LAPD Observation and Memory Recall 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: While on patrol, you observe a vehicle parked illegally. Which detail is MOST important to record for accurate recall later?
- The vehicle's color only
- License plate number, make, model, color, and any distinguishing features (Correct answer)
- The approximate age of any occupants
- Whether the windows were tinted
Correct answer: License plate number, make, model, color, and any distinguishing features
Comprehensive vehicle identification details — plate, make, model, color, and unique features — are essential for accurate reporting and follow-up.
Question 2: You witness a suspect fleeing on foot after a purse snatching. Which physical descriptor is most useful for broadcasting to other units?
- The suspect's estimated weight
- A distinctive tattoo visible on the suspect's neck (Correct answer)
- The suspect's approximate age
- The direction the suspect was running
Correct answer: A distinctive tattoo visible on the suspect's neck
Distinctive permanent features like visible tattoos provide the most reliable identification that persists across time and distances.
Question 3: An officer is interviewing a witness who claims to have seen the suspect's face for only two seconds. How should the officer treat this identification?
- Accept it as highly reliable due to the witness's certainty
- Disregard it entirely as too brief to be useful
- Record it but note the brief exposure time and any stress factors that may affect accuracy (Correct answer)
- Ask the witness to look at a photo array immediately without further questioning
Correct answer: Record it but note the brief exposure time and any stress factors that may affect accuracy
Brief exposure time is a known factor that can reduce eyewitness accuracy, so it must be documented to properly evaluate the identification's reliability.
Question 4: You are dispatched to a burglary scene and told the suspect drove a 'dark-colored SUV.' This description is problematic because:
- SUVs are too common to be useful
- It lacks specifics such as make, model, shade of dark, and plate information (Correct answer)
- Witnesses rarely observe vehicle types accurately
- The color may appear different under artificial lighting
Correct answer: It lacks specifics such as make, model, shade of dark, and plate information
Vague descriptors like 'dark-colored' cover many vehicles and are insufficient without additional identifying details to narrow the search.
Question 5: A robbery victim describes the suspect as wearing a 'blue hoodie.' As the responding officer, what follow-up question is MOST important?
- 'Was the hoodie new or old-looking?'
- 'What shade of blue — light, dark, or navy — and did it have any logos or writing?' (Correct answer)
- 'Did the suspect have the hood up or down?'
- 'Was it a zip-up or pullover style?'
Correct answer: 'What shade of blue — light, dark, or navy — and did it have any logos or writing?'
Clarifying the exact shade and any identifying markings like logos narrows the search significantly and aids other officers in identification.
Question 6: During a foot pursuit, you observe a suspect toss an item behind a dumpster. What is the correct memory technique to preserve this detail?
- Trust your memory and write it down after the pursuit ends
- Verbally broadcast the exact location over radio immediately so it is captured on the recording (Correct answer)
- Take a mental photo and reconstruct the scene after securing the suspect
- Ask a bystander to stand by the location
Correct answer: Verbally broadcast the exact location over radio immediately so it is captured on the recording
Broadcasting the location over radio creates a contemporaneous record and directs other units to preserve and recover the discarded item.
Question 7: You observe a person loitering near an ATM who matches a robbery suspect description. You note the person is wearing a red jacket. When you later write your report, you should:
- Write 'red jacket' as observed without further qualification
- Note that under the parking lot's sodium vapor lights, the jacket appeared red, as such lighting can alter perceived color (Correct answer)
- Avoid mentioning color since lighting may distort it
- Ask another officer to confirm the color before writing the report
Correct answer: Note that under the parking lot's sodium vapor lights, the jacket appeared red, as such lighting can alter perceived color
Documenting lighting conditions is critical because sodium vapor, LED, and fluorescent lights distort color perception, which can be challenged in court.
LAPD Observation and Memory Recall 2
While on patrol, you observe a vehicle parked illegally.
Which detail is MOST important to record for accurate recall later?