Deck 5: The Police Role and Police Discretion

Question 1

The "broken windows" theory suggests it is appropriate to allow a neighborhood to deteriorate if the neighborhood will not participate in its upkeep.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Gender does not play an important role in the use of force incidents by police officers.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Police generally have much less discretion than other officials in the criminal justice system.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Two studies indicate that people who engage in violent crime or who engage the police in violent confrontations are much more likely to be the victims of police shootings.

Question 5

An officer's discretion varies depending on the type of situation he or she encounters.

Question 6

The police themselves emphasize their role as crime fighters and play down their job as peacekeepers and social service providers.

Question 7

Officer White concentrates her efforts on helping people in trouble, rather than on keeping society safe.According to Broderick, she would be considered a(n) _____________.

A)realist
B)optimist
C)enforcer
D)idealist

Question 8

The police role is extremely well defined and contains little ambiguity.

Question 9

In most cases where stops were made, the behavior of the suspect was what concerned the officer.

Question 10

The "defense of life" standard allowed police officers to use deadly force against people who were using deadly force against an officer or another person.

Question 11

The police officer is generally the first decision maker in the U.S.criminal justice system and is often the most important.

Question 12

Minority groups allege they are the victims of race-based policing due the NYPD stop-and-frisk policies.

Question 13

Movies and television shows about the police emphasize the police crime-fighting role.

Question 14

The growing popularity of less-than-lethal weapons (LTLW) by police officers in the United States virtually ensures their increased use in the law enforcement community.

Question 15

The primary goal or objective of the police should be to arrest all offenders.

Question 16

Police are free or have the ability to ignore crimes or to exercise discretion regarding them, even when the crime is serious.

Question 17

The entire criminal justice system is based on the concept of discretion.

Question 18

Elaine Cumming and her colleagues reported that the ordinary work routines of police officers include mostly law enforcement activities and very few other activities.

Question 19

Most of what happens in the U.S.criminal justice system happens without the use of discretion by the police.

Question 20

Officers have broad discretion on whether to arrest or not to arrest in domestic violence cases.

Question 21

In the landmark case Tennessee v.Garner, the U.S.Supreme Court declared the ____________________ rule unconstitutional.

A)fleeing felon
B)consent search
C)detention
D)stop and frisk

Question 22

Police officers have ____________________ discretion.

A)little
B)tremendous
C)limited
D)no

Question 23

Which of the following is not one of the major factors Herbert Jacob says causes the police to exercise discretion?

A)Department policies
B)Characteristics of the crime
C)Relationship between alleged criminal and victim or between police and criminal or victim
D)Geographic area of the crime

Question 24

Of the following, the police make more arrests for ____________________ crimes than for the other types.

A)violent
B)property
C)financial
D)quality-of-life

Question 25

Most police contacts involve ___________.

A)motor vehicle or traffic-related issues
B)family violence
C)arrests of offenders
D)testifying in court

Question 26

In the 1970s, the American Law Institute proposed a(n) ____________________, which included new policies on the use of deadly force.

A)administrative rule
B)National Bill of Police Rights
C)legislative bill
D)Model Penal Code

Question 27

The first decision maker in the criminal justice system and often the most important is the _________.

A)judge
B)defense attorney
C)police officer
D)prosecutor

Question 28

The ____________________ standard allows police officers to use deadly force against people who are using deadly force against an officer or another person, as well as in certain violent felony situations.

A)castle exception
B)defense of property
C)defense of life
D)defense of community

Question 29

In 1985, the fleeing felon rule was declared unconstitutional by the U.S.Supreme Court in the landmark case of ___________.

A)Mapp v.Ohio
B)Lawrence v.Texas
C)Tennessee v.Garner
D)Terry v.Ohio

Question 30

Statistics clearly indicate that police officers ___________.

A)overuse force
B)do not overuse force
C)overuse threats
D)display their weapons too often

Question 31

Choke holds, carotid holds, and neck restraints became a source of controversy after _____.

A)several lawsuits
B)some deaths
C)further study
D)changes in law enforcement policies

Question 32

Officer Smith believes her role is to maintain order on her beat by arresting criminals.According to Broderick, she would be considered a(n) ____________.

A)realist
B)optimist
C)enforcer
D)idealist

Question 33

Based on 2015 statistics, approximately ____________________ people were killed justifiably by police in a four-year period.

A)290
B)439
C)1,322
D)8,227

Question 34

The police make approximately ____________________ million arrests a year for all criminal infractions, excluding traffic violations.

A)3.3
B)10.16
C)12.4
D)13.12

Question 35

The Humortown Police Department issues many summonses and makes many misdemeanor arrests.According to James Q.Wilson, it would be considered to be a ____________________ department.

A)watchman
B)legalistic
C)moralistic
D)service

Question 36

Which of the following is part of the federal government's imminent danger standard for use of deadly force?

A)Firing warning shots
B)Shooting at moving vehicles
C)Prisoner attempting escape who was being held in a high-security prison
D)Nonfatally shooting a suspect in the leg

Question 37

Most police patrol time is spent ___________.

A)as uncommitted time
B)as committed time
C)responding to calls for service
D)responding to dispatch

Question 38

Officer Brown believes his role is keeping the peace and preserving the social order, yet he is very careful not to violate the constitutional rights of individuals.According to Broderick, he would be considered a(n) ____________.

A)realist
B)optimist
C)enforcer
D)idealist

Question 39

The Magic City Police Department maintains order through informal police intervention, including persuasion and threats, or hassling or roughing up disruptive people instead of formal arrests.According to James Q.Wilson, it would be considered to be a ____________________ department.

