Chapter 11
Police Discretion
Multiple Choice Questions
- According to Kenneth C. Davis, discretion is defined as
A.a decision based on sound public policy.
B. a decision by a judge based upon all the facts submitted by an individual.
C. an official action by a criminal justice official based on that individual’s judgement about the best course of action.
D. reinforcement of law with a good decision.
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- Discretion increases as one moves down the police organization. For this reason, patrol officers have been described as
A.process bureaucrats.
B. street-level bureaucrats.
C. first-level judges.
D. street-level justices.
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- In the context of policing, _____ exercise the greatest amount of discretion.
A.chief inspectors
B. patrol officers
C. sheriffs
D. detectives
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- Vincent tells the police that he heard strange noises in his home at midnight. Vincent believes that something was stolen in his house, but the police find that nothing was missing in his home. The police also find no evidence for such a crime and hence do not complete the report for it. This action of the police exemplifies
A.the denial of due process.
B. an under-enforcement of the law.
C. a positive use of discretion.
D. the code of silence.
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- _____ are the most common form of contact between the police and the public.
A.Buy-and-bust operations
B. Narcotics raids
C. Sting operations
D. Traffic stops
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- The probability of arrest and officer use of force increases when a suspect is
A.wanted by law enforcement.
B. socially rejected by law enforcement.
C. disrespectful toward the police.
D. offends others in the presence of the police.
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- A police officer is most likely to make an arrest when
A.the crime is committed in a high-income area.
B. the suspect is a vagrant in a skid row.
C. the offender and the victim are strangers.
D. the preference of the victim is to save the suspect.
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- The quality of supervision in a police department depends heavily on
A.the disciplinary procedures for supervisors in the department.
B. the neighborhood where supervisors work.
C. the span of control for supervisors in the department.
D. the number of complaints supervisors receive from their subordinates.
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- Which of the following is an extra-legal factor affecting a police officer’s discretion in arresting a suspect?
A.the seriousness of the crime committed by the suspect
B. the preference of the victim to save the suspect
C. the marital relationship between the suspect and the police officer
D. the evidence of a weapon on the suspect
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- Historically, the police have denied that they exercise discretion, claiming instead they fully enforce all laws. This is known as the
A.political discretionary culture.
B. myth of full enforcement.
C. official department policy.
D. politically correct philosophy.
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