Deck 2: Psychology of Police and Public Safety

Question 1

CISD stands for

A) Correctional Institution Standardized Development
B) Criminal Inmate Stress Disorder
C) Canadian Institute for Stress Disorders
D) Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

Answer 1

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

Question 2

Imagine you are a psychologist who has been asked to complete a fitness for duty evaluation. What would be the first step you take?

A) Assessing whether the officer is fit to return to duty
B) Conducting a job analysis
C) Determining the officer's physical fitness level
D) Establishing departmental credibility

Answer 2

Conducting a job analysis

Question 3

Imagine you are a psychologist with no law enforcement experience who is interested in becoming a police psychologist. Which action would you take?

A) Apply to the local police academy
B) Teach a course on police psychology
C) Ask to go on a ride-along
D) Volunteer for the hostage/crisis negotiation team

Answer 3

Ask to go on a ride-along

Question 4

The systematic procedure for identifying the skills, abilities, knowledge, and psychological characteristics that are needed to do public safety work successfully is referred to as

A) law enforcement screening.
B) job analysis.
C) pre-employment screening
D) comprehensive skills analysis

Question 5

Which stressor would be considered an external stressor?

A) Excessive shift work
B) Negative police-citizen interactions
C) Exposure to death
D) Substance abuse

Question 6

According to the text, the most commonly used psychological instrument in public safety screening is the

A) IPI.
B) CPI.
C) MMPI-2.
D) STATIC-99.

Question 7

All of the following are included in Aumiller and Corey's domains of practice except

A) augmentation.
B) intervention.
C) operational support.
D) organizational consultation.

Question 8

Which of the following individuals has a trait that is NOT related to successful police performance?

A) Sam, who scores high on an intelligence test
B) Alex, who is trustworthy
C) Ryan, who displays good judgment
D) Pat, who has excellent communication skills

Question 9

A psychologist who participates in the selection and training of hostage negotiation teams is conducting which type of evaluation?

A) Fitness-for-duty
B) Critical incident
C) Special unit
D) Deadly force assessment

Question 10

Which question could a police agency ask a candidate during the pre-offer stage of employment?

A) How long have you suffered from depression?
B) Do you have a physical or mental disability?
C) How would you handle a situation involving a suicidal citizen?
D) Do you require a wheelchair for long distances?

Question 11

Which issue accounts for 19% of law enforcement FFDE referrals?

A) On the job substance abuse
B) Excessive use of force
C) Suicidal ideation
D) Suspected fraternization

Question 12

The screening procedure that assumes that there are traits, habits, reactions and attitudes that distinguish outstanding from satisfactory police performance is called

A) screening-in.
B) screening-out.
C) reasonable accommodation.
D) natural selection.

Question 13

Which type of occupational stressor is often the most prevalent and frustrating for law enforcement personnel?

A) Task-related stressors
B) Personal stressors
C) External stressors
D) Organizational stressors

Question 14

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission divides disability inquiries into two stages. These stages are

A) medical and psychological.
B) performance-related and health-related.
C) pre-offer of employment and post offer.
D) accommodating and holding.

Question 15

Who owns a law enforcement fitness-for-duty evaluation report?

A) The evaluating psychologist
B) The Federal Bureau of Investigation
C) The agency who requested the report
D) The chief of the police department

Question 16

All of the following tests are commonly used in law enforcement screening today except

A) personality tests.
B) situational tests.
C) intelligence tests.
D) polygraph tests.

Question 17

Officer Ludden is a 36-year-old father of twin girls who is called to the scene of an auto accident in which a drunk driver has killed a 4-year-old girl. Despite his anger and sadness, Officer Ludden stoically informs the child's father that his daughter has died. The officer is likely experiencing

A) emotional dissonance.
B) cognitive subterfuge.
C) external stress disorder.
D) expressionless displacement.

Question 18

A highly structured and potentially hostile working environment, and high value placed on control and authority are all characteristics of police

A) politics.
B) obligation.
C) investigations.
D) culture.

