OPOTA FINAL EXAM (SPOS) – 429 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2024

The relationship between a student performance objective and a test question A test question must respond directly to an SPO and every SPO may be the basis of a test question The ultimate reason for law enforcement training To be able to protect life and property of yourself and the public Brainpower Read More Previous Play Next Rewind 10 seconds Move forward 10 seconds Unmute 0:06 / 0:15 Full screen A peace officer's main goals 1. Enforce laws 2. Preserve the peace 3. Prevent crimes 4. Protect civil rights and liberties 5. Provide services Considerations when exercising discretion •Use sound judgment 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 (e.g., referring a homeless person to a shelter rather than a trespassing arrest) Factors necessary for the commission of a crime (crime triangle) 1. Desire •The motivation behind criminal behavior (e.g., financial gain, power, revenge, fear, narcotics usage) •This factor is the most difficult to change 2. Victim •The potential target •Criminals prefer an easy target that is unaware of his/her surroundings or lacking proper security precautions •Difficult to change this factor due to individual personalities 3. Opportunity •Removing opportunity for crime with proper security measures applied to the victim's environment (e.g., locking doors/windows, removing valuables from open view, good lighting) •Most effective area to concentrate crime prevention strategies Core concepts of community policing - 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 Considerations for off duty situations 1. Behavior •An officer's behavior is often scrutinized by the community even when not on duty •Not only does this refer to physical and verbal actions, but also online activity on social media •An officer is expected to uphold the law enforcement code of ethics 2. Situational awareness •An officer should make every effort to remain alert even when not working •You never know when you may need to transition quickly from a private citizen to a peace officer •Make certain to preplan with your family should a situation arise while together. Create a number of scenarios for your family to practice •Familiarize yourself with your agency's off duty weapon policy Be a good witness if a situation arises when police intervention is necessary •If the situation involves a reasonable belief of serious physical harm, provide a response as soon as practical •However, if the situation is less serious, the best course of action is to observe the incident until uniformed officers respond •If you become involved, make contact withdispatch as soon as possible to provide information about the incident and information about yourself (e.g., clothing you are wearing, car you are driving, description of offenders and victims, pertinent officer safety information) State the purpose of the bill of rights - protect an individual's freedoms - prevent the government from interfering in protected rights Describe the major components of the criminal justice system 1. Law enforcement 2. Courts 3. Corrections List the goals of sentencing 1. punish the offender and in many cases, rehabilitate the offender 2. Protect society 3. Restore the victim as much as possible The concepts of lawful actions and police legitimacy 1. Lawful - defined by laws and standards •Criminal law - identifies what actions are prohibited •Rules of agency (e.g., administrative rules, general orders, standard operating procedures) •Constitutional law (e.g., Fourth, Fifth, Sixth Amendments) •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 2. 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 Three resulting judgments of police legitimacy in action that translate into positive results 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 Circumstances when filming police officers is permissible •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 The relationship between race, genetics, and physical characteristics •Race is a modern concept used to classify people by similar, observable physical characteristics •It is not, as many people think, based on genetics •Despite surface appearances, humans are one of the most genetically similar of all species and ... •Within the human species, there is no distinct genetic profile that completely distinguishes one so-called race from another •This is because most genetically influenced traits, like skin color, hair, eye shape, blood type, athleticism, and intelligence, are inherited completely independent of one another The connection between in-groups, out-groups and police legitimacy •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 Types of racism 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 (e.g., schools, mass media, governments, banks) that result in inequitable opportunities and impacts •Occurs within and between institutions •Includes the discriminatory actions of individuals exercising the authority of the institution (e.g., a bank loan officer, representing a banking institution, treating someone with racial bias; a police officer, representing a law enforcement institution, treating someone with racial bias) Structural racism •Refers to the collective way history, culture, and institutions reinforce and perpetuate racializedoutcomes, even in the