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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 Organizations

Multiple Choice Quiz

Choose the best answer:


1	The organization of American law enforcement agencies
		A)	is basically an American phenomenon.
		B)	has never changed.
		C)	has not been criticized.
		D)	is somewhat similar to the military.
		E)	is really unimportant.


2	What happened when the Lakewood (Colorado) police department adopted blazers and did not use the traditional rank designations?
		A)	Most other police departments in the state followed the example.
		B)	There was a massive movement across the country to follow this action.
		C)	The Lakewood Police Department retained this practice for forty years.
		D)	It brought about problems.
		E)	It resulted in the department having more of a military image.


3	The typical police department
		A)	is a simple bureaucracy.
		B)	is a complex bureaucracy.
		C)	is totally exempt from civil service rules.
		D)	requires its officers to wear blazers.
		E)	does not allow its officers to join any group.


4	The modern police department
		A)	avoids bureaucratic procedures.
		B)	is unchanging.
		C)	is a bureaucratic organization.
		D)	makes it illegal for officers to speak to union representatives.
		E)	does not resemble the military.


5	The bureaucratic form of organization
		A)	is exactly the same in all organizations
		B)	has no advantage.
		C)	is out-of-date.
		D)	has several major criticisms.
		E)	is limited only to police departments.


6	The degree of specialization in a police department
		A)	does not vary among police departments.
		B)	have no effect on a department.
		C)	really cannot be observed.
		D)	does not change over time.
		E)	depends on the size of the community, the nature of its problems, and the size of the department itself.


7	Regarding informal aspects of a bureaucracy,
		A)	they are not found in police departments.
		B)	have no effects in a police department.
		C)	cannot be observed in a police department.
		D)	are often referred to as “office politics” and are present in police departments.
		E)	usually prevent communication.


8	Friendship patterns in a police department
		A)	seldom arise.
		B)	are based only on one aspect.
		C)	have no effects.
		D)	are unimportant.
		E)	are important in the management of a police department.


9	The current state of police organization
		A)	will last for the next forty years.
		B)	has much dissatisfaction.
		C)	annot be improved.
		D)	has no effect on the mission of a police department.
		E)	is the same in every department.


10	Community policing
		A)	represents an alternative to the traditional form of police organizations.
		B)	attempts to solidify a police organization.
		C)	attempts to increase the amount of social and administrative distance between the beat officer and the chief of police.
		D)	no longer exists.
		E)	is used by all police forces today.


11	Total quality management
		A)	cannot be applied to police departments.
		B)	is characterized by only one assumption.
		C)	has revealed a great deal of information about its impact on police departments.
		D)	has only been applied once.
		E)	as applied to police departments has mixed reactions.


12	The use of task forces that operate within the formal structure of a police organization
		A)	is only limited to one type of police officer.
		B)	avoids problems related to the traditional police organizational structure.
		C)	uses a number of different ranks of officers.
		D)	has no connection with the federal government.
		E)	has no advantages.


13	Creating "learning organizations" within police departments
		A)	has never been attempted.
		B)	is really a matter of working harder.
		C)	has few obstacles.
		D)	is quite likely to be accepted and implemented by a police department.
		E)	is not easy.


14	Civil service procedures and agencies
		A)	have no effect on American police organizations.
		B)	do not apply to states or cities.
		C)	result in few responsibilities.
		D)	only apply to federal employees.
		E)	creates a number of problems for police organizations.


15	Police unions
		A)	affect many sworn officers.
		B)	affect few officers.
		C)	are a part of a single national union.
		D)	do not allow officers to join other organizations.
		E)	do not exist.


16	Collective bargaining
		A)	is not available to police officers.
		B)	is only available to police officers.
		C)	is not affected by the 1935 National Labor Relations Act.
		D)	is defined as “the method of determining conditions of employment through bilateral negotiations.”
		E)	does not involved disciplinary procedures


17	Identify the most controversial aspect of police unionism.
		A)	Strikes.
		B)	Wages.
		C)	Health benefits.
		D)	Seniority advantages.
		E)	Educational benefits.


18	Identify the dominant theoretical framework for understanding the structure and practices of police organizations.
		A)	Contingency theory.
		B)	Institutional theory.
		C)	Resource dependency theory.
		D)	Mass mobilization theory.
		E)	Pluralist theory.


19	Important informal relationships in a police department are based on
		A)	working in separate specialized units.
		B)	published directives from supervisors.
		C)	work groups.
		D)	attending required conferences.
		E)	observing the behavior of superior officers.


20	The bureaucratic aspects of police organization
		A)	are not that important.
		B)	are not noticed.
		C)	are the same in every organization.
		D)	represent a different approach to the control of behavior.
		E)	are no longer in existence.

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