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Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
1. Most police departments have management programs to deal with the stress problems of police officers.
a.
True
b.
False
2. In a suicide by cop situation, the only victim is the suspect that has been shot by the officer.
a.
True
b.
False
3. The majority of studies have determined that the police personality derives from the socialization process in the police
academy, field training, and patrol experience, instead of being inherent in the personality of those who enter into the
police profession.
a.
True
b.
False
4. The idea of danger permeates the police subculture.
a.
True
b.
False
5. Heart attacks, ulcers, weight gain, and other health problems are not signs of stress in police officers.
a.
True
b.
False
6. One factor that identifies a police shooting as “suicide by cop” is that the suicidal subject must confront law
enforcement to the degree that the officer or officers are compelled to react with deadly force to defend themselves or
others from serious bodily injury or death.
a.
True
b.
False
7. Studies have indicated that police officers face serious marital problems, health problems, and problems with alcohol
and drugs.
a.
True
b.
False
8. Suicide is a serious problem in policing.
a.
True
b.
False
9. The concept of the blue curtain was developed by Jerome Skolnick.
a.
True
b.
False
10. The stress affecting police officers rarely affects their families.
a.
True
b.
False
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11. The rate of police suicides has dropped in recent decades.
a.
True
b.
False
12. The strong bonding that occurs among police officers places the highest value on the obligation to back up and support
a fellow officer.
a.
True
b.
False
13. The police subculture is characterized by clannishness, secrecy, and isolation from those not in the group.
a.
True
b.
False
14. Officers who express a loss/increase in appetite usually have an eating disorder?
a.
True
b.
False
15. Police officers and their families tend to avoid socializing with other police officers and their families, choosing to
socialize instead with people in other lines of work.
a.
True
b.
False
16. A recent study by John Violanti reveals that police commit suicide at a rate up to 53 percent higher than other city
workers.
a.
True
b.
False
17. The American Institute of Stress ranked police work as the top stress-producing job in the United States.
a.
True
b.
False
18. The longer officers are in their profession, the more hostile they become.
a.
True
b.
False
19. The police have a subculture that is not substantially different from that found in other occupations in society.
a.
True
b.
False
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
20. The term that describes human body’s reaction to highly stressful situations is known as the __________.
a.
flight-or-fight response
b.
stressed-out syndrome
c.
adrenaline response
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d.
fight-or-freeze syndrome
21. According to a study of 437 deputy-involved shootings that occurred in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department, suicide by cop incidents accounted for ____________________ percent of deputy-involved police
shootings.
a.
less than 1
b.
11
c.
39
d.
59
22. According to research, compared to other professions, the police exhibit higher rates of _____.
a.
divorce
b.
suicide
c.
stress
d.
All of the above.
23. Which is not a trait of the police personality?
a.
Authoritarianism
b.
Suspicion
c.
Cynicism
d.
Liberalism
24. A recent longitudinal study that showed officers becoming more cynical, paranoid, depressed, and angrier
the longer they were exposed to police work. Which of the following personality tests was used in that study?:
a.
PRCI
b.
Niederhoffer’s Personality Scale
c.
BPI
d.
MMPI
25. Dorothy Bracey found that due to a poor diet and lack of exercise, a significant sample of American police
possessed a body composition, blood chemistry, and general level of physical fitness greatly inferior to that of a
similarly sized sample of _____________.
a.
college students
b.
prison convicts
c.
military personnel
d.
high school seniors
26. According to research, which is the leading problem among police officers?
a.
Marital problems
b.
Problems with children
c.
Drug problems
d.
Financial problems
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27. Which researcher conducted the classic study of the police subculture in Gary, Indiana?
a.
Jerome Skolnick
b.
Anthony Bouza
c.
William Westley
d.
James Q. Wilson
28. The stress produced by elements inherent in the quasi-military character of the police service, such as
adjusting to changing tours of duty, odd working hours, and working holidays, is classified as __________.
a.
external stress
b.
organizational stress
c.
personal stress
d.
operational stress
29. The stress produced by the relational characteristics of belonging to the police organization, such as
difficulties in getting along with other officers, is classified as __________.
a.
external stress
b.
organizational stress
c.
personal stress
d.
operational stress
30. Which of the following is not one of the factors leading to stress in police work?
a.
