Deck 11: Core Concepts of US Policing

Question 1

The police role in society is shaped by three key concepts:

A) Order maintenance, legitimate use of force and exercise of discretion.
B) Crime, use of force and punishment
C) Crime control, social order and law enforcer
D) Deterrence, discretion and punishment

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Discretion is common in policing for a variety of reasons, including which of the following:

A) Limited resources and agency priorities make it impossible to enforce all laws equally, all of the time
B) Citizen demands that lead police agencies to focus more heavily on some laws at the expense of others
C) The need for professional judgment made by police officers on a case-by-case basis
D) All of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Why is London significant to the American criminal justice system?

A) Because the English model heavily influenced the American system
B) Because it was the location of the first, modern, organized police department
C) Because Americans continue to refer to London to organize the system
D) Both A and B

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Peel strongly advocated for proactive policing, believing that Bobbies should:

A) Work to prevent crime before it occurs rather than react to crime after it is committed
B) Work to punish criminals severely to extinguish crime
C) React to crime by lodging a fierce campaign against criminals
D) Use firearms to stop crime in England

Question 5

Peel believed:

A) Police-public interactions are important
B) Officers should be carefully selected
C) Officers should be well trained
D) All of the above

Question 6

Four historical eras helped shape the role of the police in the United States. These were:

A) The Political Era, The Professional Era, and The Community Problem-Solving Era, The Homeland Security Era
B) The Early Era, The Civic Era, and The Public Era, The Post-911 Era
C) The First Era, The Second Era, and The Third Era, The Fourth Era
D) The Government Era, The Occupational Era, The Societal Era, The Scholarly Era

Question 7

In the Political Era, Americans were:

A) Desiring a strong central government and centralized policing
B) Fearful of a strong central government and found local policing to be more acceptable than having a single national agency
C) Trying to limit government and policing
D) Desiring both the central government and policing to be stronger

Question 8

What were some problems with the police system in the Political Era?

A) Early police forces to be controlled by local politicians
B) Early police officers often lacked professionalism
C) The police were sometimes used as pawns in larger political disputes
D) All of the above

Question 9

During the Political Era, police were often selected and assigned to their patrol detail based upon:

A) Their political affiliation
B) Their personal contacts
C) Their ethnicity
D) All of the above

Question 10

Muckraking journalists published articles about the corruption of local governments and this was one factor leading to:

A) The reform of the Political Era
B) Keeping the police force strong
C) The beginning of the Political Era
D) All of the above

Question 11

Patrol in automobiles became the central new strategy used by police agencies, made possible in part by the radio communication and dispatch. The justification for this was:

A) They allowed them to travel faster
B) Criminals increasingly had cars, so police should have them as well
C) Automobiles allowed for more personal interactions
D) All of the above

Question 12

The primary goal of the Professional Era was to remove the political element from policing. This was accomplished by:

A) Organizational changes
B) Creating hierarchies that allowed for more effective supervision of officers
C) Developing specialized units to focus on key tasks
D) All of the above

Question 13

The primary goal of this Era was to remove the political element from policing.

A) The Professional Era
B) The Political Era
C) The Community Era
D) The Police Era

Question 14

During this Era, early policing in the United States was characterized by political undertones, bordering on all-out corruption.

A) The Professional Era
B) The Political Era
C) The Community Era
D) The Police Era

Question 15

Officers were encouraged to distance themselves from the community in order to minimize the potential for favoritism. This is true of which era?

A) The Professional Era
B) The Political Era
C) The Community Era
D) The Police Era

Question 16

The Homeland Security Era's focus is on:

A) Prevent Terrorism
B) Enforce Immigration Laws
C) Secure Cyberspace
D) All of the above

Question 17

This Era is designed to aid law enforcement, improve the quality of life of its citizenry and promote citizen satisfaction.

A) The Professional Era
B) The Political Era
C) The Community Era
D) The Police Era

Question 18

This theory states that as crime increased, social order and systems of informal social control were threatened. This created a public fear of crime and the police were needed to curb both crime and the fear of crime.

A) Disorder Theory
B) Crime-Control Theory
C) Class-Control Theory
D) Urban-Dispersion Theory

Question 19

This theory states that police agencies were developed to suppress mob violence.

A) Disorder Theory
B) Crime-Control Theory
C) Class-Control Theory
D) Urban-Dispersion Theory

Question 20

This theory suggested that the modern police were created by the rich and powerful to control the dangerous classes and to prevent their upward mobility in society.

