Deck 1: Introduction to Police Administration

Question 1

During the political era, police department structure was decentralized and controlled by community politicians.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Organizational maintenance refers to those administrative activities that maintain the department's ability to respond to public needs.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Which of the following terms refers to the general managing and organizing that occurs at the highest levels of an organization?

A) mid-level management
B) administration
C) supervision
D) discipline

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Suboptimization refers to the practice of individuals or units concentrating on their own objectives without considering the department's overall goals.

Question 5

Police departments have identifiable boundaries.In this view, "boundaries" refer to:

A) geographical barriers
B) the department's goals and the people it serves
C) budget constraints
D) managerial priorities

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT an activity performed in the typical large organization?

A) task performance
B) facilitating tasks
C) supervising task performance
D) task avoidance

Question 7

The Wickersham Commission encouraged America's law enforcement agencies to adopt a "law and order" focus.

Question 8

Many of the problems and concerns that confront police managers and administrators are the same ones that face managers and administrators in other lines of work.

Question 9

The community policing era preceded the 1980s' return to law and order.

Question 10

Police work in America is unique because:

A) employees handle a wide range of roles and tasks
B) sworn officers have the authority to arrest and use deadly force when necessary
C) agencies are expected to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week
D) all of these choices

Question 11

During the progressive reform era, department structures were highly centralized and organized along military lines.

Question 12

In police organizations, line personnel provide support and assistance.

Question 13

Policing has recently entered into a seventh historical era, the homeland security era.

Question 14

The concept of "boundaries" in police administration refers to the geographic borders in which the agency operates.

Question 15

The community relations era was characterized by participative management.

Question 16

Ronald Reagan's election in 1982 marked the beginning of 12 years of "law and order" government.

Question 17

Organization is concerned with the placement of people in the department.

Question 18

Goals are the specific processes an organization uses to direct its efforts.

Question 19

POSDCORB stands for:

A) planning, organizing, staffing, disciplining, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting
B) planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and boundary spanning
C) political maneuvering, organizing, staffing, disciplining, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting
D) planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting

Question 20

The first historical policing era was the progressive reform era.

Question 21

The 1980s saw a shift in police philosophy to:

A) community relations
B) accountability
C) law and order
D) homeland security

Question 22

__________ refers to the processes administrators, middle managers, and supervisors use to give an organization direction and to influence people to work toward organizational goals.

Question 23

The typical police organization resembles a:

A) military structure
B) pyramid with rank and file at the bottom and managers at the top
C) hierarchy
D) all of these choices

Question 24

Which of the following is the task of keeping everyone informed regarding operations through verbal and written directives, records, and inspections?

A) directing
B) coordinating
C) reporting
D) budgeting

Question 25

Which era is best characterized by emphasis on active participation by citizens in law enforcement issues?

A) progressive reform era
B) professional era
C) community relations era
D) community policing era

Question 26

In what era did the role of the police as law enforcers, or "crook catchers," crystallize?

A) progressive reform era
B) professional era
C) community relations era
D) homeland security era

Question 27

A highly centralized department structure was most characteristic of what policing era?

A) political era
B) progressive reform era
C) professional era
D) community policing era

Question 28

The __________ of the police can be defined as any proper or customary function performed by the police.

Question 29

__________ refers to the fact that public expectations and needs are constantly changing, requiring the department to change.

Question 30

A __________ is used to enumerate a department's purpose

Question 31

__________ refers to the general managing and organizing that occurs at the highest levels of an organization.

Question 32

What event was most responsible for the homeland security focus in many police agencies today?

A) Iraq war
B) Oklahoma City bombing
C) 9/11 attacks
D) all of these choices

Question 33

Those individuals who perform fundamental police activities or supervise them are referred to as __________ personnel.

Question 34

__________ are the specific results or achievements toward which the police organization directs its efforts.

Question 35

What is used to enumerate a department's purpose?

A) policy manual
B) city charter
C) mission statement
D) roll call

Question 36

If individuals or units concentrate on their own objectives without considering the department's overall goals, this is known as __________.

Question 37

__________ refers to those administrative activities that maintain the department's ability to respond to public needs.

Question 38

__________ refer to the department's goals and the people it serves.

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a purpose of a mission statement?

A) It notifies and educates officers and citizens about the department's values.
B) It outlines the procedure by which misconduct will be handled.
C) It provides a yardstick by which to measure the department's successes and failures.
D) It serves as a guide for establishing training and other socialization programs.

Question 40

The Wickersham Commission advocated redefinition of the police role from:

A) order maintenance to community policing
B) problem solving to community policing
C) order maintenance to law enforcement
D) law enforcement to order maintenance

Question 41

Summarize the impact of the Wickersham Commission on American policing.

Question 42

During the __________ era, the primary roles of police were order maintenance and provision of services to the community.

Question 43

During the __________ era, police came to see themselves as law enforcers.

Question 44

Explain the role of the administrator.

Question 45

Distinguish between public relations programs and community relations programs.

Question 46

Explain the acronym POSDCORB.

Question 47

__________ policing was rooted in team policing, which used participatory management, geographic stability of assignment, and community involvement.

Question 48

During the community relations era, __________ programs focused on improving the police department's image through public education.

Question 49

Summarize the elements of the political era.

Question 50

The __________ era places heavy emphasis on intelligence collection.