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True / False
1. The police subculture often works against the ethical precepts of police departments.
a.
True
b.
False
2. Polls asking respondents to rate the honesty and ethical standards of various occupations usually show that police
receive a very negative rating.
a.
True
b.
False
3. Herman Goldstein has defined police corruption as “acts involving the misuse of authority by a police officer in a
manner designed to produce personal gain for himself or others.”
a.
True
b.
False
4. The Knapp Commission’s investigation failed to recognize police corruption in New York City.
a.
True
b.
False
5. Officers known as "meat-eaters" take small bribes or relatively minor services offered by citizens seeking to avoid
arrest or to get special police services.
a.
True
b.
False
6. Federal law enforcement agents rarely succumb to the temptation of corruption or misconduct.
a.
True
b.
False
7. The number of Department of Justice investigations into civil rights issues in police and sheriffs' departments has
dramatically declined in recent years.
a.
True
b.
False
8. Police officers who are assigned to internal affairs divisions are highly respected by other police officers in a
department.
a.
True
b.
False
9. Police officers are allowed to use the level of force necessary to counter a suspect’s resistance and get the suspect to
comply with a lawful order.
a.
True
b.
False
10. Police civil liability means that a police officer may be sued under civil law concepts such as negligence and torts.
a.
True
b.
False
11. Today, many major cities have some type of citizen oversight to assist in the investigation of alleged police
misconduct.
a.
True
b.
False
12. Federal suits against police officers are known as 1983 suits, because they are based on Section 1983 of Title 42 of the
U.S. Code (Civil Action for Deprivation of Civil Rights).
a.
True
b.
False
13. Police administrators will tell you that honesty is the most crucial trait in a police applicant and police officer.
a.
True
b.
False
14. The Lautenberg Act prohibits anyone convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense from owning or using a
firearm.
a.
True
b.
False
15. Excessive force is a common reason for suing police officers.
a.
True
b.
False
16. The Greek philosopher who wrote the classic Nicomachean Ethics was:
a.
Aristotle.
b.
Plato.
c.
Socrates.
d.
Onassis.
17. Which of the following is an example of the ethical standards established to determine how police officers should act?
a.
organizational value systems or codes of ethics designed to educate and guide the behavior of those who work
in the organization
b.
the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics
c.
an oath of office
d.
all of these choices
18. Which of the following is an example of the standards governing police ethics?
a.
U.S. Constitution
b.
Bill of Rights
c.
Case law as determined by appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court
d.
All of these choices
19. Noble cause corruption is also known as:
a.
Dirty Harry syndrome.
b.
blue line crossing.
c.
blue corruption.
d.
meat-eating.
20. ____________________ is an administrative action coordinated through the state police standards organization that
will determine if cause exists to strip an officer of his or her state certification to be a police officer.
a.
Certification suspension
b.
Interstate certification
c.
Background certification
d.
Decertification
21. The 193l National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement was more popularly known as the:
a.
Kerner Commission.
b.
Volmer Commission.
c.
Wickersham Commission.
d.
Kefauver Commission.
22. Which of the following is an example of police corruption?
a.
A police officer receives $15 from a driver for not giving him or her a summons for speeding.
b.
A police officer receives sexual favors from a driver for not giving him or her a summons for speeding.
c.
An off-duty police officer escorts a drug dealer as he or she delivers illegal drugs to customers and receives
$100 per delivery.
d.
all of these choices.
23. The New York City plainclothes officer whose revelations about police corruption led to the legendary Knapp
Commission was:
a.
Philip Mass.
b.
Patrick V. Murphy.
c.
Ernest Verdeschi.
d.
Frank Serpico.
24. What name is used for the loyalty test given to rookie officers by the training, and other officers?
a.
Mama Rosa’s test
b.
Miami test
c.
B-Pad test
d.
Junction Boy test
25. What is the most prevalent type of corruption in law enforcement today?
a.
“rotten apples”
b.
biased-based policing
c.
police deception
d.
noble cause corruption
26. What was the end result of the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (a Harvard University scholar) by a Cambridge,
Massachusetts, police sergeant?
a.
