Police Ethics 2nd Edition by Douglas W. Perez – Test Bank

Police Ethics 2nd Edition by Douglas W. Perez – Test Bank

Chapter 10-Judgment Calls

Police Ethics: A Matter of Character, 2nd Edition

TRUE/FALSE

1. The most cogent truism about police work is that it is all about common sense.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: pg. 167

2. For the police officer out on the street, academic learning is essential in every situation, all the time.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pg. 167

3. There are occasions where different laws conflict with each other.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: pg. 167

4. People who apply rules or laws need not read between the lines to ascertain the intent of those rules or laws.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

5. When the police make arrest/no arrest decisions, they use a guilt beyond a reasonable doubt standard.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

6. When justice (fairness) conflicts with beneficence, the former becomes paramount.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pg. 169

7. Sometimes laws are vague and therefore difficult to understand.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: pg. 170

8. The “harm principle” was developed by John Locke.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pg. 172

9. Edmund Burke was a classical liberal.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pg. 172

10. The drug war might be an exception to the “harm principle.”

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: pg. 174

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Who said “[w]hen I serve alcohol, they call it bootlegging. When they serve it on Lakeshore Drive, they call it hospitality?”

a.	Mae West	c.	George McKerrow
b.	Hugh Hefner	d.	Al Capone

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 167

2. Laws can be

a.	multiple
b.	conflicting
c.	vague
d.	all of the above

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 167

3. Multiple roles for police officers include

a.	law enforcement
b.	order maintenance
c.	service
d.	all of the above

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

4. When police officers are making arrest/no arrest decisions, they are performing their __________ duties

a.	law enforcement
b.	order maintenance
c.	service
d.	none of the above

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

5. In order to arrest someone there must be

a.	probable cause to believe they committed a crime
b.	specific evidence of a crime
c.	the elements of a crime
d.	all of the above

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

6. When police decide to take away freedom by making an arrest, they are generally applying

a.	Kantian ethical formalism rules
b.	utilitarian rules
c.	Nicomachean rules
d.	home court rules

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

7. When police are operating in the order maintenance mode, they are generally using

a.	a Kantian ethical formalism frame of reference
b.	a utilitarian frame of reference
c.	a Nicomachean frame of reference
d.	no particular frame of reference

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

8. When maintaining order, and not dealing with law enforcement–oriented decisions, police officers spend their time calculating

a.	how much physical abuse they can get away with
b.	what is best for their own personal interest
c.	what is best for the state and all of the people
d.	police don’t calculate, they just act

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

9. When police are operating in the service mode, they are generally using

a.	a Kantian ethical formalism frame of reference
b.	a utilitarian frame of reference
c.	a Nicomachean frame of reference
d.	no particular frame of reference

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

10. One kind of judgment call occurs when

a.	benevolence conflicts with beneficence
b.	benevolence conflicts with virtue
c.	virtue conflicts with beneficence
d.	beneficence conflicts with justice

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 168

11. When justice (fairness) conflicts with beneficence

a.	justice is paramount
b.	they should be treated equally
c.	beneficence is paramount
d.	neither is important

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: pg. 169

12. When officers make justice decisions, they should

a.	consider race and color
b.	consider creed
c.	consider class
d.	none of the above

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 170

13. Which classical theorist said that individuals should be left alone to live their own lives without interference from the state or government?

a.	John Locke
b.	Edmund Locke
c.	Edmund Burke
d.	Edmund Fitzgerald

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: pg. 172

14. Which classical theorist said that people cannot be trusted with their own decisions?

a.	John Locke
b.	Edmund Locke
c.	Edmund Burke
d.	Edmund Fitzgerald

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: pg. 172

15. Who coined the “harm principle”?

a.	John Locke
b.	Edmund Locke
c.	Edmund Burke
d.	John Stuart Mill

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 172

16. When applying the “harm principle” police ask themselves

a.	will anyone be harmed if I act?
b.	will anyone be harmed if I don’t act?
c.	will anyone be harmed if I think about acting?
d.	will anyone be harmed by the actions of another?

