Deck 5: Police Recruitment, Selection, and Training

Question 1

______ is the process of creating a pool of qualified candidates from which to hire police officers.

A) Selection
B) Training
C) Recruitment
D) Outreach

Answer 1

Recruitment

Question 2

The goal of recruitment is to create a pool of applicants that includes the best and most diverse individuals that would be well suited for a career in law enforcement and ______.

A) would be interested in working for the agency conducting the recruitment
B) have the best chance for promotion
C) have exhibited a propensity for de-escalation in use-of-force incidents
D) has the best chance of being viewed positively by the public

Answer 2

would be interested in working for the agency conducting the recruitment

Question 3

To emphasize the "selling points" of their department, it is critical that recruiters are aware of candidates' ______.

A) educational background
B) motivation for being a police officer
C) family history
D) previous experiences with police

Answer 3

motivation for being a police officer

Question 4

The three most commonly used recruitment methods utilized by police departments are newspaper advertisements, internet advertisements, and ______.

A) career fairs
B) television advertisements
C) employment agencies
D) personal contacts or referrals

Question 5

Personal contacts and referrals are a(n) ______ method of recruitment.

A) active
B) passive
C) static
D) dynamic

Question 6

Which of the following is a passive method of recruitment?

A) newspaper advertisement
B) job fair
C) personal contacts and referrals
D) special hiring events

Question 7

Internet advertising is a(n) ______ method of recruitment.

A) dynamic
B) passive
C) static
D) active

Question 8

Which of the following is not a decision on the basis of a bona fide occupational qualification?

A) A female is chosen for a position over a male because the jail was short on female Correctional Officers
B) A 30 year old is chosen over a 55 year old with better qualifications, because the company is looking for someone who can stay longer than a few years
C) A female is chosen over a male for a job in a facility for female sexual assault survivors
D) A 30 year old is chosen over a 55 year old because he has more skills and experience for the position

Question 9

Who needs to show that a requirement or test for a job had a disparate impact on hiring patterns?

A) State Agency
B) Employee
C) Federal Government
D) Employer

Question 10

In 2017, the national average salary for police and sheriff's patrol officer was ______.

A) $30,000
B) $45,000
C) $64,000
D) $75,000

Question 11

______ protections are in place to minimize political considerations in job-related processes, and to ensure government employees are recruited, hired, and promoted based on job qualifications and merit and demoted or dismissed only for cause.

A) Civil Service
B) Union
C) Fair Wage Act
D) Minimum Employment Qualification Act

Question 12

Police officers may be fired most easily for ______.

A) age
B) political considerations
C) poor performance
D) cause

Question 13

When officers can move from one department to another and retain their position and seniority, it is known as ______.

A) vertical entry
B) lateral entry
C) reciprocity
D) transfer acceptance

Question 14

Most departments use ______ as the basis for job assignments and shift preferences.

A) seniority
B) age
C) education
D) civil service examinations

Question 15

The ______ made discriminatory employment practices more consequential for employers, as it empowered the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate and litigate claims of violations of equal opportunity against employers, unions, and employment agencies.

A) Title IX of the United States Education Amendments of 1972
B) Civil Rights Act of 1871
C) Equal Opportunity Act of 1972
D) Equal Pay Act of 1963

Question 16

The ______ requires that employers reasonably accommodate the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee, unless doing so would impose undue hardship on the operation of the employer's business.

A) Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
B) Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972
C) Age Discrimination Act of 1967
D) Civil Rights Act of 1871

Question 17

While it is illegal to arbitrarily discriminate in hiring, there is no law that prevents employers from making decisions based on ______.

A) disability
B) bona fide occupational qualifications
C) national origin
D) legitimate employment analysis

Question 18

______ are intended to proactively recruit, hire, and promote women, minorities, disabled individuals, and other protected groups while correcting past discrimination.

A) Proactive hiring policies
B) Equal employment opportunity policies
C) Equality first policies
D) Affirmative action policies

Question 19

When women or people of color are hired or promoted based not on qualifications, but on race or sex, it is called ______.

A) affirmative action
B) reverse discrimination
C) equal opportunity
D) illegal hiring practices

Question 20

The minimum education requirement in most police departments is ______.

A) a bachelor's degree
B) an associate's degree
C) 50 college credit hours
D) a high school diploma or equivalency

Question 21

A ______ is generally a disqualifying factor for employment as a police officer.

A) misdemeanor conviction
B) felony conviction
C) summary citation
D) negative work evaluation

Question 22

About one half of all police agencies allow applicants with prior ______ use to be hired.

A) cocaine
B) alcohol
C) marijuana
D) methamphetamines

Question 23

With a(n) ______, a low score on an exam disqualifies an applicant from further consideration.

