Police, Policy & Practices

According to the lecture notes, perhaps more than anything, stress is a problem of ______________________.

incompatibility between a person and his or her environment

In addition to protecting the President of the United States and other dignitaries, the Secret Service ________________________. (Choose all that apply.)

investigates organized crime investigates cased involving counterfeit currency investigates money laundering

_________________ is the process of fingerprinting, processing, and photographing a suspect.

Booking

According to the lecture notes, the unbroken line of authority that extends through all levels of a police organization, from the highest to the lowest, and clarifies who answers to whom is known as _______________.

Chain-of-command

The ________________ was an early officer on foot patrol who, during the hours of darkness, watched for fires and criminal activities, and sounded the "hue and cry" to evoke a defensive response from the citizenry.

Watchman

All police departments in Texas use the same hiring standards related to education and illegal drug usage.

False

Following the terrorist attacks of 09/11/01, the FBI shifted its focus from enforcing federal laws to almost exclusively investigating terrorism.

False

How members of the news media choose to report on the activities and operations of police officers has no influence on the police subculture.

False

Maintaining a public information officer and having a strict media policy is more effective in establishing a favorable media image than utilizing a media strategy of openness in which all officers are authorized and encouraged to communicate with news reporters.

False

Studies have shown that the vast majority of citizens view the police unfavorably.

False

You must have at least 60 hours of college credits to be licensed as a peace officer in the State of Texas.

False

Which of the following agencies is not included in the Department of Homeland Security?

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The police are known as the "_____________" of the criminal justice system because they are responsible for placing individuals into the system.

Gatekeepers

Officers Smith and Jones respond to a burglar alarm at a convenience store. Upon arrival, they find the glass of the front door broken out and Joe Schmoe attempting to pry the cash register off the the counter inside the business. The arrest Schmoe and book him into the jail on one charge of Burglary of a Building, a felony offense. Since this is a felony, the case will be presented to the _____________ by the district attorney to determine if probable cause exists to move forward with a criminal trial.

Grand jury

D.J. Stevens conducted a survey in which police officers listed the fourteen most stressful critical incidents. The number one ranked critical incident was the harming or killing of an innocent person. Stevens conducted the survey again after 9/11 and ______________ was listed as the most stressful critical incident.

Hate groups & terrorists

Which federal agency focuses specifically on illegal immigration?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

___________________ is a strategy that involves controlling the presentation of information to achieve a desired public perception and best serves the public interest by reporting actual facts rather than putting a "spin" on the information released by the police.

Impression management

The most important thing that a police officer needs to do their job is ____________.

Information

According to the lecture notes, what is the general mission of any police department?

To maintain social order within carefully prescribed ethical and constitutional restrictions. (Lecture Notes, Pages 9-10)

A 1992 study of the attitudes of male police officers toward female police officers showed that males still held a negative attitude toward female officers because:

All of these

All tests administered to applicants during the hiring process must be:

All of these

An individual's perception and support of the police will be affected by several factors, including:

All of these

Even though participation in a multijurisdictional task force requires a local police department to dedicate a police officer full-time to work outside their jurisdiction, the benefits include:

All of these

In Chapter Two, the author explains the difficult balance between the need for the police to maintain security, but not be unreasonably intrusive. Balancing the two involves:

All of these

In addition to the traditional law enforcement operations, the DEA works to reduce the availability of illegal drugs through non-enforcement methods, including:

All of these

Policing is a people profession and no other encounters have as many culture-shaping implications as those between the police and citizens. What aspects of the "street environment" will have an enduring and reinforcing influence on an officer's behavior?

All of these

Sources of the police subculture include:

All of these

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may sue businesses or governmental entities and/or intervene in cases of ____________.

All of these

The government has significant influence over the police because:

All of these

The media has been criticized for:

All of these

The size of a police department's pool of qualified applicants will likely be affected by:

All of these

Which of the following aspects of a police recruit applicant's background is not considered during the hiring process?

