Deck 5: Police and the Use of Force

Question 1

The U.S. Supreme Court identified which of the following as the appropriate standard for judging officer actions during high speed pursuits in the case of the County of Sacramento v. Lewis?

A) Officer displayed deliberate indifference.
B) Officer displayed reckless indifference.
C) Officer's actions were not acceptable to a reasonable person.
D) Officer's conduct "shocks the conscience."

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What is the definition of excessive use of force?

A) Less than lethal force
B) The application of more force than is necessary
C) Causing bodily harm
D) Lethal force

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of these factors influence police officers' use of force?

A) Laws, training, family background
B) Laws, training, research, and evaluation
C) Laws, departmental culture, and the average tenure of the officer
D) Laws, training, departmental culture, and individual characteristics

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What is the significance of the Supreme Court's decision in Tennessee v. Garner (1985)?

A) It allowed police officers to use deadly force to apprehend any fleeing felon.
B) It allowed anyone to use deadly force to apprehend any fleeing felon.
C) It set limits on the use of deadly force used to apprehend a suspected felon.
D) It rejected the subjective standard that had been applied in judging officers' actions.

Question 5

The training program provided by law enforcement academies, agencies frequently have policies-at a minimum-in the following areas:

A) Legal rights and responsibilities, use of force, and investigating skills
B) Administration, management, and use of deadly weapons
C) Use of force, use of firearms, and regulations for officers being armed off duty
D) Use of firearms and intelligence gathering and use

Question 6

When does the use of deadly force arise?

A) When the officer is responding to suspects who are resisting
B) When the officer's or another person's life is in danger
C) When the officer's verbal commands are ignored
D) When the officer is restraining uncooperative suspects

Question 7

Can policies, in and of themselves, influence police officers' use of force?

A) They cannot make any difference.
B) If they are regularly updated, clearly explained, and actually enforced
C) If they contain more than just rules and procedures
D) If they are informed by the latest research

Question 8

We do not have reliable numbers of citizens killed by the police. Which of the following statements explains why?

A) The government measures undercount the true numbers.
B) The official measures came from underfunded departments and agencies.
C) The official measures are no up-to-date.
D) The best sources are the Washington Post and the Guardian.

Question 9

What are some of the strategies that departments can use to deal with police abuses of authority?

A) Personnel selection and performance evaluations
B) Requiring psychological tests
C) Disarming bad officers
D) Peer reviews

Question 10

Does the use of CEDs (conducted energy devices) represent excessive force?

A) They are less harmful alternative to striking suspects or shooting them.
B) They have been linked to a rising number of deaths
C) Not if they reduce injuries to suspects
D) Only if the suspect is not being violent and unruly

Question 11

Most police officers complete their entire careers without ever using deadly force.

Question 12

The police do not have the power to lawfully control the behavior of other citizens.

Question 13

Shouting, cursing, and threatening force are not considered examples of a use of force.

Question 14

The number of police killed in the line of duty is higher than the number of citizens killed by the police.

Question 15

While police officers and others often talk about lethal force versus less-than-lethal-force, the latter is best described as less lethal force.

Question 16

Suicide by cop refers to situation where some individuals set out to provoke a confrontation with law enforcement with the intent of being shot.

Question 17

Under current rules, no officer may use deadly force against a "fleeing felon."

Question 18

Drugs or alcohol are involved in a significant portion of incidents alleging police use of excessive force.

Question 19

Torts are defined as criminal wrongs.

Question 20

No matter what the departmental policy says, in practice, the departmental culture influences what the officers do.