Chapter 10 - Personnel Complaint Investigation Procedures And Techniques Flashcards
A supervisor who is conducting a personnel complaint investigation is limited in his procedural approach by the department’s rules and regulations. The techniques of his investigation will ordinarily be limited by
A. The scope of his jurisdiction
B. His ability and imagination
C. The type of individual being investigated
D. How well the case is prepared
B. His ability and imagination
Which of the following statements made to a police supervisor would not itself constitute cause for an investigation?
A. “I am being harassed by the police”
B. “The police assaulted my brother”
C. “A police officer just shook me down for ten dollars”
D. “Police refused to give assistance when my son was badly injured”
A. “I am being harassed by the police”
What procedural questions should be asked to ensure serious complaints within or outside the department against officers is handled correctly?
A. What is the exact nature of the misconduct?
B. What are the merits of the complaint?
C. What conclusions can be drawn from the facts of the case?
D. Has corrective action been administered?
E. Has followup on corrective action been taken?
F. All of the above
F. All of the above
What is the best example of a secondary complaint made against police?
A. A phone call from an anonymous citizen complaining of police negligence
B. A necessary reinvestigation into a charge of police wrongdoing
C. A friend of the victim who suffered the alleged police abuse makes the complaint
D. Several complaints are received in a short time span alleging the same police infraction
C. A friend of the victim who suffered the alleged police abuse makes the complaint
A complaint made against arresting officers by a police jailer alleging improper conduct in their treatment of prisoners may most accurately be considered an
A. External complaint
B. Administrative complaint
C. Organizational complaint
D. Internal complaint
D. Internal complaint
Action taken by a police supervisor concerning an infraction he observes committed by one of his subordinates will be determined primarily by
A. How often the infraction has occurred
B. The nature of the infraction
C. Who subordinate is
D. Deciding if the infraction will recur
B. The nature of the infraction
A supervisor who observes a breach of discipline should
A. Use the mistake as a training lesson for the platoon
B. Ensure it will never happen again
C. Determine if the failure is actually his
D. Promptly and privately call it to the subordinate’s attention
D. Promptly and privately call it to the subordinate’s attention
Sergeant Smith observes a minor breach of conduct by one of his subordinates. From his inquiry he learns the infraction resulted from a misunderstanding of the department’s regulations. After clarifying the matter to prevent a recurrence, he wants to be sure, should the incident recur, that a claim cannot be made by the subordinate that he (the subordinate) misunderstood what he was told. This may best be accomplished by the supervisor
A. Conduction prompt and efficient follow-up of his assignments
B. Posting the department’s regulations on the bulletin board
C. Having his instructions repeated back to him
D. Recording his instructions in his notebook
C. Having his instructions repeated back to him
Sergeant Smith makes it a habit, when he observes one of his men commit a small infraction, to write it in his notebook. He does not, however, advise the officer or call his attention to the infraction. The sergeant’s procedure is
A. Poor; it provides no opportunity for an explanation
B. Good; a subordinate need not be told of every minor infraction
C. Poor; if the infraction is minor, time need not be wasted writing it down
D. Good; his notes can be used at evaluation time and good morale is maintained
A. Poor; it provides no opportunity for an explanation
Sergeant Smith observes Officer Jones off his assigned sector and, upon investigation, finds there is no legitimate excuse. After the appropriate action has been taken, and to determine if his discussion with Jones over the matter was successful, Sergeant Smith should
A. Reassign him to a new sector
B. Conduct a discreet follow-up
C. Check his records and patrol log
D. Have a formal discussion to clarify any points
B. Conduct a discreet follow-up
Sergeant Smith, while patrolling his district just prior to the end of his tour, stops at a remote foot post to sign the officer’s log. While driving into the area, he observes the officer talking with someone and, as he approaches, he sees a can of beer in the officer’s hand. At that point the officer sees the sergeant’s car and hands the beer to the civilian he is talking to. While signing the officer’s log, Sergeant Smith detects the odor of beer on his breath. In ten minutes Sergeant Smith is due to report off by phone from his post and he knows the officer to have a good record. Under the circumstances he should
A. Give the officer a stern rebuke and admonish the civilian
B. Take the officer aside and give him an official warning
C. Initiate the appropriate disciplinary action
D. Pretend he is unaware of what the officer has done
C. Initiate the appropriate disciplinary action
Sergeant Smith is summoned to Broad and Main Streets to meet a complainant. Upon his arrival he is greeted by a civilian who states that he was issued a summons for not stopping at a stop sign. He sees that the summons was issued by one of his officers and asks the civilian to explain what happened. After hearing the story, Smith notes the officer’s conduct was excellent. The location where the summons was issued is not a high accident area and the motorist lives sixty miles away. Under the circumstances, Smith’s most appropriate action would be to
A. Call for the officer and hear his side of the story
B. Take the summons and have it cancelled
C. Instruct his men to use better discretion when issuing a summons
D. Tactfully explain that the matter must be settled by traffic court
D. Tactfully explain that the matter must be settled by traffic court
Sergeant Smith is confronted with the parents of two different juveniles who were arrested for drag racing. The serial numbers on their cars were also altered and that aspect is still under investigation. The parents complain that the kids are only 18 and should be given a warning, not arrested. Under the circumstances, Sergeant Smith’s best action would be
A. To state that the boys were wrong and now they have to accept their medicine
B. Not to discuss the incident at all, but refer them to the proper court
C. To state that the offense goes beyond a warning and must be adjudicated by the court
D. To bring the officers and parents together and have the incident explained
C. To state that the offense goes beyond a warning and must be adjudicated by the court
Sergeant Smith is advised by Mr. Brown that Officer Jones kicked his 17 year-old son for calling him fuzz. Brown said the officer chased his son and kicked him in the rear end and Brown demands to know if this is how police treat name calling by kids. Sergeant Smith, having boys of his own, is angry that Jones would do such a thing and advises Brown that the matter will be taken care of and Jones will get the book. Under the circumstances, Sergeant Smith was
A. Correct; behavior and actions of this nature are a poor reflection on all police
B. Wrong in his comments and should only have gathered the information given by Mr. Brown
C. Correct to that point, but he should also inform Mr. Brown that he will advise him of the outcome
D. Negligent in not determining how Mr. Brown felt about his son calling police derogatory names
B. Wrong in his comments and should only have gathered the information given by Mr. Brown
Anonymous complaints should be treated very carefully and with great discretion, primarily because
A. The complaint may prove only partly true
B. The complainant is unknown
C. Of the impact it may have on the employee’s morale
D. Revealing an investigation will hamper its effectiveness
C. Of the impact it may have on the employee’s morale
