Deck 7: Police Ethics, Legal Proselytism, and the Social Order: Paving the Path to Misconduct

Question 1

Police officers often view themselves as ____________ , which may justify an unethical means of achieving a good or just end.

A) morally corrupt
B) moral agents
C) unethical
D) all of the above

Answer 1

B

Question 2

____________ is the belief that the potential for real injury caused by conduct is due to forces outside the individual and beyond his or her control.

A) Denial of duty
B) Denial of injury
C) Denial of responsibility
D) Denial of victim

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A police officer commits perjury to justify an illegal search of a drug dealer. The officer believe he is justified in this action because he did, in fact, have drugs when the search was conducted and the officer does not feel that the dealer should be acquitted based on a technicality. What technique of neutralization is being used by this officer?

A) denial of duty
B) denial of injury
C) denial of responsibility
D) condemnation of condemners

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A police officer attempts to pull over a vehicle when the vehicle increases their speed in an attempt to avoid arrest. At the conclusion of the pursuit, the driver abandons the vehicle and begins to run. After telling the driver to stop, the officer shoots and kills the driver. When questioned, the officer insists that the use of deadly force was justified due to the circumstances and the officer's fear that the driver would get away. What technique of neutralization is the officer providing?

A) denial of duty
B) denial of injury
C) denial of responsibility
D) denial of victim

Question 5

____________involves a police officer shifting the focus of attention from his or her own deviant act to the misdeeds, motives, and behaviors of those who disapprove of his or her unethical conduct.

A) Denial of victim
B) Condemnation of condemners
C) Denial of responsibility
D) Denial of injury

Question 6

Protecting a fellow officer is expected and considered noble, not criminal. What technique of neutralization would allow an officer to perjure himself or herself in order to protect a partner who brutalized a citizen?

A) condemnation of condemners
B) appeal to higher loyalties
C) denial of responsibility
D) denial of duty

Question 7

According to the text, which of the following statements are true regarding police training?

A) Police academies provide more legal training than ethics training.
B) Police academies provide more ethics training than legal training.
C) Police academies devote roughly equal time to ethics and legal training.
D) Police academies rely on real-life experiences and field training officers to provide ethical guidance.

Question 8

The thin blue line refers to:

A) the decision of whether to use force in a situation
B) the decision making process of whether an action is ethical
C) the view of police as standing between anarchy and order
D) the line between ethics and legality

Question 9

Which of the following is not a reason noted in the text for police officers to choose their profession?

A) Officers see police work as an adventure.
B) Officers see the opportunity to do work that is important for the good of society.
C) Applicants see police work as a chance to work outside of an office environment.
D) Applicants want to be the toughest guy on the block.

Question 10

Police officers who begin to question the goodness of the profession often_____

A) leave the profession
B) begin to advocate for legal change
C) attempt to advance to supervisory roles
D) begin to view themselves as unethical

Question 11

Police contact and intervention cannot change our course of life nor interfere with our right to self-determination.

Question 12

The path to unethical police conduct begins with a way of thinking, not actions by the police.

Question 13

Some police may not view unethical conduct as bad or wrong if it results in positive and constructive ends.

Question 14

The idea of a brotherhood or the "thin blue line" in policing has no impact on deciding ethical behavior.

Question 15

Police recruits generally receive equal amounts of training in ethical and legal standards.

Question 16

Police recruits are usually encouraged to discuss the distinctions between legal and ethical standards in police training.

Question 17

Manipulation and situational application of the laws in order to achieve law enforcement objectives are often seen as acceptable police work rather than unethical conduct.

Question 18

Sykes and Matza's techniques of neutralization are justifications that are utilized in order to rationalize one's unethical behavior.

Question 19

The media play no role in constructing the public's perception of police.

Question 20

Police who complain that the public is unable to understand the realities of police work and the dangerousness of criminals are engaging in condemnation of the condemners.