Deck 4: Law Enforcement Today

Question 1

According to Jerome Skolnick, co-director of the Center for Research in Crime and Justice at the New York University School of Law, which of the following is a predictable public response when crime rates begin to rise in a community?

A) To punish convicted criminals with stricter laws
B) To ensure faster trials
C) To advocate capital punishment
D) To demand restitution for victims of crimes

Answer 1

A

Question 2

_____ relies on data concerning past crime patterns to predict future crime patterns.

A) Intelligence-led policing
B) Moral policing
C) Community policing
D) Problem-oriented policing

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In the context of gender and law enforcement, which of the following is a reason for the low levels of women serving as police officers in the United States?

A) Most women police officers do not feel the need to prove themselves to their supervisors.
B) Many women never consider entering the field as the culture generally sees policing as man's work.
C) Most women are generally unsuited for the rigors that come with being a police officer.
D) Many women police officers persistently face the problem of double marginality.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true of police officers?

A) They spend more than two-thirds of their shifts enforcing law.
B) They spend more than half their time on medical assistance.
C) They make the most number of arrests for violent crimes.
D) They spend a great deal of their time providing services for the community.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true of recruitment within the police force?

A) Almost all local police departments require at least a four-year college degree.
B) Most agencies require candidates to meet weight and eyesight requirements.
C) The level of education of candidates does not affect hiring and promotions.
D) Candidates need to be at least twenty-four years of age.

Question 6

Within Bittner's broad definition of "what the police do," which of the following is a basic responsibility of the police?

A) To promote double marginality
B) To predict crimes
C) To prevent crime
D) To advocate harsh penalties for crimes

Question 7

In the context of training, unlike academy training, field training:

A) focuses on the laws of search, seizure, and arrest.
B) provides training on the tactics for interviewing witnesses.
C) teaches rookies the procedures for securing a crime scene.
D) gives rookies their first taste of informal rules.

Question 8

The police department of a county uses a software that helps them identify the hot spots of drug activity in the county. Once the hot spots are identified, the patrol officers focus on them instead of patrolling all the areas in the county. The given scenario best exemplifies _____.

A) intelligence-led policing
B) community policing
C) reassurance policing
D) evidence-based policing

Question 9

The _____ provides recruits with a controlled, militarized environment in which they are taught the laws of search, seizure, arrest, and interrogation; the procedures for securing a crime scene and interviewing witnesses; first aid; self-defense; and other such essentials.

A) cadet corps
B) Military College of South Carolina
C) police academy
D) National Counter-Terrorism Academy

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true of information provided by the Uniform Crime Reports?

A) Police officers normally spend the majority of their time in law enforcement duties.
B) Most arrests are made for crimes of disorder.
C) Most arrests are made for violent crimes.
D) Police officers spend most of their time dealing with crimes.

Question 11

The motto of thousands of police departments in America is _____.

A) "United to Serve"
B) "To Serve and Protect"
C) "We Train to Serve"
D) "Sure and Steadfast"

Question 12

For a person to become a police officer, one of the minimum requirements is that he or she:

A) must not have been convicted of a felony.
B) must not have been caught speeding.
C) must be at least eighteen years of age.
D) must have passed the state bar exam.

Question 13

Officer Malloy was patrolling a neighborhood when he heard a gunshot. He rushed to the scene and saw a young man bleeding from a gunshot wound. He placed the man in his car and drove to the hospital instead of waiting for an ambulance. This scenario best exemplifies _____.

A) high policing
B) intelligence-led policing
C) community policing
D) problem-oriented policing

Question 14

Martin is a police officer from a minority community. Whenever he arrests a person from his community, people from his community deem it unfair stating that Martin targets people from his own community to prove himself to his superiors. On the other hand, if he lets go of a member of his community on legitimate grounds, other white police officers accuse him of being biased in favor of his community. In the given scenario, Martin is facing _____.

A) racial profiling
B) double marginality
C) tokenism
D) anomie

Question 15

Most of the negative attitudes toward women police officers are based on _____.

A) actual experience
B) marginality
C) objective assessment
D) prejudice

Question 16

In the context of recruitment, which of the following statements is true of officers with four-year degrees?

A) They are not required to pass a physical agility or fitness test.
B) They generally enjoy an advantage in hiring and promotion.
C) They enjoy relaxed rules concerning past criminal records.
D) They are not required to take a psychological screening test.

Question 17

In the context of counterterrorism, which of the following is one of the challenges faced by local police departments?

A) Most local police departments do not have the resources to make counterterrorism a priority.
B) Some states do not have intelligence units, and this hinders the police department's counterterrorism efforts.
C) The Department of Defense is reluctant to provide military equipment to local police departments.
D) The principles of intelligence-led policing do not apply to law enforcement counterterrorism tactics.

