NTN Police Situational Judgment & Problem Solving 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are processing paperwork at the station when a citizen walks in and hands you an envelope, saying 'this is for the chief.' The citizen then quickly leaves. What do you do?
- Open the envelope immediately out of curiosity
- Treat it as a potential suspicious package, avoid opening it, and notify a supervisor (Correct answer)
- Forward it to the chief's inbox without inspection
- Throw it away since it came from an unknown person
Correct answer: Treat it as a potential suspicious package, avoid opening it, and notify a supervisor
Unverified packages from unknown individuals must be treated as potentially hazardous until evaluated by appropriate personnel.
Question 2: A resident complains that their neighbor is illegally operating a business from home, causing traffic and noise. This appears to be a civil zoning matter. What is your role?
- Order the neighbor to shut down the business immediately
- Explain that zoning violations are handled by code enforcement, provide the appropriate referral, and document the complaint (Correct answer)
- Arrest the neighbor for the zoning violation
- Ignore the complaint since it is not a police matter
Correct answer: Explain that zoning violations are handled by code enforcement, provide the appropriate referral, and document the complaint
Zoning violations fall under code enforcement authority, not criminal law; police should provide appropriate referrals and document complaints.
Question 3: You receive a tip that a known drug dealer will be at a specific location at 3 PM. You arrive early and observe the person making hand-to-hand exchanges consistent with drug sales. What must you establish before making an arrest?
- The tip alone is sufficient to arrest
- Probable cause based on your own observations, corroborated by the tip (Correct answer)
- A warrant signed by a judge
- Departmental approval from a supervisor
Correct answer: Probable cause based on your own observations, corroborated by the tip
An arrest requires probable cause; a tip may provide reasonable suspicion, but an officer's own observations of drug activity can establish probable cause to arrest.
Question 4: While writing an accident report, you realize you made an error on a report you submitted last week. What should you do?
- Ignore the error since the report has already been submitted
- Submit a supplemental or corrected report through proper channels explaining the correction (Correct answer)
- Alter the original report without noting the change
- Ask a colleague to take responsibility for the error
Correct answer: Submit a supplemental or corrected report through proper channels explaining the correction
Correcting reports must be done through official supplemental report procedures; altering records without documentation is misconduct.
Question 5: You pull over a driver who is extremely hostile and verbally abusive but shows no signs of impairment or criminal activity. What is the best approach?
- Match their hostility to assert authority
- Remain professional and calm, complete the stop lawfully, and disengage if the situation cannot be de-escalated (Correct answer)
- Arrest the driver for disrespecting an officer
- Leave without completing the stop to avoid confrontation
Correct answer: Remain professional and calm, complete the stop lawfully, and disengage if the situation cannot be de-escalated
Verbal hostility alone is generally not criminal; maintaining professionalism reduces escalation and reflects proper conduct.
Question 6: You are dispatched to a school where a student reportedly threatened another student via social media. School administrators are requesting the student be arrested. What is the first step?
- Arrest the student immediately at the school's request
- Investigate the nature and context of the threat to determine if it meets the legal standard for a criminal threat (Correct answer)
- Dismiss it as online speech protected by the First Amendment
- Refer it entirely to the school without investigation
Correct answer: Investigate the nature and context of the threat to determine if it meets the legal standard for a criminal threat
Not all threatening language meets the legal threshold for a criminal threat; investigation of the content, context, and intent is required before any arrest.
Question 7: You are interviewing a witness to a robbery who begins crying and says they are too scared to give a statement. How do you respond?
- Threaten arrest if they refuse to cooperate
- Give the witness space, explain their importance to the case, and attempt to make them feel safe enough to provide information at their own pace (Correct answer)
- Note 'uncooperative witness' and end the interview
- Have a supervisor threaten consequences for non-cooperation
Correct answer: Give the witness space, explain their importance to the case, and attempt to make them feel safe enough to provide information at their own pace
Trauma-informed approaches that build trust and reduce fear are most effective in obtaining accurate and voluntary witness statements.
NTN Police Situational Judgment & Problem Solving 5
You are processing paperwork at the station when a citizen walks in and hands you an envelope, saying 'this is for the chief.' The citizen then quickly leaves.
What do you do?