Deck 16: Police Misconduct

Question 1

Which of the following refers to unethical activities that do not conform to the high standards expected of members of the criminal justice system, such as sleeping in one's patrol car?

A) Police deviance
B) Police crime
C) Police corruption
D) Police abuse of authority

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A police officer pleaded guilty to kicking a handcuffed suspect in the head; as such, the officer engaged in which of the following?

A) Police gerrymandering
B) Police abuse of authority
C) Extortion
D) Noble cause corruption

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which police department units, sometimes known as Offices of Professional Standards, consist of police personnel who evaluate and investigate allegations of questionable police conduct?

A) Civilian review boards
B) Transparency and accountability divisions
C) Internal affairs
D) Credibility corps

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following involves the citizenry in police practices by allowing nonpolice personnel to help monitor department operations with a particular emphasis on complaints against police?

A) Civilian review boards
B) Transparency and accountability divisions
C) Internal affairs
D) Credibility corps

Question 5

The Knapp Commission, assembled in 1970, speculated which of the following?

A) That the Los Angeles Police Department needed additional training inpublic relations
B) That civil unrest had little to do with police practices
C) That half of the New York City Police Department was engaged in corruption
D) That greater federal intervention was needed to address civil unrest

Question 6

Which commission, created in 1992, investigated police corruption in New York and found that officers who engaged in the most serious forms of corruption began to engage in misconduct through beating and abuse of suspects?

A) Kerner Commission
B) Mollen Commission
C) Christopher Commission
D) Wickersham Commission

Question 7

Officers found to have engaged in misconduct may receive _______, which involves closely monitoring and assessing the actions of the problematic officer over time.

A) termination
B) decertification
C) reprimands
D) punitive probation

Question 8

Police corruption includes the misuse of authority for an officer's personal gain or that of others, for instance when an officer accepts a bribe from a speeding motorist he pulled over.

Question 9

Police abuses of authority must be physical (e.g., excessive force) in nature.

Question 10

Part of the difficulty in determining the extent of police misconduct includes the lack of agreement of what constitutes misconduct and departments being protective of releasing information regarding police misconduct.

Question 11

Research on police officer arrests covered in the media found that simple assault and driving under the influence were among the more common charges.

Question 12

Research examining citizen complaints against the police in eight cities found that the use of force and officer discourtesy constituted very small percentages of the complaints.

Question 13

The majority of local police departments use citizen complaint review boards to examine use of force complaints.

Question 14

The media provide a sense of accountability for the police through investigative journalism and more traditional news reporting.

Question 15

Summarize the findings of the various commissions that have investigated police misconduct in the United States.

Question 16

Compare and contrast the internal and external approaches to police accountability. Which do you believe are more effective? Why?