Deck 5: The Police: Role and Function

Question 1

The average police officer can expect to make about 10 arrests per month for serious crimes.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

One reason for investigative ineffectiveness is that there are often too many detectives with competing views on a case for it to be solved efficiently.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Problem-oriented policing focuses equally on problem solving and reactive crime fighting.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Most municipal police departments in the United States are linked to state police agencies and their administrative authority.

Question 5

Evaluations of foot patrol indicate that it significantly lowers crime rates.

Question 6

About 17 percent of people have at least one contact with police a year, and most of those contacts are to report problems or ask for assistance.

Question 7

Investigations are more likely to be successful when a crime is reported while in progress.

Question 8

Proactive policing involves stopping motor vehicles and aggressively detaining suspicious persons.

Question 9

A National Institute of Justice study revealed that rapid response times had virtually no effect on crime.

Question 10

Detectives are considered the backbone of policing and account for two-thirds of a department's personnel.

Question 11

The time-in-rank system is designed to promote stability and fairness and to limit favoritism.

Question 12

Internal affairs units are often feared and distrusted by fellow police officers.

Question 13

The time-in-rank system prohibits rapid change, which can make a police agency administratively conservative.

Question 14

Community-oriented policing emphasizes sharing power with local groups and individuals and changing management styles within departments.

Question 15

According to the "broken windows" concept, the cooperation of citizens with the police can help reduce fear and successfully combat crime.

Question 16

Evidence shows that targeting specific crimes through directed patrol has no influence on crime rates.

Question 17

One of the major purposes for a patrol is to practice order maintenance in an assigned jurisdiction.

Question 18

College degrees may have little direct impact on the promotion potential of a police officer.

Question 19

Vice squads target violent crimes like robbery and assault.

Question 20

Supervisors are often wary of community-oriented policing because of the extra training it involves.

Question 21

Which of the following is not part of the three-pronged approach contemporary detectives typically take to flesh out the narrative of the crime?

A) Interviews only
B) Specific focus
C) Informative
D) General coverage

Question 22

More than half of the contact that police officers have with civilians is spent _______.

A) providing assistance
B) handling traffic-related matters
C) responding to complaints
D) investigating crime

Question 23

The Kansas City Gun Experiment is an example of:

A) problem-oriented policing.
B) community policing.
C) reactive patrolling.
D) directed patrol.

Question 24

While there are many goals of patrol, most police experts agree that the majority of police patrol efforts are devoted to:

A) fighting crime.
B) maintaining order.
C) responding to emergencies.
D) deterring crime.

Question 25

What was a result of the Kansas City Gun Experiment?

A) Gun crimes decreased in the target area during the experiment.
B) Assaults on police officers increased in the target area.
C) Gun crimes in the target area marginally increased.
D) Gun crimes were displaced to contiguous beats.

Question 26

UCR data suggests that the average police officer makes ______ arrests every month.

A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8

Question 27

Jurisdictions that encourage patrol officers to aggressively arrest and detain suspicious persons practice _______ policing.

A) reactive
B) community-oriented
C) preventive
D) proactive

Question 28

Intelligence-led policing relies heavily on which of the following?

A) Confidential informants and suspect surveillance
B) Victim surveillance and offender interviews
C) Community sources of information and witness interviews
D) Offender interviews and citizen complaints

Question 29

The idea that aggressive policing makes criminals more worried about getting caught and therefore less likely to commit crime is known as the _________.

A) decreasing arrests model
B) deterrent effect
C) order maintenance
D) broken windows model

Question 30

Forensic science can range from looking at toxicology and blood patterns to analyzing handwriting.

Question 31

A significant portion of a police officer's time is spent:

A) waiting for incoming calls that report crimes.
B) making arrests and writing reports.
C) handling minor disturbances, service calls, and administrative duties.
D) investigating crime and making arrests.

Question 32

Aggressive patrol in New York City during the 1990s has been credited with a reduction in:

A) prostitution.
B) violent crime.
C) drug dealing.
D) property crime.

Question 33

One of the goals of fusion centers is to emphasize terrorism prevention and crime fighting with extensive use of technology.

Question 34

Which of the following is a method of improving the patrol function?

A) Aggressive patrol
B) Targeting specific crimes
C) Making more arrests
D) All of these

Question 35

How do most municipal police departments determine promotion eligibility?

A) Intelligence testing
B) College degrees
C) Performance reviews
D) Time-in-rank system

Question 36

Which of the following is not one of the major purposes of police patrol?

A) Deter crime through police presence.
B) Aid individuals who cannot help themselves.
C) Facilitate the movement of traffic and people.
D) Issue arrest warrants.

Question 37

Among the most publicized community policing concepts is that of intelligence-led policing.