A)watchman
B)legalistic
C)moralistic
D)service

Question 40

Studies of police discretion have shown that the most significant factor in the decision to arrest is the ___________.

A)location of the offense
B)officer-offender relationship
C)seriousness of the offense committed
D)offender's past criminal history

Question 41

Sheehan and Cordner state that the two primary goals and objectives of police departments are ____________.

A)maintaining order and protecting life and property
B)preventing crime and arresting offenders
C)preventing crime and maintaining order
D)protecting life and property and preventing crime

Question 42

Arresting offenders and assisting prosecutors in bringing charges against defendants is one of the primary methods used by police to maintain order and protect __________and __________.

Question 43

Which of the following is not one of the factors that may influence police discretion as indicated by research findings?

A)Time of day
B)The offense
C)Subject's attitude
D)Subject's race

Question 44

During the 1970s, many police departments developed an alternative to the fleeing felon doctrine; it was called the __________.

Question 45

According to the text, the legality and morality of the "fleeing felon" rule have been challenged because of the U.S.legal concept of ____________.

A)presumption of innocence
B)fundamental fairness
C)cruel and unusual punishment
D)application of equality

Question 46

The police role is ____________.

A)very ambiguous
B)very clearly defined
C)mainly related to violent crime
D)mainly related to arresting offenders

Question 47

Most police departments now train their officers in the use of force using the __________.

Question 48

Egon Bittner has stated that police work has, from its earliest origins, been a _______.

A)religious vocation
B)respected profession
C)feared occupation
D)tainted occupation

Question 49

According to the text, one way of controlling discretion, particularly improper application of discretion, is the establishment of _____________.

A)strong policies
B)employee early warning systems
C)citizen review boards
D)active reporting systems

Question 50

Robert Lilly's research concluded that the majority of police calls are in reference to __________.

A)burglaries
B)thefts
C)information
D)social services

Question 51

The availability of a choice of options or actions one can take in a situation is called __________.

Question 52

After making a traffic stop, the most influential characteristics leading to a suspect's arrest were whether the suspect was_____________________.

Question 53

Which of the following is not one of the reasons police exercise discretion?

A)If the police enforced all the laws, all the time, they would be in the station house or court much of their time.
B)Complete enforcement would alienate the public from the police.
C)Most violations of law are minor and do not require full enforcement.
D)The police want to show they have a caring attitude toward the community.

Question 54

The U.S.system of criminal justice is interested in the __________, in addition to the letter of the law.

Question 55

Which of the following is not one of Broderick's police operational styles?

A)Enforcers
B)Dreamers
C)Realists
D)Optimists

Question 56

Officer Green believes that it is impossible to achieve the goals and objectives of the police department and concentrates his efforts on the concept of police loyalty and the mutual support of his fellow officers.According to Broderick, he would be considered a(n) _________.

A)realist
B)optimist
C)enforcer
D)idealist

Question 57

Which of the following is not one of James Q.Wilson's operating styles?

A)Watchman
B)Legalistic
C)Service
D)Aggressive

Question 58

The Smalltown Police Department uses social service agencies to provide counseling for minor offenders.According to James Q.Wilson, it would be considered to be a ____________________ department.

A)watchman
B)legalistic
C)moralistic
D)service

Question 59

Which of the following is incorrect?

A)The police make more arrests for minor violations than serious crime.
B)The police make more arrests for drug offenses than they do for driving while intoxicated (DWI/DUI)
C)The police make more arrests for aggravated or felony assault than they do for misdemeanor assault.
D)Violations of liquor laws, drunkenness, disorderly conduct, vagrancy, and loitering are responsible for approximately 1.72 million arrests a year.

Question 60

According to the text, the police attempt to prevent crime by trying to create a sense of ____________.

A)safety and security
B)community involvement
C)omniscience
D)omnipresence

Question 61

Compare and contrast each of James Q.Wilson's police department operational styles.Which operational style should the police emphasize and why?

Question 62

Should police officers be required to wear body cameras? Why or why not?

Question 63

Wilson and Weiss recommended approaches to workforce levels for small police departments.Would their recommendations work for larger departments as well? Why or why not?

Question 64

What is police discretion? Discuss and give examples of some of the ways police exercise discretion.

Question 65

Discuss the impact of Tennessee v.Garner on law enforcement.How would you have decided this case and why?

Question 66

In 1985, the U.S.Supreme Court dealt with police use of deadly force, declaring the __________unconstitutional.

Question 67

Carl B.Klockars, in Idea of Police, broadly defines the basic function of the police as dealing with all those problems that may require the use of __________.

Question 68

Is racial discrimination a factor in the police use of deadly force? Use study results to support your answer.

Question 69

Explain why the CALEA standards are important and how they relate to the concept of noble cause corruption.

Question 70

List and explain each of Broderick's styles, including how these styles relate to main police objectives of crime fighting and order maintenance.

Question 71

The federal government has redefined its deadly force policy used by federal agents and has adopted the __________ standard.

Question 72

Ninety-six percent of local police departments have turned to the use of __________ in an attempt to reduce the use of deadly force.

Question 73

Discuss the major police roles, including how the public views the police role and how studies show police spend their time.

Question 74

Wilson and Kelling's ___________________ theory suggests if an area of the community is allowed to deteriorate without some remedy, crime will increase.

Question 75

The police try to create a sense that they are always there.This is called __________.

Question 76

Explain how the Ferguson shooting and the Black Lives Matter movement have affected police behavior.

Question 77

Explain how the terrorist attacks on 9/11 affected the role of the police.

Question 78

Explain why the U.S.criminal justice system involves a tremendous amount of discretion and give examples of how that discretion is exercised throughout the system.

Question 79

List the primary and secondary goals of policing and give an example of how the police work toward each goal.