A) Disorder Theory
B) Crime-Control Theory
C) Class-Control Theory
D) Urban-Dispersion Theory

Question 21

This theory asserted that as cities grew, both predators and potential victims moved to the city, increasing vulnerability to urban crime. The police were therefore necessary as integral components of urban society in order to ensure their stability.

A) Disorder Theory
B) Crime-Control Theory
C) Class-Control Theory
D) Urban-Dispersion Theory

Question 22

Aspects of organizational culture include an agency's:

A) Norms
B) Values
C) Language
D) All of the above

Question 23

The central theme of this style of policing is keeping the peace and not making waves.

A) The Watchman Style
B) The Legalistic Style
C) The Service Style
D) The Disorder Style

Question 24

Under this style philosophy, officers enforce the law because they believe it is the right thing to do - morally, ethically and legally.

A) The Watchman Style
B) The Legalistic Style
C) The Service Style
D) The Disorder Style

Question 25

In this style, "the law is the law" and it simply must be enforced, without consideration of individual circumstances.

A) The Watchman Style
B) The Legalistic Style
C) The Service Style
D) The Disorder Style

Question 26

This style policing is based on the use of discretion to determine the most appropriate response to a situation.

A) The Watchman Style
B) The Legalistic Style
C) The Service Style
D) The Disorder Style

Question 27

The following characteristics make up an officer's working personality:

A) Danger, authority, and social isolation
B) Warning, power, and social skills
C) Happiness, control, and humbleness
D) Gratitude, pleasantness, and outgoing

Question 28

This indicates that police officers often find themselves isolated or removed from other members of the public.

A) Solidarity
B) Social isolation
C) Authority
D) Danger

Question 29

Most local police agencies perform which of the following duties:

A) Protecting life and property and enforcing the criminal law
B) Preventing crime and preserving the peace
C) Arresting violators and serving the community
D) All of the above

Question 30

The duties of the state police are similar to local law enforcement, except:

A) State police officers have greater jurisdictional freedom
B) State police officers have more power
C) Local police officers have more power
D) State police officers follow stricter laws

Question 31

If one motorist bribes one police officer $20 to avoid a traffic summons, this is known as:

A) Rotten apples
B) Rotten pockets
C) Pervasive unorganized corruption
D) Pervasive organized corruption

Question 32

Two officers work as a team and receive $100 from a local business owner to allow customers to double-park their vehicles, without the fear of a parking citation, in front of her store to improve her business sales. This is known as:

A) Rotten apples
B) Rotten pockets
C) Pervasive unorganized corruption
D) Pervasive organized corruption

Question 33

Officer Speedy Sam, while off-duty in his personal vehicle, is stopped for speeding by Sergeant Lock M. Up. When the Sergeant approaches the vehicle, Speedy flashes his off-duty badge. The Sergeant does not cite Speedy, only because he is a fellow police officer in a neighboring jurisdiction. This demonstrates:

A) Gratuity
B) Professional courtesy
C) Misuse of authority
D) Dirty Harry problem

Question 34

Which is the most critical time interval in terms of its impact on solving a crime?

A) The time it took for the police to process the call and dispatch a unit to the scene
B) The time it took for a unit to arrive on the scene, after being dispatched
C) The time between the commission of the crime and reporting it to the police
D) All of the above are equally critical

Question 35

Take the following example. A police officer buys a cup of coffee at a convenience store and starts to pay the clerk. The clerk waves the money away and says, "You guys protect the rest of us from crime - your coffee is free." The officer accepts the coffee and leaves. This demonstrates:

A) Gratuity
B) Professional courtesy
C) Misuse of authority
D) Dirty Harry problem

Question 36

Take as an example, while working a traffic detail, Officer Anita Mann observes a vehicle driven lawfully by an attractive young man. Officer Mann stops the vehicle simply to meet the driver and obtain his contact information, by running his license information through Central Records. This demonstrates:

A) Gratuity
B) Professional courtesy
C) Misuse of authority
D) Dirty Harry problem

Question 37

This policy's main goal is to foster a positive working relationship between the police and the community by using foot patrol, establishing community action groups, and decentralizing police groups.

A) Team Policing
B) Community-Oriented Policing (COP)
C) Problem-Oriented Policing (POP)
D) SARA

Question 38

The police are striving to understand why a problem happened, so its underlying causes can be addressed. This demonstrates which part of the SARA?

