OPOTA SPO'S QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
State the reasons for Peace Officer Training (1.1) - Answer -To protect the life and
property of yourself and the public.
Explain the relationship between SPO's and questions on the State Certified Exam (1.1)
- Answer -Every SPO may be the basis of a test question on the State Certified Exam.
List a peace officer's main goals (1.2) - Answer --Enforce Laws
-Preserve the peace
-Prevent crimes
-Protect civil rights and liberties
-Provide services
Explain items to consider when exercising discretion (1.2) - Answer -- Use sound
judgement to determine which laws are to be formally enforced.
- Determine if there is a more constructive remedy to a situation without an arrest or
citation.
Explain the factors necessary for the commission of a crime (1.2) - Answer -Desire-
The motivation behind criminal behavior
Victim- The potential target
Opportunity- Removing the opportunity for crime with proper prevention measures.
State the core concepts of community policing (1.2) - Answer -- A partnership between
the police and the community
- Crime prevention
- Organizational change of the agency
- A problem-solving approach to the police role that is proactive
Recognize considerations for off duty situations (1.2) - Answer -+ Behavior- An officers
behavior off duty may be scrutinized by the community even when not on duty.
+ Situational awareness- An officer should make every effort to effort to remain alert
even when not working.
+ Witness- Become a good witness if a situation arises when police intervention is
necessary.
State the purpose of the Bill of Rights (1.3) - Answer -Protect an individuals freedoms
and prevent the government from interfering in protected rights
Describe the major components of the Criminal Justice system (1.3) - Answer -Law
enforcement- Keeping the peace, Apprehend violators and combat crime, prevent
crime, provide social services
,Courts- Hold fair and impartial trials, determine guilt or innocence, impose sentences on
the guilty
Corrections- Responsible for supervising the offender
List the goals of sentencing (1.3) - Answer -- Punish the offender
- Rehabilitate the offender
- Protect society
-Restore the victim as much as possible.
Distinguish the concepts of lawful actions and police legitimacy (1.4) - Answer -Lawful -
defined by laws and standards
•Criminal law - identifies what actions are prohibited
•Rules of agency
•Constitutional law
•Officers can act lawfully and within the parameters of agency policy and the citizenry
still not perceive there to be police legitimacy/there can be lawful, but awful interactions
Police legitimacy - exists when the public views the police as authorized to exercise
power in order to maintain social order, manage conflicts, and solve problems in the
community
Identify three resulting judgments of police legitimacy in action that translate into
positive results (1.4) - Answer -Judgment - Public trust and confidence in the police as
being honest, trying to do jobs well, trying to protect the community
Result - Individuals are more likely to become actively involved in police-community
partnerships
Judgment - Public willingness to defer to the law and police authority
Result - There is a correlation between those who obey the laws and those who view
the police as legitimate; in addition, those who see the police as legitimate have an
increased willingness to cooperate by reporting crimes and providing valuable
information about known and suspected offenders
Judgment - Public belief that police actions are morally justified and appropriate
Result - Citizens are more likely to cooperate and defer in moments of crisis
Determine when it is permissible for citizens to film police (1.4) - Answer -At least one
party to the encounter consents or when officers are carrying out their duties in public,
so long as it does not interfere with the officers carrying out their duties
Identify the relationship between race, genetics, and physical characteristics (1.4) -
Answer -•Race is a modern concept used to classify people by similar, observable
physical characteristics
•It is not based on genetics
, Identify the connection between in-groups, out-groups, and police legitimacy (1.4) -
Answer -•Some individuals interpret their encounters with police in terms of their group's
societal position rather than, or in addition to, the immediate circumstances of the police
contact
Differentiate the types of racism (1.4) - Answer -Individual racism - Internalized,
unexpressed biases and prejudices based on race
Interpersonal racism - Occurs between individuals. Includes public expressions of racial
prejudice and hate made by individuals
Institutional racism
Race based discriminatory policies and treatment that are produced and perpetuated by
institutions
Structural racism
•Refers to the collective way history, culture, and institutions reinforce and perpetuate
racializedoutcomes, even in the absence of racist intent
Identify the components of bias (1.4) - Answer -Stereotypes - generalizations about the
perceived "typical" characteristics of a social category
•Prejudices - an often negative prejudgment based on characteristics such as race, age,
etc. that is not necessarily reasonable or logical
•Attitude - positive or negative feelings associated with individuals or groups; the
tendency to like or dislike, or to act favorably or unfavorably, toward someone or
something
Differentiate bias-based profiling and criminal profiling (1.4) - Answer -•Criminal
profiling - based on observed behaviors and characteristics
•Bias-based profiling - the factors of race/ethnicity and bias towards that race are
initiating factors for law enforcement intervention
Explain explicit biases and implicit biases (1.4) - Answer -Explicit bias - conscious
preference (positive or negative) for a social category
Implicit bias - preference (positive or negative) for a social category based on
stereotypes or attitudes that we hold and tend to develop early in life and that operate
outside of our awareness
Differentiate the two modes of thinking (i.e., Systems 1 and 2) (1.4) - Answer -System 1
•Automatic thinking
‒Characteristics
State the reasons for Peace Officer Training (1.1) - Answer -To protect the life and
property of yourself and the public.