Poor training
b.
Role conflict
c.
Exposure to brutality
d.
Early retirement
31. Which is not indicative of the police personality?
a.
Hostility
b.
Insecurity
c.
Cynicism
d.
Idealism
32. The refusal of some police officers to report fellow officers’ misconduct is called __________.
a.
the uniform code of silence
b.
the blue wall of silence
c.
the police omerta
d.
blue loyalty
33. The attitude that there is no hope for the world and a view of humanity at its worst called __________.
a.
police social control
b.
police prejudice
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c.
police attitude
d.
police cynicism
34. Researchers say that the pressure of being on duty 24 hours a day leads to stress and that the police learn to
cope with that stress by _____________.
a.
brutalizing and denigrating citizens
b.
shirking their responsibilities
c.
becoming emotionally detached from their work and the people they are paid to serve
d.
engaging in illegal conduct
35. Which of the following does John Violanti offer as a factor that might explain the high rates of suicide
among police officers as a result of stress?
a.
Access to firearms
b.
Constantly being exposed to human misery
c.
Shift work, social strain, and marital difficulties
d.
All of the above.
36. Some studies have indicated that police officers are ____________________ percent more likely to suffer
from alcoholism than the average citizen.
a.
25
b.
55
c.
75
d.
300
37. Which of the following is not one of the three important features of an officer’s environment that can
account for an officer’s working personality, according to researchers Burbeck and Furnham?
a.
Rotating shifts of duty
b.
Danger
c.
Authority
d.
Isolation from the public
38. The stress produced by the daily need to confront the tragedies of urban life, such as the need to deal with
derelicts, criminals, and the mentally disturbed, and the need to engage in dangerous activity to protect a public
that appears to be unappreciative of the police is classified as ____________.
a.
external stress
b.
organizational stress
c.
personal stress
d.
operational stress
39. Which is not indicative of the police culture?
a.
Openness
b.
Clannishness
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c.
Honor
d.
Individuality
40. All of the following are examples of traits of the Police Personality except ___________.
a.
authoritarianism
b.
suspicion
c.
compassion
d.
cynicism
41. A study on police depression revealed that ____________________ officers had higher levels of depression.
a.
female
b.
white
c.
Asian
d.
male
42. Researchers estimate that ____________________ percent of all police officers have alcohol problems.
a.
less than 5
b.
10 to 15
c.
20 to 30
d.
over 50
43. Who coined the term the “working personality” of the police?
a.
Jerome Skolnick
b.
James Fyfe
c.
James Q. Wilson
d.
Egon Bittner
44. Dr. Neal Trautman proposes a solution to the problem of the Code of Silence with his ___________.
a.
Additional Training Regimen
b.
Basic Misconduct Survey Study
c.
Code of Silence Argument
d.
Code of Silence Antidote
45. The majority of recent studies have found that the law enforcement “working personality” stems from the
officer’s ___________.
a.
teenage years
b.
socialization process in the police academy, field training, and patrol experience
c.
early socialization experiences as a child
d.
inherent personality from birth
46. One of the best-known study of the police personality, Behind the Shield, was written by __________.
a.
Richard Harris
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b.
Howard Abadinsky
c.
Larry Siegel
d.
Arthur Niederhoffer
47. According to research, which subgroup was more likely to use constructive coping relating to stress?
a.
African-American males and African-American females
b.
White females and African-American females
c.
White males and African-American males
d.
White males and white females
48. Which of the following is not a job-related issue that contributes to family dysfunction in police families,
according to Ellen Scrivner?
a.
Family disruption due to rotating shifts
b.
Unpredictable work environment
c.
The constant exposure of police officers to members of the opposite gender
d.
Community expectations and demands
49. A 1981 report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights emphasized the need to provide
____________________ programs and services for police.
a.
physical fitness
b.
medical
c.
stress management
d.
in-service training
50. In 1996, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the NYPD Patrolman’s Benevolent Association
(PBA), responding to the fact that 26 NYPD officers had committed suicide in the previous two years, created
the ____________________ to address the problems of police stress and suicide.
a.