Question 19

Compared to officers with only a high school graduation, officers with some college education have been shown to

A) make better officers.
B) have better communication skills.
C) deal more effectively with adolescents.
D) respond more effectively to crisis situations.

Question 20

According to the text, police psychology officially began in __________with the hiring of __________.

A) 1968; Martin Reiser
B) 1976; Kim Rossmo
C) 1968; Stephen Chandler
D) 1967; Patrick Allen

Question 21

Which of the following was a key finding of the National Institute of Justice's 1999 report on police use of force?

A) Police force is prevalent in large U.S. cities.
B) Police engage in force infrequently.
C) Police force escalates quickly.
D) Police often take out their internal rage on available suspects.

Question 22

Boredom and exposure to violent situations are examples of __________ stressors.

A) occupational
B) external
C) personal
D) task-related

Question 23

Which category of hostage taker often requires the involvement of federal officials and is considered the most difficult for police officers?

A) Political terrorists
B) Individuals who have committed a crime
C) Individuals with mental disorders
D) Prisoners

Question 24

Psychologists in the 20th century provided service to police agencies primarily in what area?

A) Stress management
B) Hostage negotiation training
C) Family counseling
D) Cognitive and aptitude testing

Question 25

According to research by Gelles and Palarea, psychologists may be involved in what three phases of crisis negotiation?

A) Internal, external, and post-crisis
B) Buildup, acute, and resolution
C) Pre-incident, intra-incident, and post-incident
D) Organizational, task-related, and external

Question 26

Which of the following statements about diversity in law enforcement is correct?

A) Ethnic minorities are less well represented than women in law enforcement.
B) Women now comprise nearly one-third of all police officers nationwide.
C) The ethnic and racial makeup of a police department rarely reflects the makeup of the community it serves.
D) Non-Caucasian police officers make up under 5% of all police officers in most urban areas.

Question 27

Which statement is correct about post-shooting traumatic reactions?

A) Most officers will experience shooting a person in the line of duty at some time in their careers.
B) Most officers experience a marital separation or divorce after a shooting incident.
C) The majority of large police agencies deny the existence of post-shooting traumatic reactions.
D) The topic of post-shooting traumatic reactions has not been adequately studied.

Question 28

Early warning systems are used to identify

A) female officers at risk for sexual harassment.
B) potential problem behaviors in officers.
C) suspects who are vulnerable to coercion.
D) officers who are insensitive to diversity issues.

Question 29

A 1992 study of police corruption by the Defense Personnel Security Research Center found that the single best predictor of corruption was

A) a history of intimate partner violence.
B) a pattern of violence that begins later in life.
C) misconduct early in the career.
D) immature and/or irresponsible behavior.

Question 30

Research by Worden indicates that female officers differ little from male officers in

A) approach to policing.
B) attitudes toward policing.
C) use of force.
D) motivations for policing.

Question 31

Nearly 80% of all hostage situations

A) are relationship-driven.
B) end in death of the hostage taker.
C) end in death of the hostage negotiator.
D) are politically motivated.

Question 32

Aamodt and Stalnaker (2001) found that the overwhelming reason for most police suicides appears to be

A) financial problems.
B) reactions to critical incidents.
C) easy access to weapons.
D) difficulties in intimate partner relationships.

Question 33

Selection, intervention, and post-intervention monitoring are the three basic phases of

A) early warning systems.
B) police corruption.
C) hostage negotiation.
D) job analysis.

Question 34

Research has shown that when considering mental health services, many police officers prefer to work with

A) competent mental health professionals who are not officers.
B) officers who have received training in critical incidents stress debriefing.
C) peer counselors who understand the cycle of violence.
D) same-gender professionals.

Question 35

Tragedies, death, serious injuries and life-threatening situations that police officers encounter are called

A) target effects.
B) critical incidents.
C) dynamic calculus.
D) fear-of-failure events.

Question 36

A critical incident is characterized by an unanticipated and _______event.

A) non-routine
B) violent
C) confusing
D) heroic

Question 37

The common tasks of police psychologists can be placed in four broad categories: assessment, intervention, operational support, and

A) counseling.
B) strategizing.
C) consulting and research.
D) hostage negotiation.