All of these

Sgt. Smith supervises a team of patrol officers who are assigned to a specific geographical area. Sgt. Smith must work with her team to develop goals, objectives and action plans. After consulting with the community, the team identifies open drug dealing at the corner of Elm and Main as a significant problem. They decide to address this problem through an increased police presence; identifying people who are loitering on the corner; and requesting assistance from the narcotics unit of surveillance during traditionally peak times of activity. These strategies they plan to employ to resolve their identified problem would be considered:

An action plan

Equal employment opportunity means that everyone should receive ___________________.

An equal chance at employment

The first U.S. metropolitan police department was formed in the New York City area in 1844 and other large cities quickly followed. While these departments were modeled after London's Metropolitan Police, U.S. police departments differed from their English counterparts in at least two important ways. What were those differences?

(1) Unlike police in London, America's first police officers were heavily involved in politics. (2) In stark contrast to their counterparts in London, American officers were more willing to use force. (Page 5)

The emphasis on community policing decreased after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, primarily because ______________________. (Choose all that apply.)

>federal funding to local jurisdictions for community policing initiatives was reallocated to Homeland Security. >local law enforcement was required to reallocate resources to address first-responder responsibilities.

Which pre-employment screening tool allows an agency to best gauge how an applicant will interact with people when they are a person in authority?

A Personality/Interpersonal Assessment like the B-PAD.

________________ is the practice of taking proactive steps to boost the presence of historically marginalized groups in the ranks of an organization by giving preference to members of those groups.

Affirmative action

According to the lecture notes, August Vollmer's strategy to eliminate police corruption included:

All of the above

For the purposes of counting the number of law enforcement officers in the United States, the U.S. Government General Accounting Office defines a "law enforcement officer" as an individual whose job responsibilities and authority include:

All of the above

In Engel's article, she writes that policing in the United States is based on the Anglo-Saxon model of policing. This model includes which of the following tenets?

All of the above

_______________ is a system in which employees are hired, retained, advanced, disciplined, and discharged on the basis of merit, or their abilities and qualifications and was implemented to enhance police professionalism by ensuring that employees receive specific protections such as job security and equal pay for equivalent work.

Civil Service

The _____________ is a police academy training model intended to enhance the professional aspects of police training curricula by exposing trainees to problem solving, sensitivity to marginalized groups, and other valuable topics in addition to required technical knowledge.

College system

Read the mission statement of the Denton Police Department provided on Page 10 of the lecture notes. During which era of policing was this statement developed and adopted?

Community policing

_________________ is a situation in which black officers treat black suspects harshly to gain the respect of their white counterparts and to avoid giving the impression that they are biased toward members of their own race.

Double marginality

John Smith believes that an individual's rights take precedence over everything else, even if it results in an increased threat to public safety and that the government is responsible for ensuring that an individual's rights are protected. Herber Parker would call Smith a _____________ advocate.

Due process

Community Policing Era

Emphasis on partnerships between police and the citizens to identify and address community needs

Homeland Security Era

Emphasis on preventing terrorism

________________ uses the analysis of research data to evaluate law enforcement practitioners and develop best practices.

Evidence-based policing

Though the acronym remains ATF, _____________ is now one of the primary concerns of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

Explosives

A suspect has the right to be present and testify on their own behalf during a grand jury investigation.

False

According to the lecture notes, since police officers in Texas are licensed by the State, any police officer can take enforcement action under any circumstances, including conducting arrests and issuing citations, anywhere in the state.

False

According to the lecture notes, the levels of U.S. law enforcement (federal, state and local) operate independently of one another. Therefore, the federal and/or state government has no influence or impact on local law enforcement.

False

According to the lecture notes, what are the two methods for dealing with stress listed in the lecture notes?

Lecture Notes, Pages 17-18: (1) The physical symptoms of stress can be alleviated with a systematic exercise and nutrition program. (2) Intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual symptoms can all be alleviated by developing interests and relationship outside of work.

Police organizations differ from other types of organizations, most obviously, because usually only the police have both and .

