Deck 14: Order and the Police

Question 1

An important determinant of officer action in order maintenance circumstances appears to be:

A) wishes of the complainant
B) the criminal law
C) departmental police
D) none of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Traditionally, the police have relied on what source to define when disorder has occurred?

A) police experience
B) the criminal law
C) departmental policies
D) public complaints

Answer 2

D

Question 3

As a result of their ability to choose which laws to enforce when and against whom, Kenneth Davis argued that police are:

A) policy makers
B) discriminatory
C) uncontrollable
D) legislators

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Order maintenance situations often involve:

A) ambiguous laws
B) conflicting expectations
C) unclear facts
D) all of the above

Question 5

The general tendency of patrol officers is to:

A) ignore law violations
B) underenforce laws
C) prefer service delivery functions
D) strictly enforce laws

Question 6

Departmental policies such as tolerance limits for speed limit enforcement serve to:

A) create more consistent decisions
B) inform officer decisions
C) direct officer discretion
D) all of the above

Question 7

To date the results of the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment have been replicated across the country.

Question 8

According to James Wilson, the primary function of the police in America is:

A) order maintenance
B) law enforcement
C) service delivery
D) public safety

Question 9

In some cases making a legal arrest can actually create disorder.

Question 10

In the 1980s, police agencies began to redefine domestic disturbances as crime and prefer policies of arrest in these cases because:

A) victims successfully sued for failure to protect
B) women's groups brought political pressure to bear
C) research indicated these policies were best
D) all of the above

Question 11

Decisions by the police NOT to enforce the law when legal grounds to do so exist are known as:

A) invocation discretion
B) police discretion
C) order maintenance
D) non- invocation discretion

Question 12

Behavior that threatens the public peace/involves face to face conflict between two or more persons is:

A) legal grounds for arrest
B) disorder
C) criminal
D) all of the above

Question 13

Goldstein was concerned with non- invocation discretion because he viewed it as being:

A) discriminatory
B) low visibility
C) illegal
D) none of the above

Question 14

The "acid test" of police officer discretionary choices in order maintenance is:

A) whether disorder is resolved
B) the outcome of trial
C) citizen satisfaction
D) all of the above

Question 15

Officer behavior in interacting with citizens is affected by the time and place in which the interaction occurs, or the:

A) context of the encounter
B) components of the interaction
C) questions of authority
D) none of the above

Question 16

An officer who prefers to counsel and mediate between disputants in an attempt to maintain order would be identified by Muir as a(n):

A) avoider
B) enforcer
C) reciprocator
D) professional

Question 17

Toward the end of the 1970s police agencies were increasingly responding to domestic disturbances as social problems rather than crimes.

Question 18

Wilson and Kelling suggest that the primary benefit of foot patrol is in its effect on:

A) improving community relations
B) increasing levels of public order
C) reducing levels of crime
D) all of the above

Question 19

Police will arrest citizens in disorderly circumstances if they challenge the officer's authority.

Question 20

Police tend to exercise invocation discretion more frequently than they do non- invocation discretion.

Question 21

James Wilson concludes that the ability of police administrators to control officer discretion is greatest in situations involving citizen invoked law enforcement.

Question 22

Traditionally, police officers have been reluctant to respond to domestic disturbances because these events were considered to be private.

Question 23

Arresting citizens who are disrespectful to the police helps establish the authority of the officer.

Question 24

The importance of order maintenance as a goal or function of the police often limits law enforcement efforts.

Question 25

Much of police activity in order maintenance, according to Skolnick, involves regulating public morality.

Question 26

Order maintenance as reinforcement of informal social controls requires that it be understood in the context of the neighborhood.

Question 27

Order maintenance is both the most important and most difficult police function.

Question 28

When both parties to a conflict expect the responding officer to take their side, the officer will generally refuse to intervene.

Question 29

Alpert and Dunham found that police officers in Miami changed their policing styles to fit neighborhood characteristics.

Question 30

Attempts to control a situation by the issuance of an order is known as definitional regulation.