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 172

17. Which statement most closely fits John Stuart Mill’s thoughts about people’s personal lives and government power?

a.	usually, people know better than bureaucrats
b.	on those occasions when the government knows better what is good for the people, it is still usually best to leave decisions to individuals
c.	we should always remain reluctant to create more government
d.	all of the above

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 173

18. Victimless crime

a.	involves no direct harm to others
b.	involves direct harm to others
c.	is opposed by all Americans
d.	includes crimes of violence

ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: pg. 174

19. The “harm principle”

a.	easily applies to drug use
b.	is irrelevant to drug use
c.	creates problems for police when applied to drug use
d.	none of the above

ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: pg. 174

20. Characteristics of victimless crime include

a.	consenting participants
b.	ongoing demand
c.	risk of official corruption
d.	all of the above

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 174

21. Police may apply a “sliding scale” to

a.	crimes of violence
b.	gambling, prostitution, and alcohol-related crimes
c.	UCR index crimes
d.	capital offenses

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: pg. 175

22. Police ought to be a part of life’s scenery except in

a.	cases of violence
b.	felony crimes
c.	cases that involve direct harm to others
d.	all of the above

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 176

23. People show their character when they

a.	leave	c.	speak without thinking
b.	are faced with ethical questions	d.	argue

ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: pg. 177

24. When faced with conflicting courses of action that have good, solid, ethical duties attached, police officers should

a.	make sure the facts are clear
b.	make sure assumptions, prejudices, and predictions are left out of decision making
c.	be clear what the relevant interests are, what ethical duties present themselves to all parties, and what constitute the most immediate ethical duties
d.	all of the above

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 178

25. Using Joycelyn Pollock’s analytical steps to clarifying ethical dilemmas, police should

a.	review all the facts
b.	identify relevant potential values of the parties
c.	identify the most immediate moral or ethical issue
d.	all of the above

ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: pg. 178

ESSAY

1. Discuss the idea that the two parts of our ethic to live by, beneficence and justice, can conflict. First consider examples from civilian life where they conflict. Then discuss police examples. In each case discuss why beneficence must be the controlling principle.

ANS:

We must be fair in our treatment, but first we must do no harm and try to do good and prevent evil.

PTS: 1 REF: pgs. 168-170

2. Discuss victimless crimes. What are examples and what are the elements they all have in common? With an eye toward Part III’s discussion of particular types of police misconduct, consider why victimless crimes almost invariably produce police corruption.

ANS:

Adults, consent, no one is harmed. Gambling, prostitution, recreational drugs, etc.

PTS: 1 REF: pgs. 174-176|Box 10.4 on pg. 174

3. Discuss the difference between an ethical question and an ethical dilemma. First, consider examples from life in general. Then discuss examples from police work.

ANS:

Dilemmas pose you with a choice that must be made, choices between conflicting duties. An ethical question may be hard to answer. But when one does the right thing in facing an ethical question, even though it might be difficult, one is left with a good feeling about oneself.

PTS: 1 REF: pg. 177

4. What are the elements of the police officer’s “craft”? How would you describe the multiple sorts of types of practical skills involved in being a good, competent officer?

ANS:

Academic knowledge, street sense, particularized skills, and intuitive logic, according to Skolnick.

PTS: 1 REF: Box 10.6 on pg. 180|pgs. 181-190

5. So much time and effort has been spent since 1969 in the pursuit of the war on drugs that it is a very, very touchy subject in the police world. The overwhelming majority of police officers and administrators are committed “drug warriors.” They accept America’s drug laws and participate in the war willingly. On the other hand, not only are there a substantial number of citizens who are in favor of legalizing drugs, but a steadily increasing number of police officers, a “substantial minority,” are as well. In the midst of this controversy, the American police officer must soldier on.

Write an essay about victimless crimes, focusing in particular upon drug laws. Discuss the classic elements of victimless crimes, which of course include huge profits, an ongoing demand, and official corruption. Discuss how this corruption is created by the fact that (1) so much money is involved and, at the same time, (2) often there are no specifically “victimized” citizens present at times of potential arrests. (In fact, drug dealers and police officers are usually the only people present, and the dealers want the police to take some payoff money and “just go away.”) Include a discussion of these realities in your essay and include the debate about how legalizing drugs might lessen police corruption of authority. Finally, take your own stand on the issues involved. Where are you with regard to, say, the legalization of drugs—marijuana (in particular)?

ANS:

Consenting adults with no direct harm done to others, vast sums of wealth that can be used to buy loyalty, including corrupting government officials.

PTS: 1 REF: pgs. 174-176|Box 10.4 on pg. 174