Question 38

Regardless of the size of the policing organization, this person has general administrative control and sets policy for the entire department's operating branches.

A) Staff lieutenant
B) Detective lieutenant
C) Chief of police
D) Patrol sergeant

Question 39

Approximately ____ percent of all sworn officers in the nation's largest police departments are in units that don't allow them to make arrests (such as communications, administration, etc.).

A) 15
B) 20
C) 25
D) 33

Question 40

A forensic specialist is asked to come study footprints left at the scene of a crime. This analyst would need to be an expert in:

A) trace evidence.
B) impression evidence.
C) toxicology.
D) DNA analysis.

Question 41

Madalyn has always wanted to be a police officer. She cannot wait to be on the street and chasing down bad guys. In her first month on the job, she makes two arrests and addresses mostly noise complaints and traffic incidents. What is the most logical reason why?

A) Females are treated differently in policing.
B) Police officers engage more in order maintenance than crime-related activities.
C) Investigation is a key role that police officers fulfill.
D) According to the UCR, crime rates are decreasing.

Question 42

Which of the following does not fall under Madalyn's responsibilities as a patrol officer?

A) Arrest suspects.
B) 'Handle the situation.'
C) Gather evidence.
D) Maintain order.

Question 43

What technology has allowed precinct commanders to analyze how crime is clustered geographically in their precinct and how patrol officers are being deployed?

A) Drones
B) CompStat
C) Automated license plate recognition
D) Crime mapping

Question 44

The concept of hot spots of crime is most closely associated with which model of policing?

A) Community-oriented policing
B) Neighborhood-oriented policing
C) Problem-oriented policing
D) Police-community relations

Question 45

Madalyn has just earned her degree in information systems. After graduation, she decides to go to the police academy. She believes that working for the police and combining her knowledge of computers would be a great niche field. A job posting for a senior computer technician is posted within the police department. With her degree in information systems, Madalyn applies and is sure she will be welcomed with open arms into the job. The most likely reason she wouldn't get the job is because:

A) females are treated differently in policing.
B) the time-in-rank system favors experience over degrees.
C) more women are needed to handle female criminals on the streets.
D) patrol is the backbone of the police department.

Question 46

Which of the following is true?

A) Criminal investigation serves mostly to support patrol work.
B) Detectives are often handicapped by limited time, money, and resources.
C) Criminal investigators solve the crime without regard for the legal consequences of their actions.
D) All of these statements are true.

Question 47

In Martin Innes's study of investigation techniques, he found that police typically canvas neighborhoods, interview friends and family of victims and suspects, and construct victim/suspect timelines to solve a crime, an approach known as _________.

A) specific focus
B) general coverage
C) technology and crime mapping
D) sting operations

Question 48

Which of the following is a commonly cited source of ineffective investigation?

A) Length of investigation
B) Too many sources of information
C) Lack of rapid response
D) Focus on witnesses instead of victims

Question 49

Although Gary currently works in the crime lab, he has noticed that the role of policing is changing in his department. He has seen his fellow officers do more patrolling and problem solving, and there has been a shift from the traditional top-down management approach. What is his department's focus now?

A) Getting back to patrolling as a central function
B) Community-oriented policing
C) Intelligence-led policing
D) Watchman-style policing

Question 50

When Madalyn is on patrol, she focuses on stopping motor vehicles and aggressively arresting and detaining suspects who pose potential dangers to the community. Her style of policing is called:

A) proactive policing.
B) directed patrol.
C) full enforcement.
D) hot spot policing.

Question 51

Which of the following is not a challenge of community-oriented policing?

A) Changing attitudes of supervisors
B) Reorienting values of the police
C) Defining community
D) Identifying hot spots of crime

Question 52

Madalyn's department is trying something new to fight crime. Her orders are to maintain a presence in the community, get to know the business owners and residents, and gain their trust. What aspect of policing does this approach fit with?

A) Aggressive and proactive policing
B) Forensic science and analysis
C) Community-oriented policing
D) Broken windows policing

Question 53

Which of the following is not a focus of community policing?

A) Order maintenance
B) Emergency service
C) Crime fighting
D) Problem solving

Question 54

Gary is a police officer who is also a forensic scientist. Currently, his job is in the crime lab and includes processing fingerprints, examining blood spatter evidence, and testing evidence for DNA. One day he would like to work for the civil justice system instead of the criminal justice system. What kind of analysis would Gary perform in civil justice that he likely does not do as a criminal forensic scientist?

A) Handwriting analysis
B) Toxicology
C) Trace evidence
D) Study law enforcement tactics

Question 55

Which of the following is not a fundamental assumption of the broken windows model?

