SDPD - San Diego Police Department Professional Conduct and Ethics Questions and Answers

Question 1

An SDPD officer, while on a meal break at a local diner they frequent, is told by the owner that their meal is 'on the house' as a thank you for their service.
According to the SDPD's Code of Conduct and general ethical principles, what is the officer's most appropriate response?

Accepted Answer

Politely decline the offer and pay for the meal in full.

Answer

Accept the meal but leave a tip that is larger than the meal's value.

Answer

Accept the meal, as it is a one-time offer from a grateful citizen.

Answer

Report the owner's offer to a supervisor to see if it's an approved gratuity.

Question 2

An officer is frustrated after a long pursuit and uses profane and derogatory language towards a suspect who is already handcuffed and compliant. The officer's partner observes this behavior. What is the partner officer's primary ethical and procedural obligation in this situation?

Accepted Answer

Intervene immediately to stop the unprofessional conduct and report the incident to a supervisor.

Answer

Privately counsel the officer later to avoid undermining their authority on scene.

Answer

Ignore the language as it was not physical and was the result of a stressful situation.

Answer

Advise the suspect that they can file a citizen's complaint at a later time.

Question 3

Which of the following actions, if discovered, would most likely result in an officer being placed on a 'Brady List' (Giglio-impaired)?

Accepted Answer

Intentionally misrepresenting facts in a police report to strengthen a case.

Answer

Receiving a citizen complaint for rudeness that was later determined to be unfounded.

Answer

Being involved in a preventable traffic collision with a department vehicle.

Answer

Failing to qualify with their firearm on the first attempt during a training exercise.

Question 4

An off-duty SDPD officer is at a grocery store and observes an individual shoplifting a low-value item. The suspect does not appear to be armed and is exiting the store. The officer is with their family and is not carrying their firearm or department radio. What is the most prudent and ethical course of action for the officer?

Accepted Answer

Act as a good witness: observe the suspect's appearance and direction of travel, and contact 911 to report the crime.

Answer

Immediately use their 'police voice' to command the suspect to stop and attempt a physical arrest.

Answer

Draw attention to the theft by yelling, 'Stop that shoplifter!' to alert store security.

Answer

Confront the store manager and demand they take action to stop the suspect.

Question 5

An officer is investigating a sensitive case and is contacted by a close personal friend who is a journalist. The journalist asks for 'off the record' information about the investigation. Which ethical principle is most directly at stake for the officer in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Confidentiality

Answer

Discretion

Answer

Courage

Answer

Loyalty

Question 6

An SDPD officer stops a driver for a traffic violation. The driver is polite and cooperative, but the officer has a 'gut feeling' that something is wrong. The officer has no specific, articulable facts to suspect any other crime has occurred. The principle of bias-free policing requires the officer to:

Accepted Answer

Question the driver about their origin and destination to try and develop reasonable suspicion.

Answer

Ask for consent to search the vehicle based on their intuition.

Answer

Prolong the traffic stop to wait for a K-9 unit to arrive.

Answer

Base all actions solely on the observed traffic violation and not on the unsubstantiated feeling.