absence of racist intent •It is broadly encompassing - it touches on all aspects of society (e.g., history, politics, economics) and is the foundation from which the other types of racism emerge •Indicators include power inequalities, unequal access to opportunities, and differing policy outcomes by race, whether or not intentional Components of bias •Stereotypes - generalizations about the perceived "typical" characteristics of a social category (i.e., cognitive component) ‒We categorize people by age, gender, race, and role ‒Stereotypes do not necessarily have to have a negative connotation, as social scientists point out that it is just a way for our brain to quickly sort people into recognizable groups •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 Bias-based profiling and criminal profiling •Bias-based profiling, racial profiling, and illegal profiling have the same meaning and are used interchangeably •Bias-based profiling is unequal treatment by a law enforcement officer of any person by stopping, questioning, searching, detaining or arresting him/her on the basis of the person's ethnic or racial characteristics, gender, religion, or sexual orientation •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 Two types of bias Explicit bias and implicit bias - common characteristics •Everyone possesses them •They have real-world effects on behavior •They can relate, for example, to race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, height, weight, or age 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 •Implicit biases are related to explicit biases, but they are still distinct concepts ‒While the two types of biases may reinforce each other, implicit biases can be dissociated from explicit biases - our implicit biases do not necessarily align with our explicit beliefs ‒Implicit biases are largely hidden from us, but their effects are pervasive and powerful, and understanding implicit biases is important because they have the potential to impact our interactions and efforts to effectively use procedural justice tactics to promote police legitimacy Two modes of thinking 1. Automatic (system 1) ‒Characteristics •Unconscious •Effortless •Automatic •Uses associative memory •Very fast •Practical purpose - simplifies tasks (e.g., driving, tying shoes) which most adults can do without having to systematically and deliberatively think about each step2. More deliberative (system 2) ‒Characteristics •Conscious •Effortful •Controlled •Deliberative •Slower •Protection mechanism - we evaluate everything we see and everyone we meet within 200 milliseconds to determine if something is threatening or not Strategies to counter implicit biases •Guarding against its influence in decision making ‒Recognize that everyone has biases and think critically about your own potential biases ‒Seek greater awareness and more education to increase motivation to be fair ‒Know when you are susceptible •Conditions ‒Ambiguous or incomplete information ‒Time constraints ‒Compromised cognitive control •High cognitive load (i.e., processing many thoughts at one time) •Fatigue (i.e., tired) •Result - when the previous factors are present, which they often are in the law enforcement profession, we are more apt to switch to System 1 thinking •Response - engage deliberative processing; slow down your thinking •Overcoming biases ‒Recognizing your stereotypes and reflecting on why the response occurred creates a process to consider how to avoid the biased response and replace it with an unbiased one ‒Counter-stereotypic imaging - develop new associations by looking at positive examples that challenge negative associations ‒Obtain specific information about others by intentionally engaging in a meaningful way with others who are different from you, rather than relying on stereotypical references ‒Be empathetic •Effort required ‒"Intention, attention, and time" are needed to build new associations well enough for them to compete with a person's implicit biases Two- pronged approach to procedural justice •Person-based approach - emphasizes the importance of face-to-face interactions between an officer and a citizen •Community-based model - ultimate goal is to achieve police legitimacy throughout entire society The community bank account concept as it relates to procedural justice •Every encounter is either a deposit or withdrawal (i.e., an opportunity to increase or decrease the public's perception of police legitimacy) ‒Deposits - police must build up reserves of public trust through actions that reflect courtesy, kindness, and honesty ‒Withdrawals - occur from the community bank account when police actions reflect overreaction, discourteousness, or disrespectful behavior, or when police ignore people or betray their trust ‒If a large reserve of trust is not sustained by continual deposits, the community-police relationship will deteriorate •Significant decrease in public approval of the police after major publicized incidents of misconduct •Studies show that even simple, brief encounters can be used to build police legitimacy when ... ‒Processes are explained, and ‒Words are used that communicate respect •For a person holding negative attitudes toward police, a single positive encounter may not be sufficient to shake preexisting views, but a sustained exposure to positive interactions can start to reshape them