Deck 2: Preparing for the Street: Recruitment, Training, and Socialization

Question 1

Raters for assessment centers are typically selected who have:

A) been in the military
B) previously held and now supervise the position for which candidates are testing
C) shown ability to fill out paperwork as a deskbound administrator
D) become retired

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The most important and expensive element of the police selection process is probably the:

A) character investigation
B) general interests test
C) polygraph examination
D) physical abilities test

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Each state has a Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST)or similar entity,which establishes all but which one of the following?

A) Minimum selection standards for law enforcement officers
B) Minimum education and training standards
C) In-house training programs
D) Serves as the certification or licensing authority for sworn personnel

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The testing conducted by most police agencies is known as the ____________ process.

A) examination
B) hurdle
C) background
D) weed-out

Question 5

The idea of a police "subculture" originated with a 1950 study by:

A) O. W. Wilson
B) J. Edgar Hoover
C) August Vollmer
D) William Westley

Question 6

About 60 percent of female officers who leave their agency typically do so during the ________ on the job.

A) first year
B) second to fifth years
C) sixth to tenth years
D) eleventh to fifteenth years Author:
Please supply missing answer.

Question 7

Police applicants are typically:

A) lower-lower class
B) lower-middle or working class
C) middle class
D) upper-middle class

Question 8

Some research has found the personality of the typical police applicant to be very similar to:

A) school counselors
B) authoritarian parents
C) college students
D) military disciplinarian

Question 9

During basic recruit training at the academy,the most time is spent learning:

A) patrol tactics
B) investigations skills
C) criminal law
D) weapons and self-defense

Question 10

The purpose of the ___________ during the selection process is to assess aspects of a candidate that cannot be measured on other tests.

A) written psychological exam
B) polygraph exam
C) personal interview
D) character investigation

Question 11

Which of the following is not a desirable psychological quality for police officers?

A) Well-adjusted
B) Logical skills
C) Subservient
D) Interested in people

Question 12

To reduce vulnerability to lawsuits,police executives need to select a truly job-related _________.

A) polygraph exam
B) drug screening procedure
C) physical agility test
D) character investigation

Question 13

Assessment centers are most commonly used for hiring

A) new personnel.
B) lateral transfers.
C) chief executives.
D) None of these are hired through assessment centers

Question 14

An assessment center may include which of the following?

A) In-basket exercises
B) Role-playing exercises
C) Simulated critical incidents
D) All of the above

Question 15

Which of the following is the most job-related physical agility examination for police?

A) Running
B) Performing push-ups
C) Pushing cars
D) Negotiating horizontal bars

Question 16

The sixth sense that recruits are taught to nurture is:

A) suspicion
B) violence
C) respect
D) authority

Question 17

tests are commonly used to exclude police applicants with personality disorders.

A) General knowledge
B) Psychological screening
C) General intelligence (IQ)
D) Rorschach Interpretational

Question 18

An assessment center's "in-basket exercise" might ask candidates to assume the role of the new chief or captain who is:

A) physically taken to a gymnasium to test his basketball and coordination skills
B) taken up high in a fire department's ladder truck basket to show lifesaving skills
C) given administrative problems to be prioritized and dealt with in a prescribed amount of time
D) given a lecture by city human resources officers concerning their policies

Question 19

Police applicants are primarily motivated by:

A) job security
B) authoritarian personality
C) a sadistic nature
D) their parents/military background

Question 20

A new approach to training new officers that is related to the FTO program is the:

A) After Academy Program, or AAP
B) Police Training Officer (PTO) program
C) Pre-Solo Officer Program, or PSOP
D) Post-Recruitment Program, or PRP

Question 21

An influential coalition of blacks is the:

A) National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
B) International Association of Minority Chiefs and Sheriffs
C) National Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs
D) African American Law Enforcement Union

Question 22

Job security is a primary motivation for police applicants.

Question 23

The most effective way to attract women and minorities is to raise starting salaries.

Question 24

Women are most likely to be employed in ____________ police or law enforcement agencies.

A) local
B) federal
C) state
D) county

Question 25

Changes in departmental policies and procedures,court decisions,the specter of liability,and operational strategies and techniques demand that _____________________training be provided.

A) role-play
B) in-service
C) computer simulation
D) police brutality

Question 26

The watchman style of policing involves the officer as:

A) "observer"
B) "soldier"
C) "neighbor"
D) "teacher"

Question 27

Which of the following is not one of the qualities considered imperative for entry-level officers?

A) Creativity
B) Idealism
C) Sense of humor
D) Tenacity

Question 28

While participating in an FTO program,recruits are on probation and can be terminated for unsatisfactory performance.

