Deck 5: Police Officers I: Entering Police Work

Question 1

The type of training received by newly hired personnel at the police academy is generally known as

A)pre-employment training.
B)in-service training.
C)pre-service training.
D)future job training.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

There are problems in the methods used to measure performance and select candidates.For example, written tests at best only screen out the

A)poor and minorities.
B)illiterate and very poorly educated.
C)over-confident and brash.
D)females and underachievers.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The measure of the extent to which the personnel make-up of a police department reflects the community it serves is called

A)equal employment opportunity commission.
B)labor community index.
C)equal employment opportunity index.
D)police-community representation bar.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is the only predictive factor that correlates with future positive on-the-job performance?

A)IQ
B)success at previous jobs
C)recruit training score
D)none of these are correct

Question 5

This concept, the basis of which an employer must take positive steps to remedy past discrimination, is called

A) past practices correction.
B)affirmative action.
C)discrimination remedy.
D)employee employment justice.

Question 6

Oral interviews of applicants are a good opportunity to assess

A)writing skills.
B)health status
C)attitudes incompatible with good police work.
D)none of the above

Question 7

Psychological testing of potential police trainees

A)have a 87 percent success rate in predicting future success.
B)have a low degree of success in predicting future success.
C)have become so successful that they can predict the future highest rank a trainee will achieve in her or his career.
D)often cause significant psychological stress to the test takers.

Question 8

The positive or negative belief that strongly influences the public image of the identity, beliefs and actions of the police is called a

A)belief system.
B)stereotype.
C)value system.
D)ethics layers.

Question 9

Recruiting women for positions on the police force is difficult because many people view policing as

A)a dishonorable line of work.
B)a poorly paying career.
C)a traditional male occupation.
D)a low position in society.

Question 10

The protection provided by civil service rules and police unions that makes firing an officer difficult is called:

A) motivation.
B)job barrier.
C)job security.
D)tenure.

Question 11

Eighty three percent of the largest police departments test job applicants for

A)physical fitness.
B)ethical principles.
C)drug use.
D)reading comprehension.

Question 12

The appeal of jobs in a police department often depends on

A)the state of the economy and how the pay and benefits compare to other jobs.
B)the breadth and depth of the character investigation.
C)whether or not the organization conducts drug testing.
D)whether or not the organization conducts polygraph examinations.

Question 13

The number and quality of persons in the applicant pool depend in part on a department's

A)recruitment budget.
B)reaction to the economy.
C)ability to secure federal funding.
D)recruitment effort.

Question 14

The legislation that bars employment discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sex is known as

A)Miranda v.Arizona.
B)Equal Employment Opportunity.
C)Labor Relations Act.
D)Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Question 15

Which of the following is a popular selection test used by local police departments?

A)personal interviews
B)criminal records checks
C)background investigations
D)all of these

Question 16

The most important part of the employment selection process is the

A)fitness test.
B)written test.
C)oral interview.
D)background investigation.

Question 17

If an officer is fired by one agency, the process to ensure they are not hired by another agency is called

A)decertification.
B)revocation.
C)limited certification.
D)licensure removal.

Question 18

Surveys of recruits and new police officers consistently indicate they choose law enforcement as a career for two main reasons

A)the nature of the work and the material benefits of the job.
B)helping the community and assisting the residents.
C)promoting their image and gaining the public's respect.
D)to obtain gainful employment to re-establish financial credit.

Question 19

Job requirements that are "reasonably necessary" to the normal operation of that particular business are called

A)bona fide occupational qualifications.
B)pre-employment guidelines.
C)labor occupational qualifications.
D)job requirement qualifications.

Question 20

To gain practical experience under the supervision of veteran police officers, a newly trained police recruit works with a

A)Veteran Training Officer (VTO).
B)Patrol Training Officer (PTO).
C)First Training Officer (FTO).
D)Field Training Officer (FTO).

Question 21

Opponents of affirmative action argue that it lowers personnel standards by forcing the employer to hire persons with

A) distinct minority status.
B) entitlement status, who double dip in treasury funds.
C) lower qualifications.
D) higher IQ, who do not remain with the organization.

Question 22

What percentage of Americans age 18 to 25 report ever having used marijuana?

A)37 percent
B)40 percent
C)54 percent
D)60 percent
E)73 percent

Question 23

The purpose of the probationary period is to

A)observe the relation of academy training to on-the-job training.
B)observe performance and dismiss those whose performance is unsatisfactory.
C)observe the interactions between new recruits and police subculture.
D)observe how the police probationary officers assimilate to the community.

Question 24

An affirmative action plan includes which of the following elements?

A)a census of current employees
B)identification of minorities
C)developing a minority recruiting plan
D)all of these

Question 25

To supplement classroom academy training, most departments operate practical field experience programs with senior officers.These are called FTO programs, which stands for

A)Forward Training Officer.
B)Field Training Officer.
C)Future Trainee Official.
D)Field Trainee Officer.

Question 26

The basic premise of affirmative action is that simply ending discrimination does not automatically correct for

A)the negative legacy of past discrimination.
B)hiring irregularities that must be addressed by the EEOC.
C)BFOQs that must be enforced by the employer.
D)sexual discrimination that still occurs in the work place.

Question 27

With respect to recruiting, there are a number of steps that police departments can take to increase the numbers of minority officers.These include

A)recruiting in the minority community.
B)offering incentive pay for special skills.
C)meeting with community groups to contact applicants.
D)all of these

Question 28

What percentage of police departments requires a four-year college degree for appointment to the police department?

A)1 percent.
B)4.8 percent.
C)24.8 percent.
D)34.8 percent.
E)44.8 percent.

Question 29

The police academy experience serves which of the following functions?

