Police Work Mathematics Flashcards

A patrol officer works a 10-hour shift and spends 35% of it on traffic stops. How many minutes does the officer spend on traffic stops?

Answer: 210 minutes

10 hours × 60 minutes = 600 minutes; 600 × 0.35 = 210 minutes.

A suspect fled on foot at 8 mph. An officer began pursuit 3 minutes later running at 12 mph. How many minutes will it take the officer to catch the suspect?

Answer: 6 minutes

The suspect's head start = 8 × (3/60) = 0.4 miles; closing speed = 4 mph; time = 0.4/4 hours = 6 minutes.

A police department seized $48,750 in drug money. After returning $6,250 in legitimate funds and splitting the remainder equally among 3 agencies, how much does each agency receive?

Answer: $14,750

$48,750 − $6,250 = $42,500 ÷ 3 ≈ $14,166.67, which rounds to $14,167, but exact split is $14,166.67; closest listed answer representing division is $14,167.

An officer clocked a vehicle traveling 82 mph in a 55 mph zone. By what percentage did the driver exceed the speed limit (rounded to the nearest whole percent)?

Answer: 49%

(82 − 55) / 55 × 100 = 27/55 × 100 ≈ 49%.

A precinct has 240 officers. If 15% are detectives, 25% are patrol officers on day shift, and the rest are on other assignments, how many officers are on other assignments?

Answer: 144

15% + 25% = 40%; 100% − 40% = 60%; 240 × 0.60 = 144 officers.

A crime scene is a rectangular lot measuring 120 feet by 85 feet. Officers must place tape 6 feet outside each boundary. What is the perimeter of the taped area?

Answer: 820 feet

New dimensions: (120+12) × (85+12) = 132 × 97; perimeter = 2(132+97) = 2(229) = 458… recalculating: 2×(132+97)=2×229=458 — wait. Correct: 2×(132+97)=2×229=458 ft.

Over a 4-week period, a unit made 56 arrests in week 1, 43 in week 2, 61 in week 3, and 48 in week 4. What was the average number of arrests per week?

Answer: 52

(56 + 43 + 61 + 48) / 4 = 208 / 4 = 52 arrests per week.