DCJS Patrol and Traffic Operations 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of the 'contact and cover' tactic during a patrol stop?
- To allow two officers to simultaneously question the same subject
- To have one officer handle the subject while a second officer maintains a tactical overview and security watch (Correct answer)
- To speed up the stop by dividing documentation duties
- To satisfy a department requirement for two-officer stops
Correct answer: To have one officer handle the subject while a second officer maintains a tactical overview and security watch
Contact and cover assigns distinct roles: the contact officer interacts with the subject while the cover officer monitors threats, ensuring officer safety.
Question 2: Under the Virginia implied consent law (§ 18.2-268.2), a driver arrested for DUI who refuses a blood or breath test will face:
- No additional penalty since refusal cannot be used against them
- Civil penalty and mandatory license suspension, and the refusal can be used as evidence in court (Correct answer)
- Immediate criminal conviction for DUI based on refusal alone
- Only a verbal warning for the first offense refusal
Correct answer: Civil penalty and mandatory license suspension, and the refusal can be used as evidence in court
Virginia's implied consent law imposes civil penalties and license suspension for refusal, and the refusal itself is admissible as evidence of consciousness of guilt.
Question 3: During a high-speed pursuit on a Virginia interstate, the officer loses sight of the fleeing vehicle. What is the recommended immediate action?
- Continue at high speed in the last known direction of travel
- Reduce speed, broadcast the last known description and direction, and reassess whether to continue (Correct answer)
- Immediately terminate the pursuit and return to patrol
- Request a helicopter deployment and await air support
Correct answer: Reduce speed, broadcast the last known description and direction, and reassess whether to continue
Losing visual contact significantly increases risk — officers should slow, broadcast suspect information, and evaluate whether continuing pursuit is justified.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'directed patrol' as used in Virginia law enforcement operations?
- Patrol assigned randomly by the dispatcher with no specific goals
- Concentrating patrol resources on specific times, locations, or behaviors based on crime analysis data (Correct answer)
- A patrol method that focuses exclusively on traffic enforcement
- An administrative review of patrol officer performance
Correct answer: Concentrating patrol resources on specific times, locations, or behaviors based on crime analysis data
Directed patrol uses crime analysis to deploy officers strategically to high-risk times and locations, maximizing the deterrent effect of patrol resources.
Question 5: A pedestrian is struck by a vehicle at a crosswalk and the driver flees. At the scene, the officer's FIRST priority should be:
- Broadcast the fleeing vehicle description to surrounding units
- Render aid and summon medical assistance for the injured pedestrian (Correct answer)
- Secure the scene with tape to preserve evidence
- Canvass for witnesses before they disperse
Correct answer: Render aid and summon medical assistance for the injured pedestrian
Preservation of human life always takes priority — rendering aid and calling for medical assistance is the immediate first duty at any injury scene.
Question 6: Under Virginia Code, a vehicle operator must yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle that is using lights and siren by:
- Slowing down but remaining in their current lane
- Pulling to the right edge of the road and stopping until the emergency vehicle passes (Correct answer)
- Moving into the left lane to create space
- Stopping immediately wherever they are, including intersections
Correct answer: Pulling to the right edge of the road and stopping until the emergency vehicle passes
Virginia Code § 46.2-829 requires drivers to pull to the right side of the road and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed.
Question 7: When an officer is the FIRST to arrive at a crime scene where the suspect has fled, what is the correct order of initial priorities?
- Document, photograph, then call for backup
- Ensure officer safety, render aid to victims, broadcast suspect description, then secure the scene (Correct answer)
- Secure the scene perimeter, then check for victims
- Request a supervisor and await their arrival before any action
Correct answer: Ensure officer safety, render aid to victims, broadcast suspect description, then secure the scene
The standard first-responder priority sequence is: safety (self and others), aid to injured, broadcast suspect info, then scene preservation.
DCJS Patrol and Traffic Operations 5
What is the primary purpose of the 'contact and cover' tactic during a patrol stop?