Situational Judgment Questions and Answers Flashcards

You arrive at the scene of a car accident where one driver appears intoxicated but is also injured. What is your first priority?

Answer: Ensure the safety and medical needs of all parties are addressed first

Life safety is always the first priority; medical needs must be addressed before conducting a DUI investigation.

A citizen approaches you and provides a tip that a neighbor is selling drugs. The tip is unverified. What is the most appropriate next step?

Answer: Document the tip and pass it on to detectives for further investigation

Unverified tips alone do not provide sufficient legal grounds for a search and should be documented and forwarded to investigators.

During a foot patrol, a young child approaches you crying and says they are lost. The child cannot remember their address. What do you do first?

Answer: Comfort the child, stay with them, and broadcast a description to locate the parents

Comforting the child and using radio communication to locate parents quickly ensures the child's safety.

You stop a vehicle and the driver hands you a driver's license that appears to be altered. The driver claims it is valid. What should you do?

Answer: Run the license number through dispatch to verify its validity

Running the license through dispatch allows you to verify authenticity before making any determination about the document's legitimacy.

You are completing paperwork at the station when you receive a call about a fight in progress nearby. You are off-duty and close to the scene. What should you do?

Answer: Call 911 and provide your location and details, identify yourself as an off-duty officer if you can safely intervene

Off-duty officers should follow department policy on intervention, but at minimum should report via 911 to ensure proper response.

A suspect you have detained is requesting to speak with an attorney before answering questions. What is the correct response?

Answer: Immediately cease questioning and honor their request for an attorney

Once a suspect invokes their right to counsel, all questioning must stop until an attorney is present.

You notice a fellow officer using excessive force on a suspect who is no longer resisting. What should you do?

Answer: Intervene to stop the excessive force and report the incident through proper channels

Officers have a duty to intervene when they witness excessive force and to report it through proper channels.