Contemporary Exam Issues

Which of the following is not argument used to advocate gun control?

B. It will reduce the firearms black market sales.

The 2nd Amendment right to bear arms applies to ____?

B and C:
B. For service in the militia
C. For personal protection

When assessing the necessity and appropriateness of a law, including gun control laws, which of the following should be considered?

B and C are correct:
B. If it fairly balances governmental intrusion with the need for public safety.
C. If the law is capable of accomplishing the goal and its enforceability.

Which of the following is one of the best places to locate accurate information about various crime rates and violent crimes perpetrated with weapons?

Uniform Crime Reporting Publications from the FBI.

Perhaps one of the greatest failures of individuals attempting to defend gun ownership rights is ____?

B. They are not able to articulate a clear and convincing argument.

The underlying fallacy in gun-control arguments is that idea that gun control is ____

All of the Above:
A. Capable of significantly reducing violent crime.
B. That criminal's will abide by new laws
C. That guns are dangerous in and of themselves

An example of the failure of strict gun control laws can be seen in _____?

Chicago

Much of the anti-gun and gun control laws either directly, or indirectly, implicate ______?

All of the Above:
A. Gun owners will become criminal
B. Criminals will no longer be able to get guns
C. That significant numbers of lives will be saved

All guns are considered _________ until you prove otherwise.

A. Loaded

From a political perspective, it is better to try to control guns than to address the real underlying issues primarily because ________.

C. They cannot control human behavior.

Which of the following has been shown to be an effective tactic(s) for reducing violent crime and homicide?

B. Creating enhanced crimes or sentencing for those who commit violent crimes with firearms.

Though most people seem to be in agreement that those with serious mental health problems should not be allowed to possess firearms, there are some problems with the application of the mental health prohibitions. Which of the following is / are a problem with this limitation?

All of the Above:
A. Determining which mental health problem is a predictable indicator of future violence
B. Consistency in determining what level of severity for a specific diagnosable mental illness constitutes a predictable indicator of future violence.
C. Predicting who will have a psychotic episode and when it will occur.

When comparing possible gun control laws and their outcomes in America to those of other countries, one must consider __?

A. The Country's History and Culture

Which of the following is a valid pro-gun argument?

All of the Above:
A. It is a constitutional right.
B. Self-defense
C. Sport
D. Enjoyment

The majority of all mass shootings occur in _________

A. Gun free zones.

What governmental agency tracks gun registration?

ATF

What was the name of the Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that people have the right to bear arms for personal protection?

District of Columbia v. Heller

When loading or unloading a semi-automatic gun, the process always starts with the ______

Magazine

Much like Prohibition and the War on Drugs, prohibition of firearms will most likely create a massive __________________ which ultimately benefits organized crime and criminals.

Black market for them

Deadly force may be used in which of the following circumstances?

All of the Above:
A. To protect yourself from great bodily injury or death
B. To prevent the escape of a suspect who would be imminently dangerous to society
C. To protect the life of another

Which of the following is not an accurate statement with regards to use of force?

A. It is acceptable to compromise officer safety to de-escalate a situation.

Name four use of force options available to officers in order from the least amount of force to the greatest amount of force:

Mere presence / verbal, hands on techniques, impact weapons or oleoresin capsicum (O.C.) spray, deadly force.

According to the reading on Police Discretion in Introduction to Policing, officers made over 40 million contacts with citizens in 2008. Of those contacts, in approximately what percentage was force used or threatened?

C. 1.4%

Which of the following is not one of the underlying understandings of use of force?

C. The police officer's must always issue verbal warnings first.

Which case established that shooting a fleeing felon was unconstitutional?

B. Tennessee v. Garner

The use of force decision tree includes which of the following?

All of the Above:
A. Totality of circumstances
B. De-escalation options
C. Departmental policy

Force may be used to...

All of the Above:
A. Overcome resistance
B. Take someone into custody
C. To stop an aggressive action

Which of the following cases established the "reasonableness" standard for police use of force?

A. Graham v. Connor

Much like officer discretion, an officer's use of force options is also bounded. Name three factors that limit the use of force.

