Exam 1: An Introduction to the Police in America

How is the police held responsible for their actions in a "free" society?

In many cities, ______ hire and fire police chiefs.

______ is unique to policing and separates it from all other occupations.

The best source of knowledge about the police is ______.

What is the difference between "sworn officers" and "civilians" who work in police departments?

Why is comparing the number of crimes committed from one year to the next a poor indicator of police effectiveness?

Citizens' evaluations of interactions with police officers are heavily influenced by ______.

Why is it difficult to measure "good" policing?

The freedoms that Americans enjoy were established when the Constitution of the United States was ratified and have remained the same since.

Under-policing occurs when citizens perceive that there are too few police in a given area.

Which of the following is an example of a discretionary decision for police?

Positive information about the police is usually perceived as more significant and is more memorable than negative information.

Discretionary decision-making is ______ in policing.

U.S. Supreme Court decisions like Miranda v. Arizona gave citizens more freedoms, but restricted the ability of the police to perform their duties.

Which of the following is an example of an unethical but legal police action?

The most accurate way to measure "good policing" is to compare arrest rates from one year to the next.

When government power is increased, the rights of citizens' ______.

When a person who has a poor perception of the police has an interaction with the police, they are likely to rate their experience with the police ______.

Explain the trade-off between police power and the rights of citizens. Include one example.

Which type of crime are the police primarily concerned with stopping?