Module 2

Question 1

What is a commonly used term in reference to codes/laws when people are objecting/validating?

Answer 1

“technically.”

Question 2

What is the “social contract” that exists between police and citizens?

Answer 2

An unspoken agreement that police will protect and serve the public while citizens respect and obey the law.

Question 3

What is “Police Discretion?”

Answer 3

Grants police officers the freedom to make decisions regarding their duties based on their own opinion and experience instead of obeying strict rules or regulations.

Question 4

What are the major operating units of modern police departments?

Answer 4

Patrol, investigations, and administration.

Question 5

What is the difference between the police and the sheriff’s departments?

Answer 5

Their jurisdictions; the police are appointed by the city and serve within city limits, while the sheriff is elected by the county and serves throughout the entire county.

Question 6

Name three Federal Law Enforcement Agencies and tell me what they do (examples given).

Answer 6

1. The FBI investigates federal crimes and protects the United States from domestic and foreign threats.
2. The DEA enforces federal drug laws and investigates drug trafficking organizations.
3. The ATF regulates and enforces laws related to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives.

Question 7

Name three state law enforcement agencies and tell me what they do (example given).

Answer 7

1. State Highway Patrol: Enforces traffic laws, investigates accidents, and assists local law enforcement with major crimes.
2. State Bureau of Investigation: Conducts investigations into serious crimes that cross county or jurisdictional lines, such as homicides, organized crime, and narcotics trafficking.
3. State Fish and Wildlife Department: Enforces hunting and fishing regulations, protects natural resources, and investigates wildlife crimes.

Question 8

What is the difference between subject matter jurisdiction and geographical jurisdiction?

Answer 8

Subject matter jurisdiction determines the court’s authority to hear a specific type of case, while geographical jurisdiction determines the court’s authority to hear a case based on the location of the crime or incident.

Question 9

What is the difference between reactive patrol and proactive patrol?

Answer 9

Reactive patrol responds to calls for service, while proactive patrol is proactive in preventing crime by patrolling high-crime areas and engaging with the community.

Question 10

Name the top three things police officers get in trouble for and may face termination because of.

Answer 10

Excessive force, misconduct, and dishonesty.

Question 11

Define police subculture.

Answer 11

A shared set of values and beliefs among police officers that often includes a strong sense of loyalty and a reluctance to report misconduct by fellow officers.

Question 12

Explain the Code of Silence.

Answer 12

An unwritten rule among police officers that prohibits them from reporting misconduct by other officers, even if it violates the law.

Question 13

What is probable cause?

Answer 13

That which leads a police officer to believe an offense has been committed or is being committed and the suspect committed it.

Question 14

What is a warrantless arrest?

Answer 14

When a police officer arrests someone without having a warrant from a judge (any other legal authorization).

Question 15

What is the totality of circumstances?

Answer 15

Whether an officer’s actions are “reasonable” in light of all the facts and circumstances confronting the officer at the time the force is used.

Question 16

What is an arrest warrant?

Answer 16

A court order that provides law enforcement officers with the authority to seek out the subject and arrest him or her.

Question 17

What is a search warrant?

Answer 17

A court order signed by a judge or magistrate that allows a police officer search a person, a place, or a car for proof of a crime.

Question 18

What is a search incident to arrest?

Answer 18

It is reasonable for the officer making the arrest to search the person being arrested to get rid of any weapons that person might try to use to fight the arrest or get away. If not, the officer’s life could be at risk, and the arrest would not go as planned.

Question 19

What does ‘plain view’ mean?

Answer 19

A rule of criminal process that says a police officer may collect visible evidence of a crime without a warrant.

Question 20

What is consent in law?

Answer 20

When someone agrees to what someone else has suggested on their own free will.

Question 21

What are the Miranda Rights?

Answer 21

The rights that the person being arrested must be told about, such as the right to stay silent and to have an attorney

Question 22

What is the exclusionary rule?

Answer 22

A law that prohibits the use of evidence gathered or examined against the defendant’s constitutional rights in court; prevents the government from using most evidence gathered in violation of the United States Constitution.

Question 23

What is reasonable suspicion?

Answer 23

Where any reasonable person would suspect that a crime was in the process of being committed, had been committed, or was going to be committed very soon.

Question 24

T/F: Deterrence is a theory that always works.

Answer 24

False, it may or may not happen.