NYPD NYPD Situational Judgment 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are off-duty in civilian clothes and witness a robbery in progress. What is the most appropriate action?
- Intervene physically since you are a police officer at all times
- Call 911, observe, and provide information to responding officers (Correct answer)
- Do nothing since you are off-duty and not responsible
- Chase the suspect alone to make an arrest
Correct answer: Call 911, observe, and provide information to responding officers
Off-duty officers without proper equipment should call 911, maintain observation, and assist on-duty officers with information.
Question 2: A landlord asks you to help remove a tenant from an apartment, claiming the tenant hasn't paid rent. What should you do?
- Help remove the tenant since the landlord is the property owner
- Explain that evictions require a court order and advise the landlord to pursue legal channels (Correct answer)
- Arrest the tenant for trespassing at the landlord's request
- Threaten the tenant with arrest if they do not leave voluntarily
Correct answer: Explain that evictions require a court order and advise the landlord to pursue legal channels
Evictions are a civil matter requiring a court order; police cannot forcibly remove tenants without proper legal process.
Question 3: While writing a report at the precinct, you realize your partner made a significant factual error in their portion of a shared report. What do you do?
- Correct the error yourself without telling your partner
- Notify your partner of the error and allow them to correct it through proper channels (Correct answer)
- Submit the report as-is since it is your partner's responsibility
- Report your partner to Internal Affairs immediately
Correct answer: Notify your partner of the error and allow them to correct it through proper channels
Giving your partner the opportunity to correct their own error through proper channels is the professional and appropriate first step.
Question 4: You encounter a non-English-speaking witness who is critical to solving a crime. What is the best approach?
- Ask any bystander nearby to interpret
- Request a certified NYPD interpreter or use the department-approved language line (Correct answer)
- Guess at the witness's account and document your best interpretation
- Decline to take the statement and note the language barrier in the report
Correct answer: Request a certified NYPD interpreter or use the department-approved language line
Using a certified interpreter or the department language line ensures accuracy and protects the integrity of the witness statement.
Question 5: You are dispatched to a 'person with a knife' call and arrive to find a man holding a kitchen knife, appearing confused and possibly emotionally disturbed. What is your best initial approach?
- Draw your firearm immediately and order him to drop the knife
- Maintain a safe distance, use calm verbal commands, and request a mental health crisis team (Correct answer)
- Rush the subject to disarm him before he can react
- Leave and wait for a specialized unit without engaging
Correct answer: Maintain a safe distance, use calm verbal commands, and request a mental health crisis team
Crisis intervention techniques — maintaining distance, calm communication, and calling for mental health support — reduce the likelihood of escalation.
Question 6: A supervisor praises your performance and suggests you skip completing a required end-of-shift report 'just this once.' What do you do?
- Skip the report since the supervisor approved it
- Complete the report as required regardless of the supervisor's suggestion (Correct answer)
- Complete a shortened version of the report as a compromise
- Report the supervisor for attempting to violate procedure
Correct answer: Complete the report as required regardless of the supervisor's suggestion
Required reports must be completed regardless of supervisory suggestions to skip them; documentation is a legal obligation.
Question 7: You respond to a report of a man sleeping on a park bench. He is not intoxicated and has committed no crime. What is the appropriate action?
- Arrest him for vagrancy
- Check on his welfare, offer available social services information, and move on if he refuses assistance (Correct answer)
- Force him to leave the park immediately
- Ignore the call since no crime has been committed
Correct answer: Check on his welfare, offer available social services information, and move on if he refuses assistance
When no crime has occurred, officers should provide welfare assistance and social service information while respecting individual rights.
NYPD NYPD Situational Judgment 4
You are off-duty in civilian clothes and witness a robbery in progress.
What is the most appropriate action?