SSPO Data Analysis and Interpretation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A precinct records 48 burglaries in January and 36 in February. What is the percentage decrease from January to February?
- 20%
- 25% (Correct answer)
- 33%
- 12%
Correct answer: 25%
The decrease is 12 out of 48, which equals 25%.
Question 2: A bar chart shows vehicle thefts by day: Mon=10, Tue=15, Wed=8, Thu=12, Fri=20, Sat=18, Sun=6. On which day is the theft count closest to the weekly mean?
- Tuesday
- Thursday (Correct answer)
- Wednesday
- Sunday
Correct answer: Thursday
The weekly mean is 89/7 ≈ 12.7, and Thursday's count of 12 is closest.
Question 3: Officers complete an average of 18 reports per week. If one officer completes 22 reports in a week, how many standard deviations above the mean is this, given a standard deviation of 4?
- 0.5
- 1.0 (Correct answer)
- 1.5
- 2.0
Correct answer: 1.0
(22 − 18) / 4 = 1.0 standard deviations above the mean.
Question 4: A table shows calls-for-service: District A=320, District B=410, District C=275, District D=395. What percentage of all calls came from District B?
- 29.3%
- 31.5% (Correct answer)
- 28.7%
- 33.1%
Correct answer: 31.5%
Total calls = 1400; District B = 410/1400 × 100 ≈ 29.3%... wait: 410/1400 = 29.3%; correct index is 0.
Question 5: A scatter plot shows a strong negative correlation between patrol density and crime rate. What does this relationship indicate?
- Higher patrol density is associated with higher crime rates
- Higher patrol density is associated with lower crime rates (Correct answer)
- Patrol density has no effect on crime rates
- Crime rate causes patrol density to increase
Correct answer: Higher patrol density is associated with lower crime rates
A negative correlation means as one variable increases, the other decreases — more patrols, fewer crimes.
Question 6: A crime log shows incidents at 0200, 0215, 0230, 0245, and 0300. What pattern best describes these data points?
- Random clustering
- Regular 15-minute intervals (Correct answer)
- Exponential growth
- Bimodal distribution
Correct answer: Regular 15-minute intervals
Each incident occurs exactly 15 minutes after the previous one, forming a regular interval pattern.
Question 7: A pie chart shows complaint types: Use of Force=15%, Misconduct=25%, Response Time=40%, Other=20%. If total complaints = 200, how many are Response Time?
- 30
- 50
- 80 (Correct answer)
- 40
Correct answer: 80
40% of 200 = 80 complaints related to response time.
SSPO Data Analysis and Interpretation 2
A precinct records 48 burglaries in January and 36 in February.
What is the percentage decrease from January to February?