Explain the relationship between SPO's and questions on the State Certified Exam (1.1)
- Answer -Every SPO may be the basis of a test question on the State Certified Exam.
List a peace officer's main goals (1.2) - Answer --Enforce Laws
-Preserve the peace
-Prevent crimes
-Protect civil rights and liberties
-Provide services
Explain items to consider when exercising discretion (1.2) - Answer -- Use sound
judgement to determine which laws are to be formally enforced.
- Determine if there is a more constructive remedy to a situation without an arrest or
citation.
Explain the factors necessary for the commission of a crime (1.2) - Answer -Desire-
The motivation behind criminal behavior
Victim- The potential target
Opportunity- Removing the opportunity for crime with proper prevention measures.
State the core concepts of community policing (1.2) - Answer -- A partnership between
the police and the community
- Crime prevention
- Organizational change of the agency
- A problem-solving approach to the police role that is proactive
Recognize considerations for off duty situations (1.2) - Answer -+ Behavior- An officers
behavior off duty may be scrutinized by the community even when not on duty.
+ Situational awareness- An officer should make every effort to effort to remain alert
even when not working.
+ Witness- Become a good witness if a situation arises when police intervention is
necessary.
State the purpose of the Bill of Rights (1.3) - Answer -Protect an individuals freedoms
and prevent the government from interfering in protected rights
Describe the major components of the Criminal Justice system (1.3) - Answer -Law
enforcement- Keeping the peace, Apprehend violators and combat crime, prevent
crime, provide social services
,Courts- Hold fair and impartial trials, determine guilt or innocence, impose sentences on
the guilty
Corrections- Responsible for supervising the offender
List the goals of sentencing (1.3) - Answer -- Punish the offender
- Rehabilitate the offender
- Protect society
-Restore the victim as much as possible.
Distinguish the concepts of lawful actions and police legitimacy (1.4) - Answer -Lawful -
defined by laws and standards
•Criminal law - identifies what actions are prohibited
•Rules of agency
•Constitutional law
•Officers can act lawfully and within the parameters of agency policy and the citizenry
still not perceive there to be police legitimacy/there can be lawful, but awful interactions
Police legitimacy - exists when the public views the police as authorized to exercise
power in order to maintain social order, manage conflicts, and solve problems in the
community
Identify three resulting judgments of police legitimacy in action that translate into
positive results (1.4) - Answer -Judgment - Public trust and confidence in the police as
being honest, trying to do jobs well, trying to protect the community
Result - Individuals are more likely to become actively involved in police-community
partnerships
Judgment - Public willingness to defer to the law and police authority
Result - There is a correlation between those who obey the laws and those who view
the police as legitimate; in addition, those who see the police as legitimate have an
increased willingness to cooperate by reporting crimes and providing valuable
information about known and suspected offenders
Judgment - Public belief that police actions are morally justified and appropriate
Result - Citizens are more likely to cooperate and defer in moments of crisis
Determine when it is permissible for citizens to film police (1.4) - Answer -At least one
party to the encounter consents or when officers are carrying out their duties in public,
so long as it does not interfere with the officers carrying out their duties
Identify the relationship between race, genetics, and physical characteristics (1.4) -
Answer -•Race is a modern concept used to classify people by similar, observable
physical characteristics
•It is not based on genetics
, Identify the connection between in-groups, out-groups, and police legitimacy (1.4) -
Answer -•Some individuals interpret their encounters with police in terms of their group's
societal position rather than, or in addition to, the immediate circumstances of the police
contact
Differentiate the types of racism (1.4) - Answer -Individual racism - Internalized,
unexpressed biases and prejudices based on race
Interpersonal racism - Occurs between individuals. Includes public expressions of racial
prejudice and hate made by individuals
Institutional racism
Race based discriminatory policies and treatment that are produced and perpetuated by
institutions
Structural racism
•Refers to the collective way history, culture, and institutions reinforce and perpetuate
racializedoutcomes, even in the absence of racist intent
Identify the components of bias (1.4) - Answer -Stereotypes - generalizations about the
perceived "typical" characteristics of a social category
•Prejudices - an often negative prejudgment based on characteristics such as race, age,
etc. that is not necessarily reasonable or logical
•Attitude - positive or negative feelings associated with individuals or groups; the
tendency to like or dislike, or to act favorably or unfavorably, toward someone or
something
Differentiate bias-based profiling and criminal profiling (1.4) - Answer -•Criminal
profiling - based on observed behaviors and characteristics
•Bias-based profiling - the factors of race/ethnicity and bias towards that race are
initiating factors for law enforcement intervention
Explain explicit biases and implicit biases (1.4) - Answer -Explicit bias - conscious
preference (positive or negative) for a social category
Implicit bias - preference (positive or negative) for a social category based on
stereotypes or attitudes that we hold and tend to develop early in life and that operate
outside of our awareness
Differentiate the two modes of thinking (i.e., Systems 1 and 2) (1.4) - Answer -System 1
•Automatic thinking
‒Characteristics