The police sergeant was convicted of a civil rights violation.
b.
Gates was convicted of burglary.
c.
Both Gates and the police sergeant were convicted of state crimes.
d.
The charges were dropped against Gates and a meeting took place between the sergeant, the president of the
United States, and Gates.
27. Many departments today rely on units described as “professional standards” units, “compliance” units, or “integrity”
units as a major resource to combat corruption. These are other names for:
a.
programs created to increase the number of superior officers in departments.
b.
civilian complaint review boards.
c.
internal affairs divisions.
d.
units created to provide greater liaison with district attorney offices.
28. According to the Department of Justice, the most common disposition of the 26,000 complaints of excessive force
against officers was:
a.
the complaints were unfounded.
b.
the officers were exonerated.
c.
the complaints were sustained and the officers were disciplined.
d.
the investigation turned up insufficient evidence to prove the allegation.
29. Jerome Skolnick wrote that police deception usually occurs at three stages of the police detection process. Which of
the following is not one of those stages?
a.
investigation
b.
arrest
c.
interrogation
d.
testimony in court
30. Police testimony that narcotics found on the ground were dropped by persons they arrested has been called:
a.
dropsy testimony.
b.
fallen testimony.
c.
on-the-ground testimony.
d.
all of these choices.
31. When excessive force is used with the public and there is a significant disparity between the level of compliance by
the person and the level of force used by the officer, the use of force is considered to be:
a.
police misconduct.
b.
police malfeasance.
c.
police mistreatment.
d.
police brutality.
32. The first national commission to discuss police brutality was the:
a.
Knapp Commission.
b.
Wickersham Commission.
c.
Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice.
d.
National Commission on Causes and Prevention of Police Brutality.
33. Early warning systems typically use ____________________ to flag officers who may be prone to problems when
interacting with the public.
a.
first-line superiors
b.
field training sergeants
c.
computer programs
d.
citizen review boards
34. A tort is a:
a.
felony case.
b.
misdemeanor case.
c.
criminal wrong.
d.
private wrong.
35. Which of the following has been proposed as a solution to police brutality?
a.
improved training
b.
better screening of applicants
c.
citizen review
d.
all of these choices
36. Police officers who violate a person’s civil rights by unlawfully searching or detaining them can be sued under what
law?
a.
42 U.S.C. Section 1983
b.
Federal Interstate Compact
c.
Civil Rights Act of 1965
d.
Civil Rights Act of 1991
37. Section 1983 of Title 42 of the U.S. Code was originally enacted by Congress as a means of enforcing the
____________________ Amendment guarantee of rights to the newly freed slaves.
a.
Fourth
b.
Fifth
c.
Tenth
d.
Fourteenth
38. Today, ____________________ of the major U.S. cities have some form of citizen oversight in place.
a.
a few
b.
about half
c.
none
d.
most
39. Which of the following is not an argument in favor of citizen review?
a.
It improves public trust and confidence in law enforcement.
b.
A citizen review board can monitor and review departmental policies that lead to citizen complaints.
c.
It will make police officers more aggressive in enforcing the law.
d.
A citizen review board can provide an independent evaluation of citizen complaints.
40. Which of the following is not an argument against citizen review?
a.
When a system is formed hastily after a highly charged incident, it might not be the best one for the
department.
b.
It allows people who know nothing about police work to make decisions for the department.
c.
It prevents lawbreakers from being punished for their crimes.
d.
A citizen review board may cause unnecessary expense by duplicating the work of the internal affairs
department.
41. In a Gallup poll, when asked to rate the standards of various occupations, ____________________ percent of
respondents rated the police either very high or high in honesty and ethical standards.
a.
12
b.
42
c.
56
d.
91
42. The Knapp Commission was created:
a.
because an incident in which police used excessive force was caught on tape.
b.
in response to a series of articles in the New York Times detailing widespread corruption.
c.
after a city councilperson’s son was illegally detained and searched.
d.
due to a political mandate by a newly elected governor.
