Question 1

Identify an element of police discretion.

Accepted Answer

Police discretion involves the ability of officers to make decisions based on the circumstances they encounter, including the attitude of a wrongdoer, which can influence their decision to arrest, warn, or take other actions.

Question 2

Which of the following is a counterterrorism strategy employed by the federal government?

Accepted Answer

Preventive policing is a counterterrorism strategy employed by the federal government which focuses on preventing terrorist activities before they occur. This strategy involves gathering intelligence, analyzing potential risks, and taking proactive measures to mitigate those risks. DNA fingerprinting (A) is a forensic technique used to identify individuals, but it is not necessarily a counterterrorism strategy. Racial profiling (C) and incident-driven policing (D) have been criticized as counterproductive and potentially harmful approaches to counterterrorism.

Question 3

Which of the following is determined by forensic experts using items found at a crime scene?

Accepted Answer

Forensic experts can estimate the time of death or injury by analyzing evidence such as body temperature, rigor mortis, or insect activity.

Question 4

Shirley is a police sergeant. She has twenty-one patrol officers directly reporting to her. Based on the span of control, which of the following assumptions can be made about Shirley?

Accepted Answer

A span of control of twenty-one is quite large, making it challenging for Shirley to effectively manage and supervise all her patrol officers.

Question 5

Which of the following is a factor on which the judicial support of police discretion is based?

Accepted Answer

Police discretion is supported by the need for officers to protect themselves from potential harm, allowing them to make quick decisions in dangerous situations.

Question 6

In which of the following types of policing are calls for service the primary instigators of action?

Accepted Answer

Incident-driven policing is characterized by responding to calls for service, where police actions are primarily reactive and initiated by incidents reported by the public.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is true of detectives?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following statements is true...

Question 8

In the context of the basic purposes of police patrol described by police accountability expert Samuel Walker, which of the following is NOT one of the purposes?

Accepted Answer

The prevention of crime by punishing suspected criminals is not a basic purpose of police patrol. Patrol aims to deter crime, maintain order, and provide services, not to punish.

Question 9

Which of the following activities can be categorized under field services?

Accepted Answer

Special operations often involve on-site activities, which can be categorized under field services.

Question 10

Ken is a patrol officer. He has several duties as part of his patrol activities. However, Ken spends the first half of the day responding to citizen complaints and emergencies on 911 on a daily basis. According to the general categories of patrol activities specified by William Gay, Theodore Schell, and Stephen Schack, under which of the following categories can Ken's daily routine be classified?

Accepted Answer

Ken's daily routine of responding to citizen complaints and emergencies on 911 falls under the category of "Calls for service," as it involves reacting to requests for police assistance.

Question 11

Barry is involved with a group of criminals who smuggle illegal items out of the country. Occasionally, he is summoned by the police to provide information about the people involved in the crime, the items smuggled, and potential routes for smuggling. In this scenario, Barry is a(n) _____.

Accepted Answer

Barry is a confidential informant because he provides information to the police about criminal activities, but he is not an officer himself.

Question 12

Concentrated areas of high criminal activity that draw a directed police response are called _____.

Accepted Answer

Hot spots are large concentrations of crime that require a directed police response, such as increased patrols or the implementation of crime prevention tactics. Crime labs are facilities where forensic evidence is analyzed. Blue curtains are a slang term for police barricades set up around a crime scene. Cold cases are unsolved crimes that have not been actively investigated in some time.

Question 13

Which of the following environmental factors influences the way a police department is organized?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following environmental factors influences...

Question 14

A factor of police discretion is _____.

Accepted Answer

Departmental policy is a factor of police discretion as it guides officers on how to exercise their judgment in various situations.

Question 15

Which of the following is a characteristic of directed patrols?

Accepted Answer

Directed patrols focus on preventing specific types of crime by concentrating police efforts and resources on particular areas or issues identified as problematic.

Question 16

In which of the following ways can trace evidence be used in criminal investigations?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In which of the following ways can...

Question 17

Clark is a patrol officer who is on duty. He is using his vehicle to patrol the streets in order to detect any disruptions to public life or potential criminal activity. In this scenario, Clark is engaging in _____ patrol.

Accepted Answer

Clark is engaging in random patrol, which involves patrolling an area without a specific pattern or focus, to deter crime and increase police visibility.

Question 18

Kevin works in a police department and specializes in homicide cases. He has detailed knowledge on firearms. In his last homicide case, Kevin found a bullet at the crime scene and knew that the bullet was fired from a gun that is no longer manufactured. He immediately got his technicians to create a 3D image of the bullet and looked it up in a national firearms database to identify the gun and its last owner. This scenario illustrates that Kevin is:

Accepted Answer

Kevin is using ballistics technology to analyze the bullet and identify the firearm used in the crime.

Question 19

Craig is a detective working with the crime investigation department. His team receives information about a cross-border drug smuggling case. In order to expose the smugglers, Craig decides to assume a false identity and obtain first-hand information from the people involved in the process. In this scenario, Craig is a(n) _____.

Accepted Answer

Craig is assuming a false identity to gather information directly from the smugglers, which is characteristic of an undercover officer.

Question 20

As a bureaucracy, which of the following is most likely the ultimate goal of a police department?

Accepted Answer

The ultimate goal of a bureaucracy like a police department is to provide the best service for the community within the confines of its limited resources, as it focuses on efficiency and effectiveness in serving the public.

Quiz 5: Problems and Solutions in Modern Policing