Policy, Rules, Criminal Procedures, laws, Supervisors, Training, Politics, Nature of the Crime, etc, Policy, Rules, Criminal Procedures, laws, Supervisors, Training, Politics, Nature of the Crime, etc, Policy, Rules, Criminal Procedures, laws, Supervisors, Training, Politics, Nature of the Crime.

Force can be Considered Excessive when.

B. It fails to meet the reasonableness standard.

Which of the following is an C.E.D. (formerly known as an E.C.W.)?

D. Taser

Which of the following is not a reason that police officers are taught to shoot center mass?

C. To kill the suspect.

Based on the class discussions, or the readings, provide one action or plan that law enforcement can do to create a better understanding among the citizens of their community about use of force incidents.

Provide a community service session

What is a "use of force continuum"?

A use of force continuum is a standard that provides law enforcement officers and civilians with guidelines as to how much force may be used against a resisting subject in a given situation.

Name one consequence for an officer who intentionally used excessive force.

They can be fired from their job if they misuse their power and use excessive force on someone than they can and should lose their jobs.

Name another consequence for an officer who intentionally used excessive force.

If they abuse their power and used it outside of their training and policies than they can be sued. The department will not cover their lawsuit if they acted outside of their training and policies.

Which of the following is not a primary factor in determining the quality of discretionary decision-making ability?

A. Gender

Which of the following is not a valid response to abuse of power complaint?

D. Supervisory Passivity or Inaction.

Which of the following is a valid argument for the necessity of officer discretion?

All of the Above:
Which of the following is a valid argument for the necessity of officer discretion?
A. Personalization
B. Efficiency
C. Time constraints

Some suggest that officer discretion should be controlled. Can police discretion be controlled? Why or why not?

Subjective answer, but needs to be defended.

An action taken, chosen from an available set of options, that best addresses the circumstances encountered is the essence of:

Discretion

Which of the following have been found to influence officer discretion?

All of the Above:
A. Available information
B. Department policies
C. Strength of the evidence

A discretionary error due to misunderstanding, lack of information, human error, or inadequate training are called ___?

A. Mistakes

All of the following exercise significant discretion in criminal justice except:

D. Defendant

Officer discretion is used in which of the following circumstances?

All of the Above
A. Use of deadly force
B. Traffic stops
C. Arrests

Name three factors that limit, or bound, an officer's discretion:

Policy, Rules, Criminal Procedures, laws, Supervisors, Training, Politics, Nature of the Crime, etc, Policy, Rules, Criminal Procedures, laws, Supervisors, Training, Politics, Nature of the Crime, etc, Policy, Rules, Criminal Procedures, laws, Supervisors, Training, Politics, Nature of the Crime, etc

Which of the following is / are considered proper criteria for discretionary decision-making?

A. Suspect's history

Name two significant factors that influence officer discretion as it related to the suspect:

Nature of the crime, combativeness, attitude, relationship to the victim, nature of the crime, combativeness, attitude, relationship to the victim.

Name two positive outcomes that result from police discretion that is used in a wise and fair manner.

Increase trust, ability to work each case individually, increases in assistance, decreases in complaints, more support, greater satisfaction, improved perceptions of police, improved perceptions of fairness, increase trust, ability to work each case individually, increases in assistance, decreases in complaints, more support, greater satisfaction, improved perceptions of police, improved perceptions of fairness.

Which of the following is / are not considered proper criteria for discretionary decision-making?

All of the above are not proper criteria for discretion:
A. Race
B. Type of vehicle
C. Ethinicity

Name two negative effects that biased-based discretion or abuse of power by the police, have on the community.

Lack of trust, anger, failure to cooperate, failure to assist, failure to get involved, increased complaints civil unrest, lack of trust, anger, failure to cooperate, failure to assist, failure to get involved, increased complaints civil unrest.

Name the factors that influence discretion during an arrest:

The suspects mannerisms and behavior. Whether the suspect is a threat to the officer or others. Whether the suspect is complying or not. Whether the suspect has a past criminal history and/or a violent history with police and others. The seriousness of the crime that they are being arrested for. The amount of civilians that are present and could potentially be in harms way. The amount of backup the officer has. Whether or not the suspect appears to be mentally stable or not.

Discretion should never be based upon:

Race, religion, gender, or appearances.