OACP Decision-Making Under Pressure 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patrol officer responds to a domestic disturbance and determines the situation involves potential mental health crisis. The subject is non-violent but highly agitated. What is the BEST approach?
- Handcuff the subject immediately as a precaution to ensure officer safety
- Engage the subject calmly, use active listening, and request a Crisis Intervention Team if available (Correct answer)
- Leave the scene and refer the matter to social services only
- Arrest the subject for causing a disturbance to remove them from the situation
Correct answer: Engage the subject calmly, use active listening, and request a Crisis Intervention Team if available
CIT-informed approaches using calm engagement and active listening are evidence-based best practices for managing mental health crises safely.
Question 2: Under the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the span of control recommended for supervisors during a major incident is:
- 2 to 3 subordinates
- 3 to 7 subordinates (Correct answer)
- 8 to 10 subordinates
- As many as the supervisor can monitor via radio
Correct answer: 3 to 7 subordinates
NIMS recommends a span of control of 3–7 personnel per supervisor to maintain effective oversight during complex, high-pressure incidents.
Question 3: An officer witnesses a colleague use excessive force on a detained subject. The officer is junior in rank to the colleague. What is the officer's LEGAL and PROFESSIONAL obligation?
- Do nothing, since the officer lacks authority to intervene with a superior
- Intervene to stop the excessive force and report the incident through proper channels (Correct answer)
- Wait until after the incident and mention it informally to the colleague
- Only intervene if a supervisor is present to authorize the intervention
Correct answer: Intervene to stop the excessive force and report the incident through proper channels
Officers have both a legal duty and professional obligation under police codes of conduct to intervene when witnessing excessive force, regardless of the colleague's rank.
Question 4: During a tactical briefing before a high-risk warrant execution, the team commander identifies a potential gap in the entry plan. Time is limited. What is the BEST action?
- Proceed with the plan and address gaps as they arise during execution
- Delay the operation indefinitely until a perfect plan is developed
- Address the gap in the briefing, modify the plan, and ensure all members understand the change (Correct answer)
- Assign one officer to improvise at the gap location during the operation
Correct answer: Address the gap in the briefing, modify the plan, and ensure all members understand the change
Identifying and addressing plan gaps before execution, even under time pressure, is a fundamental principle of effective tactical planning.
Question 5: In a rapidly evolving active threat situation, a commander is experiencing information overload from multiple units reporting simultaneously. The BEST strategy to manage this is to:
- Ignore all radio traffic and rely on personal observation only
- Assign a dedicated communications officer to filter and relay critical information (Correct answer)
- Request that all units maintain radio silence until the commander calls for updates
- Rotate command to a different officer every 15 minutes to prevent mental fatigue
Correct answer: Assign a dedicated communications officer to filter and relay critical information
Designating a communications officer to manage information flow is a proven incident command technique to prevent cognitive overload in the incident commander.
Question 6: A negotiator is attempting to build rapport with a barricaded subject when the subject makes a statement suggesting imminent self-harm. The MOST appropriate response by the negotiator is to:
- Immediately terminate the call and allow tactical units to breach
- Acknowledge the statement, express concern, and ask open-ended questions to continue engagement (Correct answer)
- Promise the subject that no charges will be laid if they surrender immediately
- Transfer the call to a mental health professional without warning the subject
Correct answer: Acknowledge the statement, express concern, and ask open-ended questions to continue engagement
Maintaining engagement through acknowledgment and open-ended questioning sustains the relationship and gathers critical information about the subject's state.
Question 7: Which cognitive bias is MOST likely to affect an officer who has previously responded to a location for the same type of call and is now returning for a similar incident?
- Confirmation bias (Correct answer)
- Anchoring bias
- Availability heuristic
- Dunning-Kruger effect
Correct answer: Confirmation bias
Confirmation bias causes officers to unconsciously seek information that confirms their prior expectations from the previous call, potentially missing new or different threat indicators.
OACP Decision-Making Under Pressure 3
A patrol officer responds to a domestic disturbance and determines the situation involves potential mental health crisis.
The subject is non-violent but highly agitated.
What is the BEST approach?