Law Enforcement Patrol and Investigation Duties 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'chain of custody' refer to in an investigation?
- The order officers are promoted
- The documented handling and control of evidence from collection to court (Correct answer)
- The route taken during patrol
- The hierarchy of command on a scene
Correct answer: The documented handling and control of evidence from collection to court
Chain of custody is the chronological documentation showing who handled evidence and when, preserving its integrity.
Question 2: During a traffic stop, why does an officer often position the patrol car at an angle behind the stopped vehicle?
- To block the driver's mirror view
- To create a safety zone and protection from passing traffic (Correct answer)
- To save parking space
- To make the stop look more official
Correct answer: To create a safety zone and protection from passing traffic
An offset position shields the officer from oncoming traffic and provides a measure of cover.
Question 3: When canvassing a neighborhood after a crime, an investigator is primarily trying to do what?
- Issue citations to residents
- Locate witnesses and gather information (Correct answer)
- Sell community programs
- Recruit informants permanently
Correct answer: Locate witnesses and gather information
A neighborhood canvass seeks witnesses and information that can advance the investigation.
Question 4: What is the value of taking detailed notes immediately at a scene rather than later?
- Notes are required to be illegible
- Memory fades and details are most accurate when recorded promptly (Correct answer)
- It impresses supervisors
- It is never necessary
Correct answer: Memory fades and details are most accurate when recorded promptly
Prompt note-taking captures accurate details before memory degrades.
Question 5: An officer sees two individuals quickly walk away upon noticing the patrol car. This behavior is best described as what?
- Conclusive proof of a crime
- One factor that may contribute to reasonable suspicion (Correct answer)
- Grounds for immediate arrest
- Completely irrelevant
Correct answer: One factor that may contribute to reasonable suspicion
Evasive behavior is one factor among the totality of circumstances that can build reasonable suspicion, but is not proof of crime by itself.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a 'BOLO' broadcast?
- To order officers off duty
- To alert officers to 'Be On the Lookout' for a person or vehicle (Correct answer)
- To request more patrol cars
- To announce a shift change
Correct answer: To alert officers to 'Be On the Lookout' for a person or vehicle
A BOLO alerts officers to watch for a specific suspect, vehicle, or item of interest.
Question 7: When interviewing a cooperative witness, an effective technique is to:
- Interrupt frequently to assert control
- Use open-ended questions and let the witness recount events freely (Correct answer)
- Suggest answers to speed things up
- Only allow yes-or-no responses
Correct answer: Use open-ended questions and let the witness recount events freely
Open-ended questions allow witnesses to provide fuller, less-suggested accounts of what they observed.
Law Enforcement Patrol and Investigation Duties 3
What does 'chain of custody' refer to in an investigation?