have indicated that police officers are ____________________ percent more likely to suffer from alcoholism than the average citizen.

A)25
B)55
C)75
D)300

Question 31

Which of the following is not one of the factors leading to stress in police work?

A)Poor training
B)Role conflict
C)Exposure to brutality
D)Early retirement

Question 32

Researchers say that the pressure of being on duty 24 hours a day leads to stress and that the police learn to cope with that stress by _____________.

A)brutalizing and denigrating citizens
B)shirking their responsibilities
C)becoming emotionally detached from their work and the people they are paid to serve
D)engaging in illegal conduct

Question 33

Stress produced by real threats and dangers, such as responding to gun runs and other dangerous assignments, is classified as __________.

A)external stress
B)organizational stress
C)personal stress
D)operational stress

Question 34

The attitude that there is no hope for the world and a view of humanity at its worst called __________.

A)police social control
B)police prejudice
C)police attitude
D)police cynicism

Question 35

A 1981 report by the U.S.Commission on Civil Rights emphasized the need to provide ____________________ programs and services for police.

A)physical fitness
B)medical
C)stress management
D)in-service training

Question 36

According to research, which is the leading problem among police officers?

A)Marital problems
B)Problems with children
C)Drug problems
D)Financial problems

Question 37

The refusal of some police officers to report fellow officers' misconduct is called __________.

A)the uniform code of silence
B)the blue wall of silence
C)the police omerta
D)blue loyalty

Question 38

The Dirty Harry problem refers to ____________.

A)the corruption problem in law enforcement
B)the brutality problem in law enforcement
C)the moral dilemma officers face when they can use evil means to achieve good ends
D)the stress problem in policing

Question 39

A recent longitudinal study that showed officers becoming more cynical, paranoid, depressed, and angrier the longer they were exposed to police work.Which of the following personality tests was used in that study?:

A)PRCI
B)Niederhoffer's Personality Scale
C)BPI
D)MMPI

Question 40

Which of the following is not a job-related issue that contributes to family dysfunction in police families, according to Ellen Scrivner?

A)Family disruption due to rotating shifts
B)Unpredictable work environment
C)The constant exposure of police officers to members of the opposite gender
D)Community expectations and demands

Question 41

Which is not indicative of the police culture?

A)Openness
B)Clannishness
C)Honor
D)Individuality

Question 42

William Westley defined the situation in which police officers only trust other police officers and do not aid in the investigation of wrongdoing by other officers as the __________.

Question 43

The term that describes human body's reaction to highly stressful situations is known as the __________.

A)flight-or-fight response
B)stressed-out syndrome
C)adrenaline response
D)fight-or-freeze syndrome

Question 44

Dr.Neal Trautman proposes a solution to the problem of the Code of Silence with his ___________.

A)Additional Training Regimen
B)Basic Misconduct Survey Study
C)Code of Silence Argument
D)Code of Silence Antidote

Question 45

Which of the following does John Violanti offer as a factor that might explain the high rates of suicide among police officers as a result of stress?

A)Access to firearms
B)Constantly being exposed to human misery
C)Shift work, social strain, and marital difficulties
D)All of the above.

Question 46

The__________ is the protective barrier established by the police by which they protect one another from outsiders, often even refusing to aid police superiors or other law enforcement officials in investigating wrongdoing of other officers.

Question 47

__________ is the body's reaction to internal or external stimuli that upset the body's normal state.

Question 48

Who coined the term the "working personality" of the police?

A)Jerome Skolnick
B)James Fyfe
C)James Q.Wilson
D)Egon Bittner

Question 49

The stress produced by the daily need to confront the tragedies of urban life, such as the need to deal with derelicts, criminals, and the mentally disturbed, and the need to engage in dangerous activity to protect a public that appears to be unappreciative of the police is classified as ____________.

A)external stress
B)organizational stress
C)personal stress
D)operational stress

Question 50

All of the following are examples of traits of the Police Personality except ___________.

