Deck 5: The Police Role and Police Discretion

Question 1

The taser is the most popularly approved nonlethal weapon.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Tennessee v.Garner is the U.S.Supreme Court case that ended the use of the fleeing felon rule.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The police officer is generally the first decision maker in the U.S.criminal justice system and is often the most important.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Most local police and sheriff's departments have a policy regarding nonlethal force, and almost all departments authorize the use of one or more nonlethal weapons.

Question 5

The legality and morality of the fleeing felon rule is challenged because of the U.S.legal concept of:

A)presumption of innocence
B)fundamental fairness
C)cruel and unusual punishment
D)application of equality

Question 6

The two primary goals and objectives of police departments, according to Sheehan and Cordner, are maintaining order and protecting life and property.

Question 7

Movies and television shows about the police emphasize the police crime-fighting role.

Question 8

Which of the following is incorrect?

A)The police make more arrests for minor violations than for serious crime.
B)The police make more arrests for driving while intoxicated (DWI/DUI) than they do for drug offenses.
C)The police make more arrests for aggravated or felony assault than they do for misdemeanor assault arrests.
D)The violation of liquor laws, drunkenness, disorderly conduct, vagrancy, and loitering are responsible for approximately 2.5 million arrests a year.

Question 9

The criminal justice system involves a tremendous amount of discretion.

Question 10

According to Siegel and Senna, "Crime Fighters" enforce the law by the book.

Question 11

The police role is extremely ambiguous.

Question 12

The vast majority of arrests the police make are for:

A)violent crimes
B)property crimes
C)financial crimes
D)quality of life crimes

Question 13

In 1985, the fleeing felon rule was declared unconstitutional by the U.S.Supreme Court in the landmark case of _____.

A)Mapp v.Ohio
B)Lawrence v.Texas
C)Tennessee v.Garner
D)Terry v.Ohio

Question 14

The use of deadly force is the ultimate use of discretion.

Question 15

Of the approximate 43 million citizen contacts with the police, only what percent involved police use of force?

A)8.5%
B)5.3%
C)1.6%
D)12%

Question 16

Because of the nature of police work, discretion by individual officers can never be totally eliminated.

Question 17

A concept that suggests that the police are always present or always seem to be present is known as deterrence.

Question 18

A serious crime leaves the police less freedom or ability to ignore it or to exercise discretion regarding it.

Question 19

According to the 2007 report Contacts between Police and the Public, 2005, most of the police contacts with citizens involved motor vehicle or traffic-related issues.

Question 20

The primary goal or objective of the police should be to arrest all offenders.

Question 21

Officer Green believes that it is impossible to achieve the goals and objectives of the police department and concentrates his efforts on the concept of police loyalty and the mutual support of his fellow officers.According to Broderick, he would be considered a/an:

A)realist
B)optimist
C)enforcer
D)idealist

Question 22

The Bigtown Police Department maintains order through informal police intervention, including persuasion and threats, or hassling or roughing up disruptive people instead of formal arrests.According to James Q.Wilson, it would be considered to be a _____ department.

A)watchman
B)legalistic
C)moralistic
D)service

Question 23

The police role is:

A)very ambiguous
B)very clearly defined
C)mainly related to violent crime
D)mainly related to arresting offenders

Question 24

Who arranged for the organization of the first paid, full-time, uniformed police department, conceived of the police role as a conspicuous community-oriented patrol designed more for prevention and deterrence than for enforcement?

A)Henry Fielding
B)Carl B.Klockars
C)Sir Robert Peel
D)Egon Bittner

Question 25

The Largetown Police Department issues many summonses and makes many misdemeanor arrests.According to James Q.Wilson, it would be considered to be a _____ department.

A)watchman
B)legalistic
C)moralistic
D)service

Question 26

The Smalltown Police Department uses social service agencies to provide counseling for minor offenders.According to James Q.Wilson, it would be considered a _____ department.

