Test Bank For Police Supervision and Management: In an era of Community Policing, 3rd Edition

Chapter 2: Roles and Responsibilities Multiple-Choice Items 1. The assessment center process may include which of the following: a. interviews, psychological tests, in-basket exercises. b. management tasks, group discussions, role-playing exercises, c. interviews with the public and news media, and written exercises. d. None of the above e. All of the above e 2. The most important member of an organization is often the: a. chief. c. first-line supervisor. b. patrol officer. d. public. c 2. The supervisor’s role is to get his or her subordinates to: a. do their very best c. follow the letter of the law. b. come to work on time. d. cope effectively with job stress. b. 4. For supervision to be effective over time, it requires continuous: a. monitoring and adaptation. c. discipline and training. b. control and authority. d. communication and counseling. a 5. Supervisors are also responsible for: a. resource allocation, officer training, and public relations. b. implementation, public relations, and reports to management. c. counseling, training, and officer morale. d. program development, resource allocation, and implementation. d 6. The ideal supervisor needs to possess all but which of the following qualifications? a. Ability to write and prepare reports b. A capacity for being discrete and intelligent c. Rudimentary knowledge of criminal law d. All of the above d 7. Difficulties to being a new supervisor include all but which of the following? a. A new responsibility for several other employees b. Authority over friends and peers c. Performing administrative tasks such as developing agency policy d. Continuously adapting to changes in the environment and in the organization c 8. Fully half of all American police agencies have fewer than a. 12 c. b. 10 d. full-time sworn personnel. 7 9 b 9. of: The key determinant of whether a style of management will be most successful is the nature a. b. a the subordinates. the supervisor. c. d. the organization. upper management. 10. Which of the following is not a type of supervisor according to Engel? a. Active c. Traditional b. Productive d. Innovative b 11. Personal crimes require: a. fewer officers. b. more cost to investigate. c. d. smaller detective caseloads. the highest clearance rate. c 12. Perhaps the greatest responsibility given to supervisors is: a. guiding moral and intellectual development. b. training officers in laws regarding use of force. c. teaching officers stress management techniques. d. countering the negative effects of the police job. a 13. Undercover investigators sometimes become so immersed in lies and deception that they: a. quit their jobs to remain in that lifestyle. b. don’t see family and friends for months. c. become confused about their occupational role. d. develop an intense dislike for society. c 14. Supervisors must review each instance of use of force to determine whether: a. it was proper and legal. b. it was close to the departmental guidelines. c. the person or their family will sue. d. it was preceded by a warning. a 15. Supervisors should monitor officer behavior to: a. see that they are patrolling their beat. b. know where they are if needed for an emergency response. c. maintain control. d. correct unsafe practices. d 16. A primary role for supervisors over property crime investigators is: a. administering frequent polygraph examinations. b. determining who owns recovered property. c. enlisting the assistance of personal-crime detectives. d. caseload management, prioritizing and screening cases. d 17. A primary supervisory responsibility regarding patrol is to: a. ensure that officers use their free patrol time productively. b. “surveil” officers and report all of their errors. c. “curtail” officers’ activities and keep them reined in. d. “unveil” the code of ethics at every opportunity. a 18. b Which of the following is not an administrative task performed by lieutenants? a. Preparing various reports c. Preparing duty roster b. Performing the duties of a police officer d. Maintaining time sheets 19. Von der Embse suggests that a good supervisor spend at least managing. a. 60 b. 40 c. d. percent of his or her time 50 30 c 20. Promotions should only be given to those who: a. need power. b. desire better working conditions. c. are curious about the experience. d. desire to serve and improve the department. d 21. The most common complaint heard from police executives is that supervisors: a. do not exercise enough control over subordinates. b. exercise too much control over subordinates. c. have too much power in the organization. d. are too highly educated for their position. a 22. Which of the following is not a source of variation in police supervision? a. Time c. Structure b. Place d. Size c 23. What is the most important challenge a supervisor faces regarding his or her subordinates? a. A requirement to act in accordance with militaristic standards when instilling punishment b. Maintaining unquestioned strength and toughness among subordinates c. Restoring balance in the lives of his or her subordinates d. Demonstrating unconditional positive regard towards subordinates c 24. Detectives do not engage in which of the following duties? a. Preparing applications for warrants b. Insuring that crime clearance rates are low, to ensure funding increases c. Performing undercover work d. Gathering physical evidence b 25. According to Engel, which type of supervisor develops strong