A)It provides formal training.
B)It is the process for weeding out unqualified recruits.
C)It is a rite of passage into the police subculture.
D)all of these

Question 30

According to the textbook, the most controversial issue in police employment is

A)use of force.
B)drug testing.
C)polygraph testing.
D)affirmative action.

Question 31

A BFOQ, which stands for ________, is related to equal employment laws and is any requirement that is "reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business."

A)But for Opportunities Quotient
B)Building Futures of Quality
C)Bona Fide Occupational Qualification
D)Business Forgetting Occupational Quotients

Question 32

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act makes it unlawful for an employer to make hiring decisions on the basis of

A)a person's previous employment.
B)an individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
C)an individual's educational activities while at that institution.
D)sexual orientation.

Question 33

The civil service system is

A)the system used by the government to hire police officers and other government employees.
B)the system used to train police recruits at the academy.
C)the system for determining who gets to attend college classes in policing.
D)the system used to determine who gets arrested and who does not.

Question 34

Requiring all applicants to have a four-year college degree is opposed by some people because

A)it would cost too much.
B)a college education is not necessary to be a street officer.
C)it would reduce the number of minorities qualified to be on the force
D)it would deter women from applying for the position of police officer.

Question 35

What percentage of Los Angeles police officers live outside the city of Los Angeles?

A)13 percent
B)23 percent
C)33 percent
D)43 percent
E)83 percent

Question 36

The career perspective involves

A)examining a police officers' progress from recruitment to retirement.
B)planning the college education of an officer.
C)sending the officer to various schools and seminars.
D)sending the officer to the police academy.

Question 37

Generally, the maximum age at which a person can become a police officer is

A)25.
B)30.
C)35.
D)40.
E)45.

Question 38

Generally, the majority of police departments require a __________ to be hired.

A)four-year college degree
B)two-year college degree
C)some college
D)high school diploma

Question 39

Usually, the minimum age for becoming a police officer is

A)18.
B)19.
C)20.
D)21.
E)25.

Question 40

The most useful measure of employment practices is the extent to which a police department

A)is able to pay and retain all of its police applicants through the first two years of employment.
B)is able to hire qualified police applicants and reduce its liability to the city.
C)reflects the composition of the community it serves.
D)is measured by the number of appeals to the civil service commission by rejected applicants.

Question 41

A field training officer is one who

A)is receiving training at the police academy.
B)is teaching at the police academy.
C)is a new officer receiving training in the field.
D)is a police officer who teaches new police officers in the field.
E)none of these

Question 42

The employment of racial and ethnic minority police officers has decreased during the last 10 years.

Question 43

Drug offenses pose the most difficult problem in hiring new officers with respect to recruitment standards.

Question 44

Most officers select the opportunity to exercise authority and power as a main reason for wanting to be a police officer.

Question 45

The Supreme Court upheld the use of race in law school admissions in the state of

A)New York.
B)Florida.
C)California.
D)Texas.
E)Michigan.

Question 46

Which of the following was determined by the Supreme Court to be a "compelling state interest?"

A)transferring officers who commit crimes
B)achieving diversity in hiring practices
C)hiring more gay and lesbian police
D)improving educational standards of police forces
E)relocate cops.

Question 47

Very few police departments grant education incentive pay to encourage their officers to continue their education.

Question 48

At the police academy, instructors who relied primarily on "war stories" are called

A)police academics.
B)police careerists.
C)maladaptive generalists.
D)legalists.
E)civilians.

Question 49

There is no conclusive evidence that officers with college degrees perform more effectively that those without degrees.

Question 50

The police academy experience serves which of the following functions?

A)It provides formal training.
B)It is a process for weeding out recruits who prove to be unqualified.
C)It is a rite of passage that socializes recruits into the police subculture.
D)all of these

Question 51

By 2007, women represented what percentage police officers in the country?

A)52 percent
B)48 percent
C)36 percent
D)24 percent
E)12 percent

Question 52

The employment of racial and ethnic minority police officers has

A)decreased in recent years.
B)remained about the same in recent years.
C)increased significantly in recent years.
D)is no longer a problem since we have achieved equality.

Question 53

More females, African Americans, and Hispanics are being hired today then ever before.

Question 54

Regarding drug use, some experts suggest that police applicants should be considered as long as the drug involvement was limited to "experimentation" rather than heavy use, and as long as there has been no use for several years.

Question 55

The majority of police departments now require a four-year college degree to be appointed to the police department.

Question 56

At the police academy, sworn police officers who had obtained college credentials and used college-style teaching techniques are called

A)police academics.
B)police careerists.
C)maladaptive generalists.
D)legalists.
E)all of these

Question 57

According to your text, many police officers are overweight.

Question 58

There is evidence that officers with more education are more likely to become dissatisfied with their jobs.

Question 59

Investigations that cover previous employment, possible criminal records, and interviews with neighbors are called

A)preliminary investigations.
B)background investigations.
C)work investigations.
D)criminal investigations.

Question 60

Most police departments have a height requirement for hiring new officers.

Question 61

According to the text, why do people become police officers?

Question 62

What are the six responsibilities of the civil service agency?

Question 63

Regarding residency requirements, a national survey of public attitudes about police found that officers who are required to live within the city or county are more likely to be viewed more favorably than officers who are not.

Question 64

Under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, it is unlawful for an employer to engage in a variety of illegal employment practices with regard to hiring, firing, segregation, or discrimination on the basis on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Question 65

Although police officers fall under civil service rules and police union contracts, they do not enjoy a high degree of job security.

Question 66

According to the text, why do police departments have personnel problems?

Question 67

Explain the history and present day circumstances of gay and lesbian police officers.