APCAT - Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Situational Judgement Scenarios Flashcards

You stop a vehicle for a minor traffic violation. The driver informs you they are a city councillor and suggests that 'we can work this out'. What is the most appropriate response?

Answer: Issue the ticket or warning as you would for any driver and remain professional

All members of the public must be treated equally under the law. Professional status does not exempt anyone from traffic violations.

You witness a fellow officer making a derogatory comment about a person's ethnicity during a call. What should you do?

Answer: Address the behaviour with the officer privately after the call and report it through proper channels if it continues

Addressing discriminatory behaviour through appropriate channels is the ethical and professional obligation of all officers.

You are off-duty and a friend asks you to access police databases to look up information about their neighbour. What do you do?

Answer: Politely decline and explain that accessing databases for personal matters is a serious breach of policy

Accessing police systems for non-authorised personal use is a serious breach of privacy law and police policy, regardless of off-duty status.

You observe a supervisor telling a junior officer to falsify the time on an incident report to cover up a response delay. What is the most appropriate action?

Answer: Refuse to falsify the report and report the supervisor's direction through appropriate channels

Falsifying official records is a criminal offence. You have a professional and legal duty to refuse and to report the direction.

During a search of a home with a valid warrant, you discover a large amount of cash hidden behind a wall. The homeowner is not present. What do you do?

Answer: Document and seize the cash in accordance with the search warrant and have it properly logged as evidence

All items discovered during a lawful search must be documented and seized following proper evidence procedures.

A member of the public aggressively demands that you arrest someone on the street, claiming that person 'looks suspicious'. The person has done nothing observable to justify detention. What do you do?

Answer: Explain to the complainant that you cannot arrest someone without grounds and offer to take details if they have specific concerns

Arrests require reasonable grounds. Detaining someone based solely on 'looking suspicious' without specific, articulable facts would violate Charter rights.