Law Enforcement Rehabilitation Center
b.
Law Enforcement Counseling program
c.
Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance (POPPA) program
d.
NYPD Cops for Cops program
51. A situation in which police officers only trust other police officers and do not aid in the investigation of
wrongdoing by other officers is called the ___________.
a.
red curtain
b.
blue curtain
c.
blue shield
d.
red shield
52. The Dirty Harry problem refers to ____________.
a.
the corruption problem in law enforcement
b.
the brutality problem in law enforcement
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c.
the moral dilemma officers face when they can use evil means to achieve good ends
d.
the stress problem in policing
53. According to an FBI training needs survey of almost 2,500 police departments, which of the following
ranked highest in programs most requested by police officers?
a.
More firearms training
b.
Programs to handle personal stress and physical fitness programs
c.
Physical fitness programs and more firearms training
d.
Programs on how to deal in a less stressful manner with supervisors
54. In a seminal 2004 article, Cross and Ashley assert that the police culture often makes
__________________appear as an accepted practice to promote camaraderie and interaction among officers,
but it can evolve into a coping mechanism to camouflage daily stress and trauma. :
a.
drug use
b.
excessive exercise
c.
alcohol consumption
d.
bullying
55. Stress produced by real threats and dangers, such as responding to gun runs and other dangerous
assignments, is classified as __________.
a.
external stress
b.
organizational stress
c.
personal stress
d.
operational stress
Enter the appropriate word(s) to complete the statement.
56. The__________ is the protective barrier established by the police by which they protect one another from outsiders,
often even refusing to aid police superiors or other law enforcement officials in investigating wrongdoing of other
officers.
57. According to Jerome Skolnick, the police officer’s role contains two principal variables: danger and __________.
58. Michael K. Brown says that the police subculture is based on three major principles: honor, loyalty, and __________.
59. The phenomenon in which a person wishing to die deliberately places an officer in a life-threatening situation, causing
the officer to use deadly force against that person, is known as __________.
60. The solution to the code of silence as proposed by Dr. Neal Trautman is __________.
61. The ethical problem in which police are confronted with situations in which they feel forced to take certain illegal
actions to achieve a greater good is known as the __________ problem.
62. The body’s reaction to highly stressful situations is known as the __________ response.
63. __________ is the body’s reaction to internal or external stimuli that upset the body’s normal state.
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64. William Westley defined the situation in which police officers only trust other police officers and do not aid in the
investigation of wrongdoing by other officers as the __________.
65. A study of the psychological effects of _________________ on involved officers revealed that the short-term effects
of these incidents seem to entail the same psychological impacts experienced by officers involved in most critical
incidents.
66. A group of people with distinct sets of values, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs that differentiate them from the larger
culture of which they are a part is called a(n) __________.
67. Discuss the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and what departments can do to help address
this problem.
68. Discuss why police officers commit suicide at very high rates. Explain what can be done to lower this suicide rate.
69. What is the Dirty Harry problem? Could you ever justify an officer acting the way Dirty Harry Callahan did? Why or
why not?
70. Describe the precautionary measures police officers should take during searches and other contacts with possible
carriers of infectious diseases, and at crime scenes where blood and other body fluids may be present.
71. What prevents personnel who observe warning signs of suicide in fellow officers from reporting their observations to
a supervisor? What can police departments do to overcome these obstacles?
72. Describe the four categories of stress that police officers face, including what causes each type of stress.
73. Describe the police personality. Does police work attract people who already have this personality or do people
develop these traits after becoming an officer?
74. Describe some methods police departments use to deal with stress.
75. Discuss the killings of police officers. Why do you believe that officer killings occur? What can officers do to help
prevent officer killings?
76. What is the blue wall of silence? Do you believe this “wall” still exists? What can be done to break down the wall of
silence?
77. What job-related issues cause stress in police families, and what can police officers do to manage those issues?
78. Why are police officers involved in a suicide by cop considered victims?
79. How does the danger inherent in police work influence the police subculture?
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