43. The Knapp Commission was a(n) ____________________ commission.
a.
international
b.
federal
c.
state
d.
local
44. ___________________ theory holds that crime is basically “imitative”—we learn crime the same way that we learn
other behavior.
a.
Cultural deviance
b.
Control
c.
Differential association
d.
Leftist realism
45. Police officers who participate in more passive types of police corruption are referred to as:
a.
meat-eaters.
b.
grass-eaters.
c.
dirt-eaters.
d.
bug-eaters.
46. Officers who participate in more aggressive types of corruption by seeking out and taking advantage of opportunities
for corruption are called:
a.
meat-eaters.
b.
grass-eaters.
c.
dirt-eaters.
d.
tree-eaters.
47. What stems from ends-oriented policing and involves police officers bending the rules to achieve the “right” goal of
putting a criminal in jail?
a.
“rotten apple” corruption
b.
biased-based policing
c.
police deception
d.
noble cause corruption
48. Any police-initiated activity that relies on a person’s race or ethnic background as a basis for suspicion in involvement
in criminal activity is called:
a.
noble cause policing.
b.
situational stereotype policing.
c.
biased-based policing.
d.
dispositional policing.
49. In the case of ____________________, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that to be liable, police departments must be
deliberately indifferent to the needs of the people with whom police come in contact.
a.
Mapp v. Ohio
b.
Terry v. Ohio
c.
Lawrence v. Texas
d.
Canton v. Harris
50. The code of silence is often referred to as the blue curtain or:
a.
red curtain.
b.
blue shop.
c.
blue veil.
d.
blue sky.
51. What commission was formed to investigate New York City police corruption in the 1990s?
a.
Knapp Commission
b.
Mollen Commission
c.
Wickersham Commission
d.
Watson Commission
52. According to Rolando v. del Carmen a major source of police legal liability is all of the following except:
a.
moral liabilities.
b.
civil liabilities.
c.
criminal liabilities.
d.
administrative liabilities.
53. Officers may be subject to federal liability under the following:
a.
U.S. Code Title 42 Section 1199.
b.
U.S. Code Title 42 Section 1983.
c.
U.S. Code Title 42 Section 2315.
d.
U.S. Code Title 42 Section 1700.
54. __________ is defined as the study of what constitutes good or bad conduct.
55. __________ are the rather broad moral principles that govern all conduct.
56. __________ is concerned with the study of what constitutes right and wrong behavior in certain situations.
57. __________ is the process by which the actions of the police in such areas as arrests, search and seizure, and custodial
interrogation are reviewed by the court system to ensure their constitutionality.
58. The most notable commission established to investigate allegations of police corruption was the __________
Commission in New York City in 1970.
59. Units within police departments that “police the police” are called __________.
60. Investigations in which investigators provide opportunities for officers to commit illegal acts are called __________ or
__________.
61. In the 1990s, the __________found some serious corruption among patrol officers in high-crime areas of New York
City.
62. The National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement is more popularly known as the __________
Commission.
63. The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders is commonly referred to as the __________Commission.
64. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in __________requires prosecutors to notify defense attorneys whenever an officer
involved in their case has a record of knowingly lying in an official capacity.
65. A 1996 federal law (18 U.S.C. 925), widely referred to as the __________Act, prohibits anyone convicted of a
misdemeanor domestic violence offense from owning or using a firearm.
66. Define police corruption and give several examples of it.
67. Explain Edwin H. Sutherland’s theory of differential association and how it relates to police corruption.
68. Detail several explanations of why police corruption exists.
69. Explain the areas that are the source for police civil liability.
70. Define police brutality and give several recent examples of it.
71. What forms can police misconduct take aside from corruption and brutality? Provide some examples.
72. Explain biased-based policing.
73. Explain the slippery slope theory and how it relates to gratuities.
74. What is the Dirty Harry problem? Give several examples.
75. Explain the different types of police misconduct review systems.
76. What is biased-based policing, also known as racial profiling? Describe a scenario in which racial profiling
would affect the outcome of an arrest. What can officers do to avoid racial profiling?