Question 38

What is the goal of an FFDE?

A) To determine whether an officer is likely to use excessive force
B) To determine whether an officer is corrupt
C) To determine whether an officer has a mental disorder that would affect his or her job performance
D) To determine whether an officer can perform the basic duties required for the job

Question 39

Which statement is true about psychological evaluations of potential law enforcement officers?

A) They are required by the U.S. Constitution
B) They are required in the majority of states
C) They cannot be required if the candidate refuses to take them
D) They have no reliability or validity

Question 40

Following the traumatic event, it is important that a critical incident intervention be

A) extensive.
B) immediate.
C) intermittent.
D) extraordinary.

Question 41

The use of psychologists in crisis negotiation is decreasing.

Question 42

A hostage situation is synonymous with a barricade situation.

Question 43

The most difficult type of validity to establish in screening candidates for law enforcement positions is __________ validity.

A) true
B) predictive
C) concurrent
D) face

Question 44

Most law enforcement officers complete their career without ever firing a weapon in the line of duty.

Question 45

In order to be an effective police psychologist, one must obtain a PhD in police psychology.

Question 46

Schedule changes and salary disputes are examples of organizational stressors.

Question 47

Which of the following statements about screening-out and screening-in is correct?

A) Psychologists have been more successful at screening out undesirable candidates than at identifying desirable candidates.
B) Psychology is making little progress at identifying desirable candidates for law enforcement positions.
C) No psychological measures are available for use in screening in candidates.
D) Police psychologists have found it a great challenge to eliminate unsuitable candidates than to identify suitable candidates.

Question 48

Compared to other occupational groups, police officers have one of the highest suicide rates in the United States.

Question 49

The smaller the police department, the more specified the police duties.

Question 50

There are currently no organizations in the United States dedicated to police psychology.

Question 51

A psychological measure that identifies whether a candidate has similar characteristics to successful police officers has __________validity.

A) true
B) predictive
C) concurrent
D) face

Question 52

Some police agencies may contribute to the use of excessive force by encouraging this behavior.

Question 53

The Americans with Disabilities Act affects nearly everything police officers do.

Question 54

The strongest reason for police suicide involves post-traumatic shooting reactions.

Question 55

A good police office must have all of the following characteristics except

A) good judgment.
B) physical strength.
C) interpersonal skills.
D) decision-making skills.

Question 56

The well-document beating of __________ brought nation-wide attention to the issue of excessive force by law enforcement.

A) Matthew Shepard
B) Thomas Smith
C) Trayvon Martin
D) Rodney King

Question 57

Why is it important for a police psychologist to be familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act? Include at least one police activity affected by this law.

Question 58

If a psychological measure contains a sufficient number of items that are related to the work performed by law enforcement, we say it has __________ validity.

A) true
B) predictive
C) concurrent
D) face

Question 59

The MMPI-2 is one of the most effective screening-in tests in public safety screening.

Question 60

Research shows that the most effective police officers are physically strong.

Question 61

The available research suggests that suicide rates for law enforcement personnel are lower than that of the general population. What may explain this difference?

Question 62

Name four police psychology organizations.

Question 63

Discuss the factors that may contribute to the lack of women in law enforcement.

Question 64

Name two critical incidents that a police officer may encounter. Discuss how a police psychologist may be of help in each scenario.

Question 65

Describe the goal and phases of the early warning system. What does research tell us about its effectiveness?

Question 66

Describe the operating procedure in a large agency after an officer is involved in a shooting incident.

Question 67

Why is it so difficult to adequately predict success or failure in law enforcement work?

Question 68

Describe the five officer profiles that are prone to excessive force complaints as identified by Scrivner.

Question 69

Choose one of the six personality measures currently used in law enforcement. Describe the instrument, including what the test measures and what we know about its validity.

Question 70

Compare and contrast screening-out and screening-in.

Question 71

Discuss how a police psychologist's role would differ in a rural police department compared to a large urban department.

Question 72

Describe five factors that make police work especially stressful when compared to other occupations? Under which category of stress does each factor fall?