OACP Situational Judgement and Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are the first officer on scene at a protest that has turned partially violent. Some protesters are peaceful. What is your first priority?
- Arrest all protesters to restore order quickly
- Separate violent individuals from peaceful protesters and contain the situation proportionately (Correct answer)
- Wait for backup before taking any action
- Disperse the entire crowd using force to prevent further escalation
Correct answer: Separate violent individuals from peaceful protesters and contain the situation proportionately
Proportionate response requires distinguishing between those engaged in violence and those exercising lawful assembly rights.
Question 2: An informant provides you with a tip that later proves inaccurate, leading to an embarrassing situation for the department. A supervisor asks you to downplay the informant's role in reports. What do you do?
- Comply because protecting informant integrity serves future investigations
- Refuse and document the informant's role accurately as required by policy (Correct answer)
- Omit the informant but note the tip came from an anonymous source
- Seek legal advice before filing any report
Correct answer: Refuse and document the informant's role accurately as required by policy
Accurate documentation is non-negotiable; downplaying or altering facts to manage optics undermines accountability and due process.
Question 3: You respond to a call where a person in mental health crisis is holding a sharp object. The individual is not advancing. What approach best reflects ethical and effective policing?
- Immediately use force to disarm the individual before the situation escalates
- Maintain distance, attempt de-escalation, and request a mental health crisis team (Correct answer)
- Withdraw entirely and wait for specialized units to arrive without monitoring
- Issue verbal commands and deploy a conducted energy weapon if not obeyed within 30 seconds
Correct answer: Maintain distance, attempt de-escalation, and request a mental health crisis team
De-escalation and crisis team involvement protect both the individual and officers while reflecting duty-of-care and proportionality principles.
Question 4: You discover that your police vehicle's dash camera was not recording during an incident that is now under review. What should you do?
- Say nothing unless directly asked about the camera
- Immediately disclose the camera malfunction to your supervisor and in any related reports (Correct answer)
- Check if other evidence is sufficient before deciding whether to mention it
- File a maintenance report but do not link it to the incident under review
Correct answer: Immediately disclose the camera malfunction to your supervisor and in any related reports
Proactive disclosure of evidence gaps is an ethical obligation critical to maintaining transparency and investigative integrity.
Question 5: A victim of theft refuses to provide a statement because they distrust police. Which approach best upholds ethical community-oriented policing?
- Close the file since no statement means no case
- Acknowledge their concern respectfully, explain the process, and offer alternative reporting options (Correct answer)
- Insist on a statement and note refusal in the file
- Refer them to a community group and close the police file
Correct answer: Acknowledge their concern respectfully, explain the process, and offer alternative reporting options
Addressing distrust with empathy and offering options reflects community policing values and may encourage future cooperation.
Question 6: During a traffic stop, a driver offers you cash to avoid receiving a ticket. What is the correct response?
- Accept it and issue a warning to resolve the stop quickly
- Decline the offer, issue the appropriate ticket, and report the attempted bribe (Correct answer)
- Decline the offer and issue the ticket without reporting the bribe attempt
- Warn the driver that offering a bribe is an offence but take no further action
Correct answer: Decline the offer, issue the appropriate ticket, and report the attempted bribe
An attempted bribe is itself a criminal offence and must be reported; failing to report it enables corruption.
Question 7: You are assigned to a community with a recent history of tension between residents and police. A resident makes a generalized hostile comment about officers. What is the most ethical response?
- Respond defensively to protect the reputation of the service
- Acknowledge their feelings respectfully, listen actively, and engage in constructive dialogue (Correct answer)
- Ignore the comment and continue your duties
- Document the comment as a potential threat and file a report
Correct answer: Acknowledge their feelings respectfully, listen actively, and engage in constructive dialogue
Responding with empathy and openness to feedback is essential for rebuilding community trust in high-tension environments.
OACP Situational Judgement and Ethics 3
You are the first officer on scene at a protest that has turned partially violent.
Some protesters are peaceful.
What is your first priority?