A) compensatory process
B) noncompensatory process
C) competitive process
D) exclusionary

Question 24

In 2017, approximately ______ of sworn officers were women.

A) 12.5%
B) 35.5%
C) 25.5%
D) 30.5%

Question 25

What is the main reason for women being underrepresented in police work?

A) recruitment
B) selection
C) retention
D) all of these

Question 26

In 2013, approximately ______ of police officers were members of a racial or ethnic minority.

A) 10%
B) 27%
C) 38%
D) 40%

Question 27

Departments serving larger jurisdictions ______.

A) are exempt from equal employment opportunity policies
B) show no difference in racial diversity than smaller jurisdictions
C) are less racially diverse than smaller jurisdictions
D) are more racially diverse than smaller jurisdictions

Question 28

Police departments' failure to hire qualified minority candidates is a ______ issue.

A) recruitment
B) selection
C) retention
D) representation

Question 29

______ consists of primarily classroom training on the skills of police work.

A) Field training
B) Continuing education training
C) Police academy training
D) Multi-jurisdictional task force training

Question 30

The largest percentage of police academies are operated by ______.

A) universities or colleges
B) police departments
C) federal law enforcement agencies
D) county sheriff's offices

Question 31

An important goal of the police recruitment process is to maximize diversity among officers.

Question 32

If recruitment efforts result in a diverse pool of candidates, there is more opportunity for diverse officers to be hired.

Question 33

Individuals seeking careers in policing today are no different than those who sought similar careers decades ago.

Question 34

Recruitment strategies should be adjusted to attract and retain the best possible candidates.

Question 35

It is important for recruiters to know candidates' motivations for becoming police officers because they can emphasize these factors in their recruitment efforts.

Question 36

Motivations for being a police officer vary drastically between candidates of different races or genders.

Question 37

Most police departments have a budget devoted to recruitment efforts.

Question 38

Recruitment budgets vary little between police departments, regardless of size or geographic location.

Question 39

Recruiting at a job fair is an example of a passive method of recruitment.

Question 40

The Police Explorer program hires college students to serve as nonsworn police department personnel to assist with police operations.

Question 41

Special recruitment efforts may be made to recruit women, racial/ethnic minorities, military veterans, multilingual persons, and college graduates, and those with previous police experience.

Question 42

Research shows little variation between the average salaries of new police recruits and supervisors.

Question 43

Police departments must balance job requirements and selection standards with recruitment realities.

Question 44

The Department of Justice mandates that all law enforcement agencies utilize the same selection process.

Question 45

When officers can move from one department to another and retain their position and seniority it is known a selective hiring preference.

Question 46

Voluntary turnover among police officers is low in most departments.

Question 47

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it unlawful to discriminate against an individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Question 48

While equal opportunity laws prohibit discrimination in employment, it is largely ineffective because it does not prohibit retaliation against the person who filed the complaint.

Question 49

Affirmative action policies were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1993.

Question 50

The minimum educational requirement to be hired as a police officer in most departments is a high school diploma or the equivalent.

Question 51

About half of law enforcement agencies allow applicants with prior marijuana use to be hired.

Question 52

With compensatory testing, a low score on an exam disqualifies an applicant from further consideration.

Question 53

Assessment centers are more often used for promotion of police officers than for selection.

Question 54

Three possible reasons why females are underrepresented in policing are women are not applying, they are not being hired, or they are not remaining in police positions.

Question 55

Despite recruitment efforts, the percentage of minority police officers has remained consistent from 1960s to the present.

Question 56

Why is diversity a good thing for police departments?

Question 57

What are the two main goals of recruitment?

Question 58

According to academy recruits, what are the three most common reasons for becoming a police officer?

Question 59

Why is it critical for recruiters to understand the motivations of those who seek careers in policing?

Question 60

Identify the three most commonly used recruitment methods utilized by police departments.

Question 61

Explain the difference between active and passive recruitment methods and provide examples of each.

Question 62

Explain the difference between Community Service Officers (CSOs) and the Police Explorer Program.

Question 63

Identify at least three benefits, other than salary, that may enhance the desirability of employment in a police department.

Question 64

Please identify and discuss the three primary reasons why police officers tend to spend their entire careers in a single police department.

Question 65

Explain what is meant by "lateral entry" and why it is a valuable recruitment tool.

Question 66

Explain the significance of the Equal Opportunity Act of 1972 and the role it played in diversifying police departments.

Question 67

What are bona fide occupational qualifications and what role do they play in the selection process?

Question 68

What are the two objectives of affirmative action policies?

Question 69

While there is generally some variation in hiring requirements across departments, list the five common minimum qualifications for police employment.

Question 70

Identify the four most common preemployment tests used by police departments.