Deck 7: Police Use of Force

Question 1

Which of the following is one of the three criteria used to identify excessive force?

A) civil liability
B) criminal law
C) fear of scandal
D) all of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the court's ruling in Tennessee v. Garner?

A) Police cannot use deadly force to prevent the escape of a felon unless the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious injury to the officer or others.
B) Police can use deadly force to prevent the escape of a felon in any circumstance.
C) Proper use of deadly force is an issue to be defined by police departments within the confines of state law.
D) The court indicated that an officer's situational discretion is the most important determinant of when deadly force is necessary.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What is the fleeing felon doctrine?

A) Statute allowing police officers to use lethal force against all fleeing felony suspects regardless of the force the suspect had exerted during the commission of the crime and whether innocent bystanders were present.
B) Statute allowing police officers to use deadly force against any fleeing felon and required that police weigh the dangerousness of shooting a suspect against the crime and the probability of immediate or future harm caused by the suspect if he or she escaped.
C) Statute allowing police officers to use nonlethal force against any nonviolent fleeing felon who did not pose a substantial risk to the police or third parties during the commission of a crime.
D) Statute allowing police officers the option of using lethal or nonlethal force against any fleeing felons who posed a risk of deadly or non-deadly force against citizens or the police as long as the use of force was consistent with standard operating procedures.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is true regarding race and rates of police homicides?

A) African Americans are two times as likely as whites to be killed by police.
B) African Americans are four times as likely as whites to be killed by police.
C) Whites are two times as likely as African Americans to be killed by police.
D) Whites are four times as likely as African Americans to be killed by police.

Question 5

Which of the following is defined as "fighting with a suspect?"

A) soft hands
B) hard hands
C) threatening force
D) excessive force

Question 6

What is the first type of force an officer uses in the force continuum?

A) soft handed
B) hard handed
C) mace or pepper spray
D) physical presence

Question 7

Oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, or pepper spray, has become one of the primary weapons used by the police to subdue suspects which:

A) contains derivatives of cayenne pepper
B) normally subdues suspects, making them less resistive
C) causes bronchial passages to constrict, making breathing more difficult
D) All of the above

Question 8

Which of the following is a difference between the use of force by on and off-duty officers?

A) Off-duty officers are usually without radio contact.
B) On-duty officers are less likely to follow procedural guidelines.
C) Off-duty officers are less likely to be involved in personal disputes that lead to force.
D) There are no differences between on and off-duty use of force incidents.

Question 9

Which of the following best describes the four performance criteria in an early warning system used to identify problem officers?

A) Use of force, reprimands, breach of duty, alcoholism
B) Complaints, use of force, reprimands, discharge of firearms
C) Discharge of firearms, alcoholism, domestic violence, corruption
D) Corruption, breach of duty, complaints, reprimands

Question 10

Which of the following are considered impact munitions?

A) rubber and wooden bullets and bean bags
B) batons and Tasers or stun guns
C) pepper spray and extendable asp
D) conduct energy devices

Question 11

__________ is the use of any more force than a highly skilled police officer should find necessary to use in that particular situation.

A) Excessive force
B) Extralegal violence or brutality
C) Unnecessary force
D) Lethal violence

Question 12

__________ occurs when officers willfully and wrongfully use force that exceeds the boundaries of their authority.

A) Excessive force
B) Extralegal violence or brutality
C) Unnecessary force
D) Lethal violence

Question 13

__________ is force used by well-intentioned officers who are unable to handle a situation and resort to force too quickly or needlessly.

A) Excessive force
B) Extralegal violence or brutality
C) Unnecessary force
D) Lethal violence

Question 14

The Kentucky Police Use of Deadly Force Statute states that the use of deadly physical force by a defendant upon another person is justified when:

A) The defendant is effecting the arrest; is authorized to act as a peace officer
B) The arrest is for a felony involving the use or threatened use of physical force likely to cause death or serious physical injury
C) The defendant believes that the person to be arrested is likely to endanger human life unless apprehended without delay
D) All of the above

Question 15

In an effort to further restrict police use of force, California legislators passed ___________ in 2019 which states that officers can now only use deadly force on persons who pose an immediate danger and only when deadly force is considered "necessary".

A) the Justice in Policing Act
B) Senate Bill (SB) 20-217
C) Assembly Bill (AB) 392
D) the House of Representatives Bill (HR) 1280

Question 16

Research has found that the average age of those killed by the police is _____ years.

A) 16
B) 28
C) 32
D) 46

Question 17

The highest rate of police homicide of citizens is for young __________.

A) Asian females
B) African-American males
C) Hispanic males
D) White females

Question 18

___________ include rubber or wooden bullets and small beanbags that are fired from 12 gauge shotguns or 37mm gas launchers.

A) Impact munitions
B) Conducted energy devices
C) Police batons
D) Firearms

Question 19

__________ are handheld weapons, shaped like handguns, that deliver instantly-incapacitating 50,000V shocks to its targets and are designed to interfere with the body's neuromuscular system, dropping targets to the ground.

A) Impact munitions
B) Conducted energy devices
C) Police batons
D) Firearms

Question 20

Police use of force is disproportionately used against:

A) People of color
B) The poor
C) Young males
D) All of the above

Question 21

Overall, the number of law enforcement personnel feloniously killed annually on the job declined by more than _____% in 36 years.

A) 30
B) 45
C) 60
D) 75

Question 22

__________ refers to a situation in which an officer physically grabs a suspect to control them and is commonly used when that suspect verbally resists or becomes abusive. This type of force is often used to prevent a situation from escalating.

A) Soft hands
B) Hard hands
C) Less-than-lethal force
D) Deadly force

Question 23

__________ refers to when an officer literally fights with the suspect, which may include pushing, hitting, or other physical action to subdue the suspect.

A) Soft hands
B) Hard hands
C) Less-than-lethal force
D) Deadly force

Question 24

___________ is any use of force that is not intended or likely to lead to death or serious physical injury which may involve weapons such as a baton, pepper spray, and conducted energy devices.

A) Soft hands
B) Hard hands
C) Less-than-lethal force
D) Deadly force

Question 25

___________ can be used only in instances where the officer believes there is a threat of "great bodily harm" to the officer or to another person.

A) Soft hands
B) Hard hands
C) Less-than-lethal force
D) Deadly force

Question 26

Excessive force occurs when officers legally apply force in too many incidents.

Question 27

The use of force continuum outlines the level of force that officers can use when subduing a suspect.

Question 28

Any force other than the discharge of a firearm at a suspect is considered less-than-lethal force.

Question 29

An early warning systems (EWS) is designed to identify officers who, as a result of their performance, may exhibit behavioral problems in using force and dealing with citizens.

Question 30

Suicide by cop is a police-precipitated homicide in which the police take action that causes the victim to use deadly force.

Question 31

Unnecessary force occurs when officers willfully and wrongfully use force that exceeds the boundaries of their authority.

Question 32

Extralegal violence or brutality is force used by well-intentioned officers who are unable to handle a situation and resort to force too quickly or needlessly.

Question 33

The highest rate of police homicide of citizens is for young African-American males.

Question 34

Chronic deviants are those officers who repeatedly use excessive force and are abusive and disrespectful.

Question 35

The use-of-force continuum outlines the level of force that officers can use when subduing a suspect and is based on the principle that officers should use only the reasonable or necessary force necessary to effect the arrest or subdue a suspect.