Question 29

The knowledge and experience gained during academy training or specialized training is comprehensive enough to serve an officer for an entire career.

Question 30

The majority of activities included in a physical agility test are directly related to activities officers will perform on the job.

Question 31

Assessment centers are more commonly used for hiring chief executives.

Question 32

The working personality of the police begins to develop during the recruit's time at the academy.

Question 33

The sixth sense police that recruits learn to nurture is cynicism.

Question 34

Which of the following statements regarding the crime fighter image of the police is false?

A) It gives the public unrealistic expectations about the ability of the police to catch criminals.
B) It gives recruits a false view of what their daily activities will involve.
C) It is what many people believe is the primary role of the police.
D) It gives a reasonably accurate view of contemporary policing.

Question 35

General knowledge and reading skills tests are the best way a police agency can predict who will do well in the police academy.

Question 36

Applicants should not be informed that their references will be checked until after the character investigation is completed.

Question 37

Probably the most difficult barrier to recruiting minority officers has to do with:

A) the image that police officers have in the minority communities
B) the fact that the salaries are too low
C) the fact that minority officers commonly want to work in their old neighborhoods
D) the fact that HIV has afflicted a disproportionately high number of black officers

Question 38

Jerome Skolnick's studies determined that the police role contained:

A) danger and authority
B) excitement and loyalty
C) dedication and insecurity
D) malfeasance and impropriety

Question 39

Which of the following is not one of Broderick's police personality types?

A) The Enforcer
B) The Realist
C) The Pessimist
D) The Optimist

Question 40

Niederhoffer's study of police cynicism found that cynicism spikes most dramatically:

A) immediately after recruits leave the academy
B) during the first two to six years of service
C) at about mid-career
D) as the officer approaches retirement

Question 41

A sense of humor is an important quality for an entry-level police officer.

Question 42

Police ____________ tends to spike after recruits leave the academy and confront the reality of the streets.

Question 43

The most important element of the selection process is the ________________.

Question 44

In each state,the minimum selection and training standards for law enforcement officers are determined by _______________.

Question 45

The sixth sense that recruits learn in the academy is _____________.

Question 46

Under the watchman style of policing,order maintenance is the primary function of the police officer.

Question 47

A key element of the hiring process is ___________ qualified applicants.

Question 48

According to John Broderick,__________________ are officers who place high value on due process and individual rights.

Question 49

Police cynicism tends to peak around the middle of an officer's career.

Question 50

Police applicants must successfully complete the ________ process before being hired.

Question 51

_____________ programs evaluate new officers on their understanding and application of community-oriented policing and problem solving,as well as help them make the transition from the academy to the streets.

Question 52

In-service training is usually optional.

Question 53

The crime fighter image is key to understanding the American police today.

Question 54

In the past,formal barriers such as height requirements were obstacles to the hiring of women.

Question 55

The two key variables of the police role are ________ and ______________.

Question 56

Black police officers face problems similar to those of women who attempt to enter and prosper in police work.

Question 57

Research shows that male and female officers are equally likely to use excessive force.

Question 58

Many police departments use ______________ for hiring chief executives and for promotional testing.

Question 59

"Enforcers" believe their primary job is to keep their beats clean,making good arrests,and helping people.

Question 60

The two key variables of the police role are danger and authority.

Question 61

African American officers face problems similar to those of ____________ attempting to enter and prosper in police work.

Question 62

Describe James Q.Wilson's three policing styles.

Question 63

Explain the FTO and PTO concepts and how they contribute to the development of a police officer.

Question 64

What are the main steps in the hiring process and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? If budget cuts required a reduced hurdle process,which steps could best be eliminated and why?

Question 65

List and briefly describe some of the core components of an assessment center.

Question 66

Describe the stages of the "ideal" police hiring process; include all the steps in this process and the major goals of each.

Question 67

Name one recruiting problem and what might be done to improve the process.

Question 68

The existence of multiple police roles can lead to the problem of _______________.

Question 69

Explain what is meant by in-service training,including its benefits for the police.

Question 70

The ____________ of policing views the police officer as a teacher who frequently uses informal sanctions rather than making arrests.

Question 71

If budget cuts required the police academy to shorten the training process,which topics could best be eliminated or covered in a shorter period of time,and why?

Question 72

Explain Broderick's four types of police personalities.

Question 73

A key quality necessary for entry-level police officers is ____________,proactively solving difficult cases and making things happen.

Question 74

The ___________ image is a major obstacle to understanding the American police.