Legitimate arrest power & authority to use force

According to the lecture notes, the uniformed patrol section of a police department can best be characterized as ______________.

Operations

___________ was prevalent during the Political Era and included the hiring of police officers based on an individual's political support for an office holder rather than the applicant's individual abilities or qualifications.

Patronage system

According to the lecture notes, when Sir Robert Peel developed the Metropolitan Police Department, he specifically mandated certain operational procedures that influenced, and still influence, policing in the United States. Which of the following ideas did the U.S. not follow?

Police were organized into a centralized national police force.

All arrests, searches and seizures conducted by a police officer must be supported by ________________.

Probable cause

Reform Era

Professionalism of the police and a focus on crime-fighting

How does the traffic stop negatively influence the police subculture?

Since nearly every traffic stop is involuntary, any hopes of a positive encounter between the officer and the driver are doomed from the start. As a result, traffic stops negatively shape police subculture.

Which agency is responsible for screening applications for Federal Firearms Licenses and issuing such licenses to every manufacturer, importer, and dealer of firearms in the U.S.?

The ATF

In accordance with __________________, police departments cannot deny employment as a police officer to a person who has a physical disability if that person is able to perform the essential functions of the job.

The Americans with Disabilities Act

A background investigation will cover virtually every aspect of an applicant's life. While some things might or might not disqualify an applicant from the process, untruthfulness always will.

True

According to the lecture notes, the most positive aspect of the Political Era of U.S. policing was:

The close relationship between the public and the police provided the police with valuable information with which to meet the public's needs.

By far, the most significant environmental factor in law enforcement is/are _________________.

The community

The "reformers" believed that the police must be isolated from citizens to prevent corruption. There were several factors that contributed to the Reform Era, but discuss how isolating the police from the public contributed to the demise of the Reform Era and a move toward Community Policing. (Hint: The answer is found on Page 15 of the lecture notes.)

The efforts to eliminate corruption had resulted in a contentious relationship between the two, one in which there was no contact unless a citizen called or the police were arresting someone, and neither side trusted the other. The most important thing police need to do their job is information and the citizens have that information. No one talks to people they don't trust and the citizens were reluctant to talk to the police.

___________________ is a phenomenon in which a police officer's fear of being injured or killed is stronger than is justified by the actual rates of injury or death within the profession.

The paradox of policing

Academy training teaches recruits ________________, the ability to develop knowledge of the area they work in and, based on that knowledge, recognize when something is wrong or out of the ordinary.

The sixth sense

_____________ is a condition confronting police officers that involves three central features of policing - the urgency of police-citizen encounters, the involuntariness of such encounters, and a public setting - all of which combine to place officers in the position of having to make quick on-the-spot decisions.

The split-second syndrome

According to the Wickersham Commission, one of the downfalls of the Prohibition Era was that law enforcement invested most of its time in making arrests and measured its success by the number of cases filed rather than activities that might have had a more significant and long-term impact.

True

According to the lecture notes, a young, black male living in a poor neighborhood that experiences a lot of crime and disorder will probably be less supportive than an elderly, white female living in a quiet, upper-middle class neighborhood.

True

According to the lecture notes, conflicts between citizens and the police are often the result of police officers exercising their authority to direct and command people, and their power to enforce that authority.

True

According to the lecture notes, informal leaders in a department will have as much, and sometimes more, influence over the police subculture as the formal administration will.

True

According to the lecture notes, special jurisdiction police officers like the TWU campus police, are sworn peace officers with all the power, authority and responsibility of any city police officer.

True

Because the recidivism rate in the U.S. is so high, the police spend an enormous amount of time dealing with the same people over and over again.

True

Federalism divides law enforcement between the federal and state levels. This makes cooperation important, while fostering tensions and turf wars between federal and state agencies.

True

In "Broken Windows," Wilson and Kelling report on the "Safe and Clean Neighborhoods Program" conducted in New Jersey in the mid-1970's. The program provided funding to take officers out of the patrol car and assign them to walking a beat. Five years later, the resident of the foot patrolled neighborhoods felt more secure and had a more favorable opinion of the police even though the crime rate had not been reduced.