Question 18

Which of the following groups is most likely to face the problem of double marginality in the United States?

A) Women
B) White Americans
C) African Americans
D) Men

Question 19

The goal of field training is to help rookies:

A) memorize laws of search, seizure, arrest, and interrogation.
B) understand the formal rules of police work.
C) apply the concepts they have learned in the academy to the streets.
D) learn the basics of first aid and self-defense.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true of academy training?

A) It takes place after recruits have undergone field training.
B) Recruits are usually taught how and when to use weapons.
C) Recruits are paired with experienced police officers.
D) It gives rookies their first taste of informal rules.

Question 21

The most visible state law enforcement agency is the _____.

A) county law enforcement agency
B) local police agency
C) highway patrol agency
D) municipal law enforcement agency

Question 22

One of the main responsibilities of the U.S. Secret Service is to:

A) protect government witnesses.
B) provide security at federal courts.
C) regulate the sale of drugs.
D) combat currency counterfeiters.

Question 23

In every state except Rhode Island and Hawaii, _____ are elected by members of the community for two- or four-year terms.

A) sworn officers
B) bailiffs
C) sheriffs
D) marshals

Question 24

Identify a true statement about sheriffs.

A) They do not necessarily need a background in law enforcement.
B) They are appointed by municipal law enforcement agencies.
C) They are assigned their duties by local political entities.
D) They provide law enforcement in areas that do not have county police agencies.

Question 25

Which of the following statements is true of large local police departments?

A) They maintain the county jail.
B) They carry out civil and criminal processes within county lines, such as serving eviction notices and court summonses.
C) They often assign officers to specialized task forces or units that deal with a particular crime or area of concern.
D) They often assign officers to enforce orders of the court.

Question 26

Of the three levels of law enforcement, which of the following agencies has the broadest authority to provide services to the community?

A) Municipal agencies
B) Federal agencies
C) County agencies
D) State agencies

Question 27

One of the reasons state police agencies were created was to:

A) help federal law enforcement agencies fight domestic terrorism.
B) investigate white collar crimes, such as money laundering.
C) provide law enforcement in areas that did not have local police agencies.
D) prevent civilians from abusing the rights given in the Fifth Amendment.

Question 28

Which of the following statements is true of state police agencies?

A) They are authorized to perform a wide variety of law enforcement tasks.
B) They have limited authority and only have control over specific types of offenses.
C) They do not investigate criminal activities that cross a county's jurisdictional boundaries.
D) They are not restricted by the boundaries of their respective states.

Question 29

Unlike sheriffs' departments, local police departments are more likely to:

A) perform traffic-related functions.
B) be involved in county court operations.
C) be involved in jail operations.
D) perform services such as serving court summonses.

Question 30

Yuri works for a county law enforcement agency. He assists the sheriff's department by determining the cause of death in homicides, suicides, and other cases of unnatural deaths. He also performs autopsies and assists other law enforcement agencies in homicide investigations. In the given scenario, Yuri is a _____.

A) bailiff
B) special agent
C) coroner
D) confidential informant

Question 31

Identify a true statement about the statistics of municipal law enforcement agencies.

A) About three-quarters of all sworn officers work in police departments serving cities with populations of under 1 million residents.
B) More than 90 percent of local police departments in the United States have 200 or more law enforcement officers.
C) Only about 20 percent of all sheriffs' departments are responsible for investigating violent crimes in their jurisdictions.
D) The percentage of African American police officers has reduced significantly since 1993.

Question 32

Lloyd's job involves protecting important people like the president and former presidents of the United States. Given this information, it can be inferred that Lloyd most likely works for the _____.

A) U.S. Border Patrol
B) Federal Bureau of Investigation
C) U.S. Secret Service
D) U.S. Marshals Service

Question 33

Which of the following agencies facilitates legal trade and travel?

A) Enforcement and Removal Operations
B) U.S. Customs and Border Protection
C) The Federal Bureau of Investigation
D) The Internal Revenue Service

Question 34

A similarity between sheriffs' departments and local police departments is that both departments are:

A) responsible for maintaining federal prisons.
B) responsible for crime investigation.
C) equally likely to perform the task of maintaining the county jail.
D) equally likely to perform traffic-related functions.

Question 35

Which of the following is a similarity between municipal police forces and sheriffs' departments?

A) Both departments are run by community members.
B) Both departments vary in size.
C) Both departments investigate criminal activities that cross jurisdictional boundaries.
D) Both departments are governed by the mayor's office.

Question 36

Which of the following statements is true of sheriffs?

