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The Police in America, 4/e

Samuel Walker, University of Nebraska
Charles M. Katz, Arizona State University-West

Police Problems

Accountability of the Police

Multiple Choice Quiz

Choose the best answer:


1	Meaningful police accountability
		A)	is not needed.
		B)	only takes place in medium-size departments.
		C)	only has one dimension.
		D)	is a relatively recent development.
		E)	is limited to police chiefs.


2	In his classic work, Justice Without Trial, what does Jerome Skolnick argue about the demand for effective crime control?
		A)	It is impossible to bring about.
		B)	The public does not notice it.
		C)	It often conflicts with the requirements of the law and considerations of equity.
		D)	It has no effect on the rights of citizens.
		E)	It cannot be measured.


3	How were police chiefs selected in the nineteenth century?
		A)	By the level of educational attainment.
		B)	By their age.
		C)	By their experience.
		D)	By political connections.
		E)	By the amount of their police training.


4	What has been the effect of the Supreme Court on routine police work?
		A)	It has increased the power of the police.
		B)	It has imposed constitutional standards on routine police work.
		C)	It cannot be determined.
		D)	It allows routine police work to be carried out simply by the wishes of local police officers.
		E)	We do not know.


5	The police role
		A)	is unchanging.
		B)	is the same as it was in 1960s.
		C)	only involves one type of service.
		D)	involves a number of roles.
		E)	cannot be measured.


6	Official arrest data
		A)	really are not helpful.
		B)	can only be used for one reason.
		C)	are completely reliable.
		D)	involves a number of roles.
		E)	explain precisely why crime takes place.


7	The community policing movement
		A)	is the only movement found today.
		B)	neglects citizen input.
		C)	has dramatized the need for new and more tolerant measures.
		D)	has only been applied in large cities.
		E)	has few advocates.


8	The quality of life in neighborhoods
		A)	is the same in most cities.
		B)	is unimportant to politicians.
		C)	has no relation to crime.
		D)	can be measured in several ways.
		E)	will remain the same for the next century.


9	The police are
		A)	held accountable in the same way by all departments.
		B)	not held accountable for their actions.
		C)	held accountable in a number of ways for how they do their job.
		D)	held accountable for only one purpose.
		E)	are going to be less accountable in the future.


10	Primary responsibility for holding police officers accountable for their actions lies with
		A)	the mayor.
		B)	the city council.
		C)	the police department itself.
		D)	the public.
		E)	the media.


11	What is noted about situations in which close personal ties are developed between sergeants and officers under their command?
		A)	It is a problem.
		B)	It does not take place.
		C)	It is highly recommended that it take place.
		D)	No one notices it.
		E)	It is usually recommended in police academies.


12	Close supervision of police officers
		A)	is not necessary.
		B)	only includes routine performance appraisals.
		C)	goes beyond routine performance appraisals.
		D)	is not noticed.
		E)	never takes place.


13	What does the Justice Department's Principles for Promoting Police Integrity suggest about the definition of force?
		A)	It should be eliminated.
		B)	It should be defined broadly.
		C)	It should be defined narrowly.
		D)	It should be defined by the individual officer.
		E)	Each department should be able to define it in its own manner.


14	What is noted about standard performance evaluations and officer Michael Dowd of the New York City Police Department?
		A)	He did not receive any performance evaluation.
		B)	He was an excellent police officer.
		C)	His case demonstrates the value of standard performance evaluations.
		D)	His case demonstrates that there was no need for a standard performance evaluation.
		E)	His case dramatizes the fact that standard performance evaluations sometimes fail to accurately assess an officer’s real performance.


15	What is noted about an internal affairs or professional standards unit?
		A)	Police departments should not have them.
		B)	They are only used in small departments.
		C)	They are no longer in use.
		D)	They were not used in the past.
		E)	They are considered an essential element of modern police management.


16	The effectiveness of internal affairs units depends on several factors. Most important is
		A)	the size of the unit.
		B)	the amount of financial resources allocated to it.
		C)	the reception of other officers to it.
		D)	the attitude and the actions of the chief.
		E)	the public’s view of it.


17	What is noted about the "code of silence" in regard to policing?
		A)	It has no effect.
		B)	It still exists only in large departments.
		C)	There have been many successful efforts to break the code of silence.
		D)	It is unusual for a police officer to turn a blind eye to improper police conduct.
		E)	It is a major part of the organizational culture of policing.


18	Who receives a disproportionate share of all citizen complaints in nearly every police department?
		A)	The chief of police.
		B)	The captains who supervise various divisions.
		C)	The newer officers.
		D)	The older officers.
		E)	A small group of officers.


19	Police accreditation
		A)	has no value.
		B)	has few standards.
		C)	establishes maximum standards.
		D)	has serious limits.
		E)	is only influenced by one leading professional association.


20	The Mapp v. Ohio decision
		A)	only applied to federal officers.
		B)	received universal support.
		C)	was reversed the next year.
		D)	interpreted the First Amendment.
		E)	was significant.

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