A)authoritarianism
B)suspicion
C)compassion
D)cynicism

Question 51

The stress produced by the relational characteristics of belonging to the police organization, such as difficulties in getting along with other officers, is classified as __________.

A)external stress
B)organizational stress
C)personal stress
D)operational stress

Question 52

A study of the psychological effects of _________________ on involved officers revealed that the short-term effects of these incidents seem to entail the same psychological impacts experienced by officers involved in most critical incidents.

Question 53

Which researcher conducted the classic study of the police subculture in Gary, Indiana?

A)Jerome Skolnick
B)Anthony Bouza
C)William Westley
D)James Q.Wilson

Question 54

Which is not a trait of the police personality?

A)Authoritarianism
B)Suspicion
C)Cynicism
D)Liberalism

Question 55

The body's reaction to highly stressful situations is known as the __________ response.

Question 56

Which is not indicative of the police personality?

A)Hostility
B)Insecurity
C)Cynicism
D)Idealism

Question 57

Which of the following is not one of the three important features of an officer's environment that can account for an officer's working personality, according to researchers Burbeck and Furnham?

A)Rotating shifts of duty
B)Danger
C)Authority
D)Isolation from the public

Question 58

The majority of recent studies have found that the law enforcement "working personality" stems from the officer's ___________.

A)teenage years
B)socialization process in the police academy, field training, and patrol experience
C)early socialization experiences as a child
D)inherent personality from birth

Question 59

In 1996, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the NYPD Patrolman's Benevolent Association (PBA), responding to the fact that 26 NYPD officers had committed suicide in the previous two years, created the ____________________ to address the problems of police stress and suicide.

A)Law Enforcement Rehabilitation Center
B)Law Enforcement Counseling program
C)Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance (POPPA) program
D)NYPD Cops for Cops program

Question 60

According to an FBI training needs survey of almost 2,500 police departments, which of the following ranked highest in programs most requested by police officers?

A)More firearms training
B)Programs to handle personal stress and physical fitness programs
C)Physical fitness programs and more firearms training
D)Programs on how to deal in a less stressful manner with supervisors

Question 61

What is the blue wall of silence? Do you believe this "wall" still exists? What can be done to break down the wall of silence?

Question 62

Describe the four categories of stress that police officers face, including what causes each type of stress.

Question 63

Discuss the killings of police officers.Why do you believe that officer killings occur? What can officers do to help prevent officer killings?

Question 64

A group of people with distinct sets of values, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs that differentiate them from the larger culture of which they are a part is called a(n) __________.

Question 65

Describe some methods police departments use to deal with stress.

Question 66

Why are police officers involved in a suicide by cop considered victims?

Question 67

What is the Dirty Harry problem? Could you ever justify an officer acting the way Dirty Harry Callahan did? Why or why not?

Question 68

How does the danger inherent in police work influence the police subculture?

Question 69

Describe the precautionary measures police officers should take during searches and other contacts with possible carriers of infectious diseases, and at crime scenes where blood and other body fluids may be present.

Question 70

What prevents personnel who observe warning signs of suicide in fellow officers from reporting their observations to a supervisor? What can police departments do to overcome these obstacles?

Question 71

The solution to the code of silence as proposed by Dr.Neal Trautman is __________.

Question 72

The ethical problem in which police are confronted with situations in which they feel forced to take certain illegal actions to achieve a greater good is known as the __________ problem.

Question 73

Discuss the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and what departments can do to help address this problem.

Question 74

The phenomenon in which a person wishing to die deliberately places an officer in a life-threatening situation, causing the officer to use deadly force against that person, is known as __________.

Question 75

What job-related issues cause stress in police families, and what can police officers do to manage those issues?

Question 76

Discuss why police officers commit suicide at very high rates.Explain what can be done to lower this suicide rate.

Question 77

Michael K.Brown says that the police subculture is based on three major principles: honor, loyalty, and __________.

Question 78

Describe the police personality.Does police work attract people who already have this personality or do people develop these traits after becoming an officer?

Question 79

According to Jerome Skolnick, the police officer's role contains two principal variables: danger and __________.