A) They are not involved in the county court.
B) They are usually appointed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
C) They do not investigate violent crimes.
D) They sometimes repay political debts by appointing new deputies.

Question 37

Identify a true statement about highway patrols.

A) They provide the same services as city or county police departments.
B) They are restricted only by the boundaries of the state.
C) They enforce traffic laws and investigate traffic accidents.
D) They are authorized to perform a wide variety of law enforcement tasks.

Question 38

Which of the following is a benefit of having a diverse police force?

A) It lowers the need for academy training.
B) It leads to better community-police relations.
C) It leads to increased tokenism.
D) It decreases the amount of double marginality.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is true of the sheriffs' departments?

A) Most of them are run by community members.
B) They only serve areas that are not served by the municipal law enforcement agencies.
C) Most of them are assigned their duties by state law.
D) They only investigate nonviolent crimes within their jurisdictions.

Question 40

One of the common responsibilities of a sheriff's department is to:

A) create specialized task forces to deal with a particular crime or area of concern.
B) investigate criminal activities that cross jurisdictional boundaries.
C) maintain the federal prison.
D) oversee the isolation of a jury during a trial.

Question 41

Providing security at federal courts and protecting government witnesses are primary responsibilities of the _____.

A) Federal Bureau of Investigation
B) U.S. Marshals Service
C) Federal Emergency Management Agency
D) U.S. Secret Service

Question 42

_____ refers to the provision of policing services by nongovernmental companies or individuals.

A) Private security
B) Homeland security
C) Social security
D) Internal security

Question 43

Police agencies generally require applicants to pass a physical agility or fitness test.

Question 44

The _____ is the branch of the Department of Justice that is responsible for protecting national security by fighting international and domestic terrorism.

A) Federal Bureau of Investigation
B) U.S. Secret Service
C) Internal Revenue Service
D) U.S. Marshals Service

Question 45

Which of the following statements is true of private security?

A) It is governed by federal regulations.
B) It is intended to deter crime.
C) It is designed to replace law enforcement.
D) It is designed to stop crime.

Question 46

Which of the following agencies operates the Federal Air Marshals program?

A) The Transportation Security Administration
B) The Federal Emergency Management Agency
C) The Federal Bureau of Investigation
D) The U.S. Secret Service

Question 47

The _____ is the lead federal agency in preparing for and responding to disasters such as hurricanes, floods, terrorist attacks, and infrastructure concerns.

A) U.S. Coast Guard
B) Federal Emergency Management Agency
C) U.S. Marshals Service
D) Federal Bureau of Investigation

Question 48

Which of the following is one of the main duties of the U.S. Marshals Service?

A) To control property that has been ordered seized by federal courts
B) To investigate reports of domestic terrorism
C) To police the illegal use and possession of explosives
D) To enforce federal gambling laws

Question 49

Field training is the process by which law enforcement agencies develop a pool of qualified applicants from which to select new employees.

Question 50

Identify a true statement about private security.

A) It is designed to replace law enforcement.
B) It is governed and closely monitored by federal agencies.
C) It is responsible for protecting more than three-fourths of America's likely terrorist targets.
D) It is responsible for protecting government witnesses who put themselves in danger by testifying against criminals.

Question 51

In the context of policing, militarism stresses nonconfrontational tactics to strengthen the bonds between police officers and the communities that they "guard over."

Question 52

According to Carl Klockars, the "war on crime" is a war that the police can win.

Question 53

Which of the following is one of the factors responsible for the continued growth of the private security industry?

A) Budget cuts in states have forced reductions in the number of public police.
B) Private security firms are better at solving crimes than the police.
C) People believe that the police and other law enforcement agencies are corrupt.
D) Private security guards have more extensive training than law enforcement officers.

Question 54

Sexual harassment includes a repeated pattern of unwelcome obscene remarks.

Question 55

Sheriffs are appointed by state law enforcement agencies.

Question 56

A coroner has a general mandate to investigate "all sudden, unexplained, unnatural, or suspicious deaths" reported to the office.

Question 57

Tokenism creates pressure on women police officers to prove stereotypes wrong.

Question 58

Law enforcement uses intelligence-led policing to focus its scarce resources on the areas where the most crime occurs.

Question 59

_____ refers to the situation in which a police officer accepts off-duty employment from a private company or government agency.

A) Secondary policing
B) Community policing
C) Proactive policing
D) Reactive policing

Question 60

The probationary period for a police recruit can last from twenty to twenty-four months.

Question 61

Distinguish between academy training and field training.

Question 62

Discuss the importance of private security.

Question 63

Summarize the trends of minorities in law enforcement.

Question 64

Discuss the challenges of counterterrorism for American law enforcement.

Question 65

Discuss the benefits of a diverse police force.