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The Police in America, 4/e

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

Officers and Organizations

Police Officers II: On the Job

Multiple Choice Quiz

Choose the best answer:


1	The first weeks and months on the job for a new police officer are often
		A)	a rude awakening.
		B)	what one expects.
		C)	not noticed.
		D)	the most pleasurable times in life.
		E)	such that they have no effects on the attitudes toward the public.


2	How did Westley describe the first weeks and months on the job for a new police officer?
		A)	As inconsequential.
		B)	As unimportant.
		C)	As “reality shock.”
		D)	As causing a more positive view toward the public.
		E)	As conforming to a prior view.


3	What happens to police officers regarding their attitudes toward the public during the first weeks and months on the job?
		A)	They do not change.
		B)	They do change.
		C)	They are more likely to have an indifferent feeling about their role as police officers.
		D)	They are more likely to have a positive view of the public.
		E)	We do not know.


4	What changes officers' attitudes toward the public?
		A)	Only one factor.
		B)	Several different aspects of police work.
		C)	We do not know.
		D)	It cannot be determined.
		E)	Accidents on the job.


5	What is the effect on police officers as a result of having firsthand knowledge about how the system works?
		A)	They begin to believe that the courts are too strict.
		B)	They develop more faith in the criminal justice system.
		C)	They usually resign within a month.
		D)	They seem to see the reality of the criminal justice system.
		E)	They tend to develop feelings of hope and trust regarding human beings.


6	When researchers asked New York City police officers what they disliked about being a cop, what was the most frequently mentioned problem?
		A)	The leadership of their department “doesn’t care” about them.
		B)	Their salary.
		C)	Their partner.
		D)	Their retirement benefits.
		E)	Fringe benefits.


7	New officers are usually
		A)	not governed by civil service procedures.
		B)	not affected by seniority.
		C)	have first priority in requesting assignments.
		D)	are not allowed to attend college classes.
		E)	generally assigned to patrol duty.


8	The seniority principle
		A)	only has good points.
		B)	only has bad points.
		C)	is no longer in existence.
		D)	only applies to older officers.
		E)	has both good and bad points.


9	A subculture among police officers
		A)	is not present.
		B)	favors the public.
		C)	has no effect on police officers.
		D)	emphasizes secrecy and violence.
		E)	is illegal.


10	Identify what is widely recognized as perhaps the most serious obstacle to police accountability and the reduction of both corruption and police use of excessive force.
		A)	The code of silence.
		B)	Lack of knowledge about improper police activity.
		C)	Lack of proper training.
		D)	Inadequate equipment.
		E)	Lack of public interest.


11	Select the INCORRECT statement.
		A)	Secrecy and the “code of silence” affect officers.
		B)	Group solidarity justifies violence against citizens to some officers.
		C)	Police have sometimes used illegal force.
		D)	The potential for danger is an ever-present feature of police work.
		E)	Police work is the most dangerous occupation in the United States.


12	What did Arthur Niederhoffer argue about the police subculture?
		A)	It is optimistic.
		B)	It does not exist.
		C)	It conforms to the constitutional standards regarding the rights of suspects.
		D)	Police are seldom under pressure.
		E)	It is characterized by cynicism and authoritarianism.


13	A major problem with the orginal concept of a police subculture is that
		A)	It is a historical and fails to account for significant changes in the composition of the rank and file over the past thirty years.
		B)	Few individuals were interested in knowing the characteristics of the police subculture.
		C)	Only identified one characteristic.
		D)	It was much too positive in terms of describing officers.
		E)	It focused solely on new officers.


14	What did Susan Martin find about the introduction of women into policing?
		A)	It had no effect.
		B)	No males accepted women.
		C)	There were no differences among the male officers in terms of their attitudes toward women officers.
		D)	It had an effect on police departments.
		E)	The traditional male police rank was solidly united.


15	What is noted about female police officers?
		A)	According to the National Center for Women in Policing, “female officers are more likely to use excessive force.”
		B)	A report by the National Center for Women in Policing found that in the Los Angeles Police Department there was no difference between female officers and male officers in regard to money damages accruing to the city from lawsuits.
		C)	Kathy Spillar, head of the Feminist Majority who co-sponsored a study argued that “the single most fundamental reform that the LAPD could make would be to hire only young male officers.”
		D)	Comparisons of the performance of male and female officers have found only slight differences in their handling of routine police work.
		E)	Data on citizen complaints in both New York City and San Jose indicate that female officers receive more complaints than male officers.


16	Regarding African American officers,
		A)	many police organizations have urged its officers to report misconduct in terms of police brutality.
		B)	the addition of substantial numbers of African-American and Hispanic officers has not affected the police culture.
		C)	white and African-American officers have very similar attitudes.
		D)	few African-Americans have spoken out publicly about issues affecting their race.
		E)	there are differences among African-American officers.


17	Regarding Hispanic/Latino officers,
		A)	there is a trend toward not hiring Hispanics.
		B)	there is strong evidence that Hispanic officers perform quite differently from white officers.
		C)	civil rights leaders have no views regarding the hiring of Hispanic officers.
		D)	a study of Hispanic officers in one Midwestern police department found that Hispanic officers negotiated between their identities as police officers and as members of the Hispanic community in different ways.
		E)	only Hispanic males have been hired by police departments.


18	Regarding gay and lesbian officers,
		A)	they are prohibited from being hired as police officers.
		B)	there are no gay or lesbian officers.
		C)	gays and lesbians are always secret about their sexual orientation.
		D)	lesbian and gay officers have an effect on policing.
		E)	lesbian and gay officers are only found in small departments.


19	The educational levels of police officers
		A)	are not noticed.
		B)	are not important.
		C)	are declining.
		D)	are rising steadily.
		E)	are the same for all recruits.


20	What is noted about styles of police work?
		A)	There are different types.
		B)	There is only one type.
		C)	All styles use the same approach.
		D)	An officer’s style has no effect.
		E)	Personal temperament and career expectations do not affect the work style of an officer.

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