PC 832 Arrest and Firearms
PC 832 ARREST AND FIREARMS | CALIFORNIA PEACE OFFICER STANDARDS
AND TRAINING | EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS | VERIFIED
LAW ENFORCEMENT 2026/2027
PC 832 ARREST AND FIREARMS
1. The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) was
created by the California Legislature in which year?
A. 1959
B. 1975
C. 1968
D. 1947
A. 1959 — The Legislature established POST in 1959 to set minimum
selection and training standards for California peace officers.
2. Penal Code section 832 requires a person to complete a POST-
prescribed introductory course before doing what?
A. Testifying as an expert in court
B. Applying for a civil service position
C. Exercising the powers of a peace officer, including making arrests
D. Obtaining a concealed weapon permit
C. Exercising the powers of a peace officer, including making arrests
— PC 832 requires the introductory arrest course (and firearms training
Page 1
, PC 832 Arrest and Firearms
before carrying a firearm) before an officer exercises peace officer
powers.
3. Under the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, an officer should regard
the badge as which of the following?
A. A personal credential earned through years of service
B. A guarantee of professional immunity
C. A tool for gaining community favors
D. A symbol of public faith accepted as a public trust
D. A symbol of public faith accepted as a public trust — The Code of
Ethics describes the badge as a symbol of public faith, held as a public
trust to be honored by conduct.
4. Why do most agencies restrict officers from accepting gratuities and
discounts?
A. They are prohibited by the Fourth Amendment
B. They can create an appearance of favoritism or obligation
C. They are always classified as felony bribery
D. They reduce the officer's taxable pay
B. They can create an appearance of favoritism or obligation — Even
small gifts can suggest that service is being traded for favors, which
erodes public confidence.
5. Which of the following is NOT one of the four pillars of procedural
justice?
A. Respect
B. Enforcement quotas
C. Neutrality
D. Voice
B. Enforcement quotas — The pillars are voice, neutrality, respect, and
trustworthiness. Quotas are not part of the concept.
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, PC 832 Arrest and Firearms
6. An officer chooses to give a verbal warning instead of a citation for a
minor equipment violation. This is an example of what?
A. Entrapment
B. Selective enforcement
C. A violation of the duty to enforce the law
D. The exercise of discretion within law and policy
D. The exercise of discretion within law and policy — Discretion is
proper when it rests on the law, agency policy, and articulable facts
rather than personal bias.
7. Which of the following is a lawful basis for detaining a person?
A. The person lives in a high-crime neighborhood
B. The person appears to be of a particular ancestry
C. The person matches a specific suspect description and is near the scene
shortly after the crime
D. The person's race, standing alone
C. The person matches a specific suspect description and is near the
scene shortly after the crime — A detention needs specific, articulable
facts. A matching description near the scene qualifies; race alone never
does (PC 13519.4).
8. A report that an officer knowingly falsified most directly damages
which of the following?
A. The officer's credibility as a witness in future cases
B. The jury's selection process
C. The suspect's right to bail
D. The agency's uniform policy
A. The officer's credibility as a witness in future cases —
Untruthfulness can make an officer's testimony unusable and can taint
every case the officer touches.
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, PC 832 Arrest and Firearms
9. An officer sees a fellow officer using clearly excessive force on a
handcuffed subject. What does California law require?
A. Do nothing, since the other officer is on scene commander
B. Intercede when in a position to do so and report the incident
C. Wait until the incident ends, then file a private note
D. Leave the scene to avoid being a witness
B. Intercede when in a position to do so and report the incident —
California law and agency policy impose a duty to intercede and to report
excessive force.
10. Which part of the Penal Code defines who is a peace officer in
California?
A. Section 100 and following
B. Section 1000 and following
C. Section 830 and following
D. Section 12000 and following
C. Section 830 and following — PC 830 et seq. lists the categories of
peace officers and the scope of their authority.
11. Which three components make up the criminal justice system?
A. Patrol, investigations, and dispatch
B. Law enforcement, courts, and corrections
C. Police, prosecutors, and probation only
D. Legislature, courts, and jails
B. Law enforcement, courts, and corrections — The traditional model
divides the system into law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.
12. Under PC 17, a felony is a crime punishable by death, imprisonment
in state prison, or what else?
A. A fine of $500 or less
B. An infraction citation
C. Community service only
D. Imprisonment in county jail under PC 1170(h)
D. Imprisonment in county jail under PC 1170(h) — PC 17(a) defines
a felony by its possible punishment, which now includes 1170(h) county
jail terms.