True

In 1996, Robert Jordan was denied employment as a police officer by the New London Police Department because he had scored too high on the Wonderlic Personnel Test. The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut upheld the City's actions because the City followed the instructions accompanying the test and the City did not discriminate against Jordan because of his race or gender.

True

In the United States, a certain amount of crime is inevitable because the rights and privacy of the individual is of great importance in a democracy.

True

One definition of police discretion is "the freedom exercised by police officers in deciding how best to handle a particular situation within the limits of the authority given to them." However, the decisions police officers make are influenced by community priorities.

True

One paradox of policing is that carrying a firearm significantly influences the police subculture even though officers rarely fire their weapons in the line-of-duty.

True

Researchers have yet to determine whether education affects an officer's decision to behave one way or another.

True

Successful policing requires that officers maintain control, either directly (at a crime scene) or indirectly by simply maintaining a presence.

True

The FBI and DEA are two of the most well-known federal law enforcement agencies. However, most federal agencies have an enforcement unit, including the IRS and each branch of the military.

True

The court system influences the police subculture because (1) officers become frustrated and disillusioned if the prosecutor declines to prosecute a criminal case; and (2) if a case does move forward, the defense attorney will scrutinize every aspect of the investigation, even questioning the officer's integrity and competency.

True

The police are considered a subculture in our society because officers generally adhere to a set of values and beliefs that differ in certain crucial respects from those held by members of the wider American culture.

True

The primary duties of the U.S. Marshals Service are judicial security and fugitive investigation and apprehension.

True

The terrorist attacks of 09/11/01 resulted in significant changes in the organization of federal law enforcement agencies.

True

The traditional Field Training Officer (FTO) program differs from the Police Training Program (PTO) because FTO emphasizes mechanical repetition skills and rote memory capabilities rather than the development of an officer's learning capacity, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

True

While it is generally believed that a diverse police force will be regarded more favorably by citizens, especially those in minority-dominated neighborhoods, the research supports these claims to only a modest extent.

True

The lecture notes include information from an article on the history of policing by Robin Shepard Engel. Engel defined a government as a "political institution of the state that uses organization, bureaucracy, and formality to regulate social interactions," and defines a state as "a political creation that has the recognized authority to use and maintain a monopoly on the ___________ within a clearly defined jurisdiction."

Use of force

William Wesley was among the first police researchers to cite the importance of force as a critical element of police culture. Wesley and other researchers determined that the very possibility of having to __________________________ is a powerful contributor to police subculture.

Use or to face force

According to the authors, a "defensible" estimate of the number of law enforcement agencies is ___________________ with approximately 680,000 law enforcement officers.

a little more than 20,000

Community policing is a philosophy of law enforcement service delivery. One of the most prominent aspects of this philosophy is:

a police-community partnership with the focus on addressing problems that cause and contribute to crime and fear of crime.

Political Era

close ties between police and public officials

According to the Lecture Notes, throughout history, specifically in England and the U.S., formal police departments were established because ______________________________.

of the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of volunteer forces in responding to increases in crime and disorder that resulted from an industrial revolution and an increase in population. (Lecture Notes, Page 4)

Officer Jones is assigned to the patrol division of a medium-sized police department. He reports to a corporal who reports to a sergeant who reports to a lieutenant who reports to a captain who reports to a colonel who reports to the chief. The only time that he has seen anyone above the rank of sergeant is when he was disciplined for a policy violation. He is expected to take calls in his assigned area; write tickets; and arrest people. The department's policy manual is ten inches thick. The agency Jones works for most closely resembles a:

reform era or traditional police department.

The President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing was formed as a result of a lack of trust between citizens and the police and the identified need to maintain collaborative relationships between the police and the public. This indicates a need to return to the philosophy and strategies of _________________.

the Community Policing Era

According to Sir Robert Peel's Nine Principles of Policing, the basic mission of the police is

to prevent crime and disorder.