Deck 20: The Police

Question 1

According to the text, the most common type of policing in the United States is:

A) undercover work
B) community policing
C) preventative patrol
D) interactive policing
E) detective work

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to criminologists' studies of police activity, police spend most of their time:

A) dealing with crime, often serious crime
B) conducting follow-up investigations of cases
C) dealing with noncriminal matters
D) handling special youth problems-like gangs and school crime

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The policing strategy of preventative patrol:

A) is largely reactive in nature
B) encourages the police to develop close ties to community residents
C) encourages police corruption
D) focuses on the underlying causes of crime

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Police are more likely to catch offenders who commit:

A) assault
B) burglary
C) larceny-theft
D) vandalism
E) arson

Question 5

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Most crimes known to the police are cleared by arrest.
B) The police refer all arrested juvenile offenders to juvenile court.
C) The police generally believe that juvenile court deals effectively with juvenile offenders.
D) The police arrest only a minority of suspected juvenile offenders.

Question 6

Police discretion in deciding whether to arrest suspected juvenile offenders depends on factors such as:

A) parents' seeming ability and willingness to help solve the problem
B) the seriousness of the offenses and their prior record
C) the norms of the police department and community
D) whether the complainants press for arrest
E) all of the above

Question 7

High-crime areas are often referred to as:

A) dark fields
B) hot spots
C) criminal zones
D) cold sectors
E) crime belts

Question 8

Police crackdowns are most likely to be effective when:

A) high-crime areas or individuals can be clearly identified
B) delinquency can be effectively sanctioned
C) high-crime areas or individuals can be adequately monitored
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 9

According to discussion in the text, police crackdowns are difficult to implement successfully for certain types of crime, such as:

A) drug use
B) homicide
C) prostitution
D) gun violence by youth gangs

Question 10

Preventative patrol is criticized because it:

A) increases police corruption
B) decreases the likelihood that police will respond when called to a crime
C) fails to fully involve community residents in crime control efforts
D) reduces the amount of available time used for investigating crimes
E) all of the above

Question 11

Spending time on bicycles, serving as substitute teachers, and getting involved in organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs are provided in the text as examples of:

A) preventative patrol
B) probation officer activities
C) social service programs
D) community policing
E) public involvement in delinquency prevention

Question 12

The DARE program is designed to prevent delinquency by:

A) fostering antidrug values
B) teaching youth to resist negative peer pressure
C) building positive relations with the police
D) helping police gain information about the problems faced by youth in their communities
E) all of the above

Question 13

Evaluations suggest that the DARE program:

A) is effective at reducing drug use
B) is not effective at reducing drug use
C) increases delinquency
D) none of the above

Question 14

Most community policing has been shown to be effective in:

A) reducing crime and delinquency rates
B) improving police-community relations
C) solving the underlying causes of crime and delinquency
D) reducing adolescent drug use
E) all of the above

Question 15

Research data indicate that certain types of community policing efforts, such as _______, appear to reduce crime and delinquency under some conditions.

A) the DARE program
B) neighborhood watch-type programs
C) problem-oriented policing (POP)
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 16

According to Agnew and Brezina, the crime rate would _______ if there were no police.

A) increase
B) decrease
C) stay the same
D) not exist

Question 17

Studies suggest that assigning more police to preventative patrol has ________ on crime rates.

A) little or no effect
B) a modest effect
C) a strong effect
D) none of the above

Question 18

According to the textbook, efforts to increase response time by the police have made little difference in apprehending offenders because:

A) the majority of crime victims do not call the police until well after the crime is over
B) it typically takes at least five minutes before a police officer receives the call from dispatch
C) the police cannot respond quickly due to workload
D) none of the above

Question 19

Which of the following DOES NOT influence the likelihood of a police officer to arrest?

A) age of the offender
B) race of the offender
C) gender of the offender
D) none of the above

Question 20

What is the role of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)?

A) COPS collects arrest statistics from each police department across the country.
B) COPS disseminates information on successful efforts for dealing with community problems.
C) COPS is the governing agency where all community-oriented police departments report.
D) COPS is a nonprofit agency that aids community-oriented police departments with funding.

Question 21

From the text, describe how police typically spend their time while at work.

Question 22

Explain the advantages and disadvantages associated with preventative patrol.

Question 23

Identify factors that increase the likelihood that police will catch offenders.

Question 24

The police exercise a great deal of discretion in deciding whether to arrest juvenile offenders. Identify factors that influence whether the police make an arrest.

Question 25

It is suggested that hiring more police officers will increase police effectiveness. Indicate whether research supports this idea and, if so, specify the conditions.

Question 26

Explain what it means when a police department has a "crackdown" on crime.

Question 27

Describe two ways in which police departments have tried to increase the likelihood that they will detect crime.

Question 28

Kelling and his associates encourage police to crack down on minor signs of disorder. What is this called? Why might this type of police crackdown help to reduce crime?

Question 29

Discuss whether police crackdowns on minor signs of disorder should be encouraged, pointing to possible advantages and disadvantages of such crackdowns.

Question 30

Specify the conditions under which police crackdowns are most likely to be effective in reducing crime.

Question 31

Describe how community policing addresses the criticisms of preventative patrol.

Question 32

Identify and describe the steps involved in problem-oriented policing (POP).

Question 33

Discuss the effectiveness of community policing.

Question 34

What was your perspective of the police before reading this chapter? Did you view the police as traditional "crime fighters"? How has this chapter changed your perspective of the police? What is the most surprising idea that you have learned?

Question 35

Describe the Ceasefire Program initiated in Cincinnati, Ohio. Does this program show promise as a crime control strategy?

Question 36

Describe how the New York City Police Department utilized stop and frisk. What impact did this program have on crime? Why was this program subject to debate?

Question 37

Describe the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. What type of policing is this program an example of? Have studies found this program to be effective?

Question 38

Data suggest that people are more likely to obey the law when they believe the police are fair and treat others in a respectful manner. How do police departments ensure that their officers are treating citizens with respect and fairness?

Question 39

You are the chief of your local police department, and you want to implement community policing in your department. How will you go about implementing community policing within your department? How will you involve the community?