A) Neighborhood disorder creates fear.
B) Neighborhoods can give out crime-promoting signals.
C) Police require citizen cooperation.
D) Reactive patrol is necessary.

Question 56

Community-oriented policing links police effectiveness to:

A) productive interaction with the community being served.
B) interrelationships between cooperative police agencies.
C) efficient utilization of existing personnel.
D) optimized usage of advanced technology.

Question 57

The vice squad specializes in:

A) violent crime.
B) property crime.
C) crimes of public morals.
D) sex crime.

Question 58

What is Operation Ceasefire?

A) A problem-oriented policing program in Boston to get guns off the street
B) A community-oriented policing program in Chicago aimed at auto theft
C) A crime-mapping program in Dallas designed to plot gun crimes
D) A civilian review board initiative in New York

Question 59

What have evaluations of foot patrol programs in New Jersey and Michigan demonstrated?

A) The crime rate went down in foot patrol beats.
B) The crime rate went up in foot patrol beats.
C) Officer job satisfaction increased.
D) Citizen attitudes toward the police improved.

Question 60

Which of the following police operations best exemplifies community-oriented policing?

A) A sting operation where officers pose as fences of stolen property
B) Creation of a well-armed special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team trained in hostage negotiation
C) Computerized data terminals installed on the dash of all patrol cars
D) The hiring of bilingual officers to patrol neighborhoods with large immigrant populations

Question 61

Forensic scientists working in the civil justice system would likely have to analyze ___________.

Question 62

Most promotions in policing have ____________________ requirements.

Question 63

Gary is a police officer who is also a forensic scientist. Currently, his job is in the crime lab and includes processing fingerprints, examining blood spatter evidence, and testing evidence for DNA. Gary has been reassigned to a patrol unit that is focused on reducing youth crime by saturating the area with police officers. Gary has become part of a(n) ______ policing unit.

A) community-oriented
B) hot spot
C) aggressive
D) problem-oriented

Question 64

More than half of police contacts with civilians are for __________.

Question 65

Defining roles, changing supervisor attitudes, and revised training are challenges of ______ policing.

Question 66

Most municipal police departments are independent agencies within the ________ branch of government.

Question 67

The ________ is the top administrator of the police department and sets policy and has general control over departmental practices.

Question 68

Started in New York City, __________is a technology that directs police efforts in a more productive way.

Question 69

Most investigations use _______ as the source of information rather than witnesses and informants.

Question 70

__________ patrol concentrates police resources in areas where certain crimes are a significant problem.

Question 71

____________________ are groups of police officers who enforce morality-based laws such as those against prostitution.

Question 72

____________________ is an aggressive law enforcement style that emphasizes attacking crimes head-on and in advance rather than waiting for calls for service.

Question 73

_______ is the use of scientific techniques to investigate questions of interest to the justice system and to solve crimes.

Question 74

Mackenzie is familiar with street life. She was a drug dealer who spent time in jail and prison and then cleaned up her act after she was arrested for the third time. When she was in prison, she learned a lot from her fellow inmates. Now, she spends most of her time hanging out with her friends, some of whom are still dealers. This gives her a chance to be "in the know" but not in trouble. Mackenzie has seen with her own eyes how a nice neighborhood can go downhill into disorder and chaos. She is a product of a neighborhood that was once fairly prosperous and now is full of deteriorated housing. What would be one lesson that she has learned from growing up where she did?

A) Neighborhood disorder creates fear.
B) Hot spot policing works in reducing crime.
C) Improving response time reduces crime.
D) Directed policing creates mistrust.

Question 75

A(n) ____________________ is an operation designed to encourage and observe criminal behavior so the officers can make an arrest.

Question 76

Mackenzie is familiar with street life. She was a drug dealer who spent time in jail and prison and then cleaned up her act after she was arrested for the third time. When she was in prison, she learned a lot from her fellow inmates. Now, she spends most of her time hanging out with her friends, some of whom are still dealers. This gives her a chance to be "in the know" but not in trouble. Mackenzie is in contact with the police again, but this time they want her help. They want to know more about an inmate she served time with and the crimes that inmate committed. What type of policing aligns best to how these detectives are investigating the situation?

A) Order maintenance
B) Intelligence-led policing
C) Problem-oriented policing
D) Street-level drug enforcement

Question 77

____________________ policing strategies require police agencies to identify particular long-term community issues and to develop strategies to eliminate these issues.

Question 78

____________________ is another term for the order maintenance function of police.

Question 79

The ____________________ model is the term used to describe the role of the police as maintainers of community order and safety.

Question 80

Stopping or reducing crime by convincing potential criminals that they stand a significant risk of being apprehended and punished is referred to as the ________.