relationships with subordinates, inspires officers, and tries to protect officers from management? a. Supportive c. Traditional b. Innovative d. Active a 26. What is one of the main differences between supervisors and managers? a. Only managers review the use of force utilized by subordinates. b. Managerial positions require more conceptual skills, such as, planning and staffing. c. Only managers interact with individual officers and engage in specific tasks. d. Mangers must develop and implement new programs for the department. b 27. A written media policy should be grounded on all but which one of the following basic precepts: a. lie or embellish a story to the media only if the investigation if a suspect is at large. b. never dribble out a story in tiny scraps. c. do not try to shift the blame unnecessarily. d. a honor your promises; if you tell a reporter you will do something, do it. True-False Items 1. Recognition of long-term service (seniority) should be a primary consideration when determining whether a candidate should be promoted to higher-level positions. f 2. Developing job descriptions is the first step is to identify behaviors important to the successful performance of the position. t 3. Individual and group role playing are not recommended during the assessment center process, as they are unrealistic. f 4. An in-basket situation for an assessment center involves candidates being given an abundance of paperwork, policies, and problems to be prioritized and dealt with in a prescribed amount of time. t 5. During each assessment center exercise, raters analyze each candidate’s performance and record some type of evaluation. t 6. Assessment centers are more difficult to conduct, more labor-intensive, and more costly than traditional interviewing procedures; therefore they are not usually worth the extra investment. f 7. Supervision entails little overseeing, guiding, and correcting. f 8. and The supervisory role is one that is caught in the middle: they deal with working employees management. t 9. Effective supervision is simplistic in nature because the job is static, not dynamic. f 10. There is substantial interdependence within police organizations. t 11. Managers provide an important communication link between workers and supervisors. f 12. Supervising primarily involves two managerial functions: directing and controlling. t 13. It is common for more than half of all persons promoted to sergeant in an agency to be someone working outside the patrol division at the time. t 14. An important difference between small and larger organizations is in the degree of specialization that affects supervisors. t 15. in The most common characteristics of police recruits are a desire to help others and an interest job security. t 16. 17. growth. Police officers seldom become more conservative and suspicious as a result of adopting the police role. f Supervisors are not in a position to have to encourage positive personal and professional f 18. The most common work assignments in police departments are patrol and investigations. t 19. Property crimes, personal crimes, and vice are three areas of investigative work that have differing implications for supervision. t 20. Supervisors do not need to give careful attention to the details of an investigation. f 21. The basic management academy, not supervisors, help officers learn to use power wisely. f 22. the A supervisor’s type is largely dependent on his or her experiences on the job, training, and organization of the department. t 23. No other position or rank in policing exerts more direct influence over employees than the supervisor. t 24. The police capability to use force has no bearing on police – citizen relations. f 25. Because of the inherent danger of police work, supervisors are responsible for enhancing officer safety and helping them to deal with psychological effects of danger. t 26. Supervisors have no responsibility to help officers develop into reliable and consistent decision makers. f 27. police Order maintenance and social services are often labeled by the police culture as “not real work.” t 28. much The most common complaint heard from police executives is that supervisors exercise too control over subordinates. f 29. Supervisors are not normally assigned to directing and controlling their subordinates’ use of authority. f 30. According to Engel, the most effective type of supervisor is the innovative supervisor. f 31. The unit commander has many of the same responsibilities as the chief, but to a smaller scale. t 32. A good sergeant always makes a good captain or lieutenant. f 33. The best method for promoting personnel is the assessment center. t 34. The range of activity under the supervisor’s authority is generally wider in larger agencies. f 35. Research indicates that supervision is extremely weak in most police departments. t 36. Community policing does not result in lax supervision. t 37. The agency media policy should explain to all personnel the proper steps for referring reporters up the chain of command, what the chain is, and where they are on the chain. t Essay Items 1. Name five avenues of professional growth for police supervisors. 2. What are five of the ten tasks that, according to incumbent sergeants, are of the greatest importance? 4. Explain the five key features of police work. 5. Explain Katz’s three skills that must be possessed by good leaders. 3. Describe the different types of supervisors according to Engel. 4. Explain how lieutenants’ and captains’ tasks differ.