A) Scanning
B) Analysis
C) Response
D) Assessment

Question 39

Promoting ____________ is a means of reducing both crime and disorder which leads to crime.

A) COP
B) POP
C) Collective Efficacy
D) Focused Deterrence

Question 40

The environment is examined to identify, confirm, and prioritize problems. This demonstrates which part of the SARA?

A) Scanning
B) Analysis
C) Response
D) Assessment

Question 41

The police are agents of formal social control, ensuring that society's laws are enforced.

Question 42

The police role in society is shaped by three key concepts: order maintenance, the legitimate use of force and the exercise of discretion.

Question 43

Police officers follow the laws and, therefore, do not make many discretionary decisions.

Question 44

Much of the American criminal justice system was heavily influenced by the English model.

Question 45

In 1829, Peel's goal was to develop a police force that would effectively and efficiently curtail riots, public disorder and crime.

Question 46

Peel's law enforcement philosophy was not successful in England.

Question 47

During the Professional Era, early policing in the United States was characterized by political undertones, bordering on all-out corruption.

Question 48

Decentralization means that there is not one central law enforcement agency, but rather that each geographic area, whether city, town, or county, has its own police force.

Question 49

In the Political Era, the police were familiar with their communities and their respective power structures.

Question 50

In the Political Era, it was nearly impossible to maintain a sense of organizational control, leading to police agencies that were ineffective, inefficient, disorganized, and corrupt.

Question 51

The primary goal of the Professional Era was to remove the political element from policing.

Question 52

The Professional Era's focus was on crime control, crime prevention and offender apprehension, depicted by rapid response to call for police service and preventive patrol.

Question 53

The values of the Community Problem Solving Era are not politically popular.

Question 54

While the Community Problem Solving Era is a work-in-progress, it is designed to aid law enforcement, improve the quality of life of its citizenry and promote citizen satisfaction.

Question 55

The class-control theory suggested that the modern police were created by the rich and powerful to control the dangerous classes and to prevent their upward mobility in society.

Question 56

The Urban-Dispersion Theory asserted that as cities grew, both predators and potential victims moved to the city, increasing vulnerability to urban crime.

Question 57

The central theme of the Watchman Style of policing is keeping the peace and not making waves.

Question 58

In the Watchman Style of policing, police are very concerned about community relations or service calls.

Question 59

In the Legalistic Style, officers strive to enforce the law with the full force of their authority, in every case.

Question 60

The Service Style falls somewhere between the Watchman and Legalistic Styles.

Question 61

Wilson's styles of policing explain three different approaches to police work.

Question 62

Social isolation is the fact that police officers often find themselves isolated or removed from other members of the public.

Question 63

Authority is the fact that officers associate primarily with other officers, viewing their colleagues as members of a family bound together by their work.

Question 64

There is an informal code among police officers that "what happens on the streets, remains on the street."

Question 65

Solidarity includes frustration, alienation, despair and a sense of powerlessness.

Question 66

Some scholars argue that individuals with an authoritarian personality are attracted to police work; others argue that police work causes persons to become more authoritarian.

Question 67

Policing in the United States is fragmented.

Question 68

There are three levels of law enforcement: local, state, and federal.

Question 69

The vast majority of policing in America is performed by local police.

Question 70

Authoritarianism is a distrust and pessimistic attitude towards life and career.

Question 71

Broken Windows Policing focuses on collective efficacy to reduce crime and disorder.

Question 72

The legal mandate of federal officers is the enforcement of federal law, including interstate crimes.

Question 73

The vast majority of police officers perform their duties ethically and legally.

Question 74

In additional to being ethical, policing strategies should also be effective.

Question 75

Increases and decreases in the number of sworn personnel lead to an increase or decrease in crime.

Question 76

Variations in the level of preventive patrol do not appear to have an effect on crime or the fear of crime.

Question 77

The more critical time period for solving a crime is the time between the commission of the crime and reporting it to the police.

Question 78

The majority of cases were solved from information supplied from the victim to the responding officer, rather than requiring in-depth investigations, such as those portrayed on television.

Question 79

Team policing served as the front-runner to today's community-oriented policing philosophy.

Question 80

Lessons learned from team policing were later incorporated into community-oriented policing (COP), whose basic philosophy is to foster a positive working relationship between the police and the community.