PPAER Situational Judgment Scenarios 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are dispatched to a noise complaint at a party. Upon arrival, you smell marijuana but it is legal in your state for adults. What do you do?
- Arrest everyone at the party for drug possession
- Address the noise complaint, verify legal adult use, and leave if no other violations exist (Correct answer)
- Ignore the smell since marijuana is legal
- Call for narcotics units to handle the situation
Correct answer: Address the noise complaint, verify legal adult use, and leave if no other violations exist
Where marijuana is legal, officers should focus on the original complaint and ensure no underage use or other violations are present.
Question 2: While off duty and out of jurisdiction, you witness a serious felony in progress. What should you do?
- Immediately intervene using your off-duty weapon
- Call 911, identify yourself as off-duty law enforcement, and provide information to responding units (Correct answer)
- Do nothing since you are out of jurisdiction
- Follow the suspect until you reach your jurisdiction
Correct answer: Call 911, identify yourself as off-duty law enforcement, and provide information to responding units
Off-duty officers should contact local dispatch, identify themselves, and support responding officers rather than taking unilateral action.
Question 3: A supervisor orders you to write a report in a way that omits key facts that are unfavorable to the department. You should:
- Follow the order since supervisors have authority over report content
- Refuse, write an accurate report, and if necessary report the supervisor's conduct (Correct answer)
- Write two reports — one as ordered and one truthful version for your own records
- Discuss it with coworkers to see what they would do
Correct answer: Refuse, write an accurate report, and if necessary report the supervisor's conduct
Officers are obligated to write truthful, accurate reports regardless of supervisor pressure, and must report unethical orders.
Question 4: You respond to a call about a man with a knife standing in a park. As you approach, he drops the knife and sits on the ground crying. What do you do?
- Immediately handcuff him without speaking because he was armed
- Secure the weapon, approach calmly, and assess his mental state before deciding on next steps (Correct answer)
- Leave the scene since the threat is neutralized
- Call SWAT since knives are considered lethal weapons
Correct answer: Secure the weapon, approach calmly, and assess his mental state before deciding on next steps
Once the immediate threat is neutralized, officers should assess the individual's mental and emotional state and determine appropriate next steps.
Question 5: You are writing a use-of-force report and realize you forgot to document an important detail. The report has already been submitted. What do you do?
- Submit an addendum or supplemental report with the missing information (Correct answer)
- Leave it as is since changing reports after submission may look suspicious
- Ask a colleague to add the information to their own report
- Delete the original and resubmit a corrected version
Correct answer: Submit an addendum or supplemental report with the missing information
Submitting a supplemental or addendum report is the proper procedure for adding omitted information after a report has been filed.
Question 6: You stop a teenager who appears to be a runaway. She is scared and refuses to give her name. You should:
- Arrest her for obstruction since she won't identify herself
- Try to build rapport, explain you want to help, and contact a juvenile specialist or social services (Correct answer)
- Release her since she has not committed a crime
- Search her belongings immediately to find identification
Correct answer: Try to build rapport, explain you want to help, and contact a juvenile specialist or social services
Building rapport and involving juvenile specialists or social services is the most effective and appropriate response for suspected runaways.
Question 7: During a traffic stop, the driver provides an out-of-state license and says his vehicle registration is at home. You cannot verify registration through dispatch. You should:
- Impound the vehicle immediately since it cannot be verified
- Issue a citation for failing to produce registration, document the plate and VIN, and allow him to drive if no other violations exist (Correct answer)
- Arrest the driver for suspected vehicle theft
- Let him go with a verbal warning since the problem may be genuine
Correct answer: Issue a citation for failing to produce registration, document the plate and VIN, and allow him to drive if no other violations exist
Issuing a citation and documenting vehicle details allows the process to proceed legally while giving the driver a chance to produce proof later.
PPAER Situational Judgment Scenarios 3
You are dispatched to a noise complaint at a party.
Upon arrival, you smell marijuana but it is legal in your state for adults.
What do you do?