A)watchman
B)legalistic
C)moralistic
D)service

Question 27

The first decision maker in the criminal justice system and often the most important is:

A)the judge
B)the defense attorney
C)the police officer
D)the prosecutor

Question 28

Officer Smith believes her role is to maintain order on her beat by arresting criminals.According to Broderick, she would be considered a/an:

A)realist
B)optimist
C)enforcer
D)idealist

Question 29

Officer Brown believes his role is keeping the peace and preserving the social order, yet he is very careful not to violate the constitutional rights of individuals.According to Broderick, he would be considered a/an:

A)realist
B)optimist
C)enforcer
D)idealist

Question 30

Carl B.Klockars, in Idea of Police, broadly defines the basic function of the police as dealing with all those problems that may require the use of ____________________ force.

Question 31

The police try to create a sense that they are always there.This is called ____________________.

Question 32

All are secondary goals of policing except:

A)preventing crime
B)arresting and prosecuting offenders
C)assisting the sick and injured
D)all are secondary goals of policing

Question 33

Which of the following is not one of James Q.Wilson's operating styles?

A)watchman
B)legalistic
C)service
D)aggressive

Question 34

Sheehan and Cordner state that the two primary goals and objectives of police departments are:

A)maintaining order and protecting life and property
B)preventing crime and arresting offenders
C)preventing crime and maintaining order
D)protecting life and property and preventing crime

Question 35

Officer White concentrates her efforts on helping people in trouble, rather than on keeping society safe.According to Broderick, she would be considered a/an:

A)realist
B)optimist
C)enforcer
D)idealist

Question 36

All are current less than lethal tools departments use except:

A)O.C.Spray
B)Expandable Batons
C)Tasers
D)Slapjack

Question 37

Police officers have _____ discretion.

A)little
B)tremendous
C)limited
D)no

Question 38

Which of the following is not one of the secondary goals and objectives of police departments?

A)recovering stolen and missing property
B)enforcing non-criminal regulation
C)delivering services not available elsewhere in the community
D)settling arguments and disputes

Question 39

The two primary goals and objectives of police departments, according to Sheehan and Cordner are:

A)maintain order and protect life
B)investigate crimes and make arrest
C)maintain order and prevent crime
D)arrest individuals and protect property

Question 40

Most of police contacts involve:

A)motor vehicle or traffic-related issues
B)dealing with family violence
C)arresting offenders
D)testifying in court

Question 41

A view of the role of the police that emphasizes keeping the peace and providing social services: _________________.

Question 42

The police emphasize their role as ___________.

Question 43

What are some of the major factors that influence police discretion?

Question 44

____________________ and assisting prosecutors in bringing charges against defendants is one of the primary methods used by police to maintain order and protect life and property.

Question 45

What is the basic difference between the crime-fighting role and the order-maintenance role of the police?

Question 46

What do you think the police's role really is?

Question 47

Statistics for the latest reporting year reveal that U.S.police made more than 13.7 million arrests for all criminal infractions, excluding _____ violations.

Question 48

Define discretion.Discuss some of the major ways police exercise discretion.

Question 49

Compare and contrast each of James Q.Wilson's police department operational styles.

Question 50

The concept that the police role is very diverse and dynamic: _____________.

Question 51

The availability of a choice of options or actions one can take in a situation is called ____________________.

Question 52

Studies indicate that people who engage in ____________________ are much more likely to be the victims of police shootings.

Question 53

List and explain each of Broderick's styles.Which style of officer would you want in your community? Why?

Question 54

List and discuss what offenses the police deal with the most. State your opinion to why and provide examples to back up your opinion.

Question 55

In 1985 in Tennessee v.Garner, the U.S.Supreme Court dealt with police use of deadly force, declaring the ____________________ unconstitutional.

Question 56

Studies of police discretion have shown that the most significant factor in the decision to arrest is the ____________ of the offense committed.

Question 57

A major view of the role of the police that emphasizes crime fighting or law enforcement: ____________________.

Question 58

The U.S.system of criminal justice is interested in the ____________________ in addition to the letter of the law.

Question 59

The concept of "what do the police do" is known as the ________________.

Question 60

List the primary and secondary goals of policing and give an example of how the police work toward each goal.

Question 61

Discuss the impact of Tennessee v.Garner.