Police Test POLICE Operational Effectiveness 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer discovers that a confidential informant has provided false information that led to an arrest. The officer should:
- Protect the informant's identity by concealing the false information
- Immediately inform the supervisor and prosecutor, as the false information must be disclosed (Correct answer)
- Continue using the informant since one mistake is acceptable
- Charge the arrested individual anyway since probable cause may still exist
Correct answer: Immediately inform the supervisor and prosecutor, as the false information must be disclosed
Withholding material false information from prosecutors violates Brady obligations and could constitute misconduct.
Question 2: During a welfare check, an officer enters a home using exigent circumstances and finds no emergency but does observe drug paraphernalia in plain view. What should the officer do?
- Seize the paraphernalia without further consideration
- Leave immediately since the original reason for entry is resolved
- Document the observation, and consult with a supervisor or prosecutor about next steps (Correct answer)
- Search the entire residence for additional evidence
Correct answer: Document the observation, and consult with a supervisor or prosecutor about next steps
Plain view evidence observed during a lawful entry may be seized, but the officer should consult before extending the search beyond the exigent circumstances.
Question 3: A patrol officer stops a driver for speeding and notices the driver has glassy eyes and slurred speech but no smell of alcohol. This most likely suggests the officer should:
- Release the driver since there is no smell of alcohol
- Conduct a field sobriety test and consider a Drug Recognition Expert evaluation (Correct answer)
- Issue only a speeding citation and let the driver go
- Arrest the driver for DUI without further testing
Correct answer: Conduct a field sobriety test and consider a Drug Recognition Expert evaluation
Glassy eyes and slurred speech without alcohol odor are consistent with drug impairment, which requires a DRE evaluation to properly identify.
Question 4: An officer is directed by a supervisor to submit a report that omits key facts that would weaken the prosecution's case. The officer should:
- Comply because supervisors have authority over subordinates
- Refuse, as omitting material facts in a report constitutes misconduct and potentially perjury (Correct answer)
- Submit the report but note the omission in a personal journal
- Ask another officer to submit the report instead
Correct answer: Refuse, as omitting material facts in a report constitutes misconduct and potentially perjury
Officers are ethically and legally obligated to submit truthful reports regardless of supervisory pressure.
Question 5: A bystander begins recording an officer making an arrest in a public location. The officer should:
- Order the bystander to stop recording and confiscate the device
- Allow the recording as bystanders generally have the right to film police in public (Correct answer)
- Arrest the bystander for interfering with police duties
- Shield the arrest from view to prevent recording
Correct answer: Allow the recording as bystanders generally have the right to film police in public
Courts have consistently upheld the public's First Amendment right to record police activity in public spaces.
Question 6: During a traffic stop on a highway, an officer should position their patrol vehicle:
- Directly behind the stopped vehicle with no offset
- At an angle, offset slightly to the left, to serve as a safety buffer from passing traffic (Correct answer)
- In front of the stopped vehicle to block escape
- On the opposite side of the road to monitor traffic
Correct answer: At an angle, offset slightly to the left, to serve as a safety buffer from passing traffic
An angled offset provides a physical barrier between the officer and passing traffic, reducing the risk of a vehicle strike.
Question 7: A complainant tells an officer that they want to press charges but later recants and says they do not want to pursue the matter. The officer should:
- Drop the case entirely since the victim withdrew their complaint
- Understand that the decision to prosecute rests with the prosecutor, not the victim, and forward the case appropriately (Correct answer)
- Arrest the suspect only if the complainant signs a new statement
- Close the case and document the recantation
Correct answer: Understand that the decision to prosecute rests with the prosecutor, not the victim, and forward the case appropriately
The state, not the victim, is the charging party in criminal cases, so a victim's recantation does not automatically end prosecution.
Police Test POLICE Operational Effectiveness 3
An officer discovers that a confidential informant has provided false information that led to an arrest.
The officer should: