State Trooper Situational Judgment Scenarios 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: While patrolling a rural highway at night, you observe a vehicle weaving between lanes but maintaining speed. What is your FIRST action?
- Immediately perform a traffic stop with lights and siren
- Follow the vehicle for a short distance to confirm impaired driving behavior (Correct answer)
- Call for backup before taking any action
- Use the PA system to order the driver to pull over immediately
Correct answer: Follow the vehicle for a short distance to confirm impaired driving behavior
Observing the vehicle further confirms whether impairment exists and provides additional evidence before initiating a stop.
Question 2: You arrive at a two-vehicle collision where one driver is irate and threatening the other driver. Neither appears seriously injured. What do you prioritize first?
- Interview the irate driver to calm them down
- Separate the parties to prevent escalation (Correct answer)
- Begin documenting the crash scene immediately
- Call for medical units as a precaution
Correct answer: Separate the parties to prevent escalation
Separating the parties de-escalates the immediate threat and prevents the situation from becoming a physical altercation.
Question 3: A motorist approaches you and reports seeing someone dump what appears to be a body in a ditch about two miles back. What is your immediate response?
- Detain the motorist as a potential witness and call dispatch
- Proceed to the reported location immediately and notify dispatch en route (Correct answer)
- Have dispatch send another unit while you remain at your post
- Ask the motorist to lead you to the location
Correct answer: Proceed to the reported location immediately and notify dispatch en route
Responding immediately while notifying dispatch ensures a timely response to a potential homicide while maintaining communication.
Question 4: During a traffic stop, a passenger in the back seat begins recording you on their phone. How should you respond?
- Order them to stop recording as it interferes with your duties
- Ignore the recording and continue the stop professionally (Correct answer)
- Ask dispatch for legal guidance before proceeding
- Request the passenger exit the vehicle
Correct answer: Ignore the recording and continue the stop professionally
Citizens have the legal right to record police in public, and continuing to act professionally is both lawful and appropriate.
Question 5: You pull over a vehicle and the driver presents a valid out-of-state license but has no registration. What is the correct next step?
- Arrest the driver for failure to produce registration
- Run the plate and driver's license through dispatch before deciding on enforcement action (Correct answer)
- Issue a citation immediately and allow the driver to leave
- Impound the vehicle until registration is confirmed
Correct answer: Run the plate and driver's license through dispatch before deciding on enforcement action
Running the plate verifies ownership and registration status, which may resolve the issue before any enforcement decision is made.
Question 6: You are on a high-speed pursuit when dispatch advises the suspect's vehicle matches one reported stolen in connection with an armed robbery. What should you do?
- Immediately terminate the pursuit for safety
- Increase following distance and relay updated information to dispatch and supervisors (Correct answer)
- Continue the same pursuit profile and await further orders
- Attempt a PIT maneuver to end the pursuit quickly
Correct answer: Increase following distance and relay updated information to dispatch and supervisors
Updating supervisors with new threat information allows for coordinated tactical decisions, including whether to continue or modify the pursuit.
Question 7: A fellow trooper asks you to sign his report as a witness to an event you did not personally observe. What do you do?
- Sign it as a professional courtesy since you trust your colleague
- Decline and advise the trooper that you cannot attest to events you did not witness (Correct answer)
- Sign it but add a note that your signature is a formality
- Report the request to your supervisor immediately
Correct answer: Decline and advise the trooper that you cannot attest to events you did not witness
Signing a report as a witness to events you did not observe constitutes falsification of a legal document and violates professional integrity.
State Trooper Situational Judgment Scenarios 2
While patrolling a rural highway at night, you observe a vehicle weaving between lanes but maintaining speed.
What is your FIRST action?