Page 4
PC 832 ARREST AND FIREARMS | CALIFORNIA PEACE OFFICER STANDARDS
AND TRAINING | EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS | VERIFIED
LAW ENFORCEMENT 2026/2027
PC 832 ARREST AND FIREARMS
1. The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) was
created by the California Legislature in which year?
A. 1959
B. 1975
C. 1968
D. 1947
A. 1959 — The Legislature established POST in 1959 to set minimum
selection and training standards for California peace officers.
2. Penal Code section 832 requires a person to complete a POST-
prescribed introductory course before doing what?
A. Testifying as an expert in court
B. Applying for a civil service position
C. Exercising the powers of a peace officer, including making arrests
D. Obtaining a concealed weapon permit
C. Exercising the powers of a peace officer, including making arrests
— PC 832 requires the introductory arrest course (and firearms training
Page 1
, PC 832 Arrest and Firearms
before carrying a firearm) before an officer exercises peace officer
powers.
3. Under the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, an officer should regard
the badge as which of the following?
A. A personal credential earned through years of service
B. A guarantee of professional immunity
C. A tool for gaining community favors
D. A symbol of public faith accepted as a public trust
D. A symbol of public faith accepted as a public trust — The Code of
Ethics describes the badge as a symbol of public faith, held as a public
trust to be honored by conduct.
4. Why do most agencies restrict officers from accepting gratuities and
discounts?
A. They are prohibited by the Fourth Amendment
B. They can create an appearance of favoritism or obligation
C. They are always classified as felony bribery
D. They reduce the officer's taxable pay
B. They can create an appearance of favoritism or obligation — Even
small gifts can suggest that service is being traded for favors, which
erodes public confidence.
5. Which of the following is NOT one of the four pillars of procedural
justice?
A. Respect
B. Enforcement quotas
C. Neutrality
D. Voice
B. Enforcement quotas — The pillars are voice, neutrality, respect, and
trustworthiness. Quotas are not part of the concept.
Page 2
, PC 832 Arrest and Firearms
6. An officer chooses to give a verbal warning instead of a citation for a
minor equipment violation. This is an example of what?
A. Entrapment
B. Selective enforcement
C. A violation of the duty to enforce the law
D. The exercise of discretion within law and policy
D. The exercise of discretion within law and policy — Discretion is
proper when it rests on the law, agency policy, and articulable facts
rather than personal bias.
7. Which of the following is a lawful basis for detaining a person?
A. The person lives in a high-crime neighborhood
B. The person appears to be of a particular ancestry
C. The person matches a specific suspect description and is near the scene
shortly after the crime
D. The person's race, standing alone
C. The person matches a specific suspect description and is near the
scene shortly after the crime — A detention needs specific, articulable
facts. A matching description near the scene qualifies; race alone never
does (PC 13519.4).
8. A report that an officer knowingly falsified most directly damages
which of the following?
A. The officer's credibility as a witness in future cases
B. The jury's selection process
C. The suspect's right to bail
D. The agency's uniform policy
A. The officer's credibility as a witness in future cases —
Untruthfulness can make an officer's testimony unusable and can taint
every case the officer touches.
Page 3
, PC 832 Arrest and Firearms
9. An officer sees a fellow officer using clearly excessive force on a
handcuffed subject. What does California law require?
A. Do nothing, since the other officer is on scene commander
B. Intercede when in a position to do so and report the incident
C. Wait until the incident ends, then file a private note
D. Leave the scene to avoid being a witness
B. Intercede when in a position to do so and report the incident —
California law and agency policy impose a duty to intercede and to report
excessive force.
10. Which part of the Penal Code defines who is a peace officer in
California?
A. Section 100 and following
B. Section 1000 and following
C. Section 830 and following
D. Section 12000 and following
C. Section 830 and following — PC 830 et seq. lists the categories of
peace officers and the scope of their authority.
11. Which three components make up the criminal justice system?
A. Patrol, investigations, and dispatch
B. Law enforcement, courts, and corrections
C. Police, prosecutors, and probation only
D. Legislature, courts, and jails
B. Law enforcement, courts, and corrections — The traditional model
divides the system into law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.
12. Under PC 17, a felony is a crime punishable by death, imprisonment
in state prison, or what else?
A. A fine of $500 or less
B. An infraction citation
C. Community service only
D. Imprisonment in county jail under PC 1170(h)
D. Imprisonment in county jail under PC 1170(h) — PC 17(a) defines
a felony by its possible punishment, which now includes 1170(h) county
jail terms.
Page 4
