Police Test

» Police Written Test Answers

Police Officer Practice Test: Judgment & Problem Solving 1

1.	While on foot patrol downtown, Officer Gutierrez is approached by Ms. Louise Herald, who says that a man snatched a shopping bag full of gifts from her arm and ran away. Ms. Herald remembers the contents of the shopping bag as follows: 1 cashmere sweater valued at $260 3 diamond bracelets, each valued at $365 1 computer game valued at $78 1 cameo brooch valued at $130 Later, Officer Gutierrez receives a call from Ms. Herald, who says she has found the receipts for the stolen merchandise. She says that what she told the officer was correct, except that there were only two diamond bracelets, not three, and that the value of the cashmere sweater was $245. What should Officer Gutierrez write as the total value of the stolen property?

			A.	$833
			B.	$1,183
			C.	$1,198
			D.	$1,563

Explanation:

The correct answer is B. Add the corrected value of the sweater ($245) to the value of the two, not three, bracelets ($730), plus the other two items ($78 and $130).

Officer Kemp has worked more night shifts in a row than Officer Rogers, who has worked five. Officer Miller has worked 15 night shifts in a row, more than Officers Kemp and Rogers combined. Officer Calvin has worked eight night shifts in a row, less than Officer Kemp. How many night shifts in a row has Officer Kemp worked?

			A.	eight
			B.	nine
			C.	ten
			D.	eleven

Explanation:

The correct answer is B. Officer Kemp has worked more shifts in a row than Officer Calvin; therefore, Kemp has worked more than eight shifts. The number of Kemp's shifts plus the number of Rogers's shifts (five) cannot equal 15 or more, the number of Miller's shifts. Therefore, Kemp has worked nine shifts in a row (5 + 9 = 14).

For the past two months, stereo shops all over the city have been hit by burglars in the early morning hours. Sergeant Adams tells Officer Bryant that he should carefully watch the stores in his area that specialize in stereo equipment. Which one of the following situations should Officer Bryant investigate?

			A.	a truck with its motor running, backed up to the rear door of the House of Stereos at 1:00 A.M.
			B.	a lone man going through a dumpster at the rear of the House of Stereos at 2:00 A.M.
			C.	a delivery van marked "House of Stereos" parked in the rear of the store at 2:00 A.M.
			D.	two teenage boys intently examining a stereo system in the window of House of Stereos just after midnight

Explanation:

The correct answer is A. A truck with the motor running, backed up to the rear door of a closed business at 1:00 A.M., is suspicious. Delivery vans owned by businesses are commonly parked on store property after hours (choice C). A lone man going through a dumpster would have no way to carry stereo equipment (choice B), and it would not be unusual for teenage boys to be looking at a stereo system in the window, even at midnight (choice D).

4.	Four eyewitnesses saw a vehicle being stolen and noted the license plate number. Each wrote down a different number listed below. Which one is probably right?

			A.	KLV 017
			B.	XIW 007
			C.	XIW 017
			D.	XIV 017

Explanation:

The correct answer is C. The elements of the license plate number that most often repeat in the descriptions are XIW and 017. Therefore, the correct license number is most likely XIW 017.

Please use the following to answer Questions 5 - 6.

An officer responding alone to the scene of a burglar alarm call should do the following:

Turn off siren and emergency lights as soon as possible to keep from alerting suspects.
Park the patrol car away from the building.
Notify the dispatcher of his or her arrival and location.
Begin checking the outside of the building for signs of entry.
Notify the dispatcher if signs of entry are discovered.
Wait for backup if it is available before going inside a building where entry has been made.
Tell backup officers where to position themselves as they arrive.

Officer Kim is dispatched to a burglar alarm call at 100 South Main Street, where the Quik Stop convenience store is located. The store closed at 1 A.M. and it is now 3 A.M. Officer Kim is parked in the parking lot of the pawnshop next door, writing a report, when the call comes out. Officer Kim's next step should be to

			A.	walk up to the building from the side so her approach is undetected.
			B.	wait for backup before approaching the building.
			C.	inform the dispatcher that she has arrived at 100 South Main Street.
			D.	check the outside of the building for signs of entry.

Explanation:

The correct answer is C. The officer has already done steps 1 and 2 because she is already at the location. Her next step would be to let the dispatcher know that she is on the scene (step 3).

Officer Smith is sent to 1313 Milbury Way on a residential burglary alarm call at 1 P.M. Traffic is heavy on the way to the call, and he turns on his emergency lights to help clear the way. Officer Smith is notified that no back-up is available in his sector. What is the next thing Officer Smith should do?

			A.	Park his patrol car a house or two away from 1313 Milbury Way.
			B.	Inform the dispatcher when he arrives.
			C.	Approach the front door, since any suspects are probably gone by now.
			D.	Turn off his emergency lights as soon as he can safely do so.

Explanation:

The correct answer is D. Officer Smith should turn off his emergency lights as the first step in answering a burglar alarm call.

7.	Police officers may find themselves in situations in which using a normal, conversational tone of voice is not enough to get an individual to do what the officer needs done. Which situation below calls for an officer to shout using a firm, authoritative tone of voice?

			A.	asking to see a driver's proof of automobile insurance after an accident
			B.	advising a new partner of a recently implemented departmental policy
			C.	chasing a burglar out of a house
			D.	asking a boy why he is not in school on a Monday morning

Explanation:

The correct answer is C. It would not be appropriate to shout in the situations described in choices A, B, or D. An officer would shout at a burglar because the situation calls for identifying him- or herself as a police officer. A loud, authoritative shout in this situation is part of the voice control officers should exercise as the first step in the use of force.

On Monday morning, Officers Rosen and McNalty respond to a call of a burglary that apparently took place over the weekend at Datamation Computer Consultants. The owner of the business says that the following equipment is missing:

3 telephone sets, each valued at $125
2 computers, each valued at $1,300
2 computer monitors, each valued at $950
1 printer valued at $600
1 answering machine valued at $50

Officer McNalty is preparing a complaint report on the burglary. What should he write as the total value of the missing property?

			A.	$3,025
			B.	$5,400
			C.	$5,525
			D.	$6,525

Explanation:

The correct answer is C. The total value of all three telephone sets at $125 each is $375. The total value of both computers at $1,300 each is $2,600. The two computer monitors, each valued at $950, have a total value of $1,900. Add those three totals to the printer at $600 and the answering machine at $50 for a grand total of $5,525 for all the stolen property.

In a four-day period—Monday through Thursday—each of the following officers worked only one day, each a different day. Officer Johnson was scheduled to work on Monday, but she traded with Officer Carter, who was originally scheduled to work on Wednesday. Officer Falk traded with Officer Kirk, who was originally scheduled to work on Thursday. After all the switching was done, who worked on Tuesday?

			A.	Carter
			B.	Falk
			C.	Johnson
			D.	Kirk

Explanation:

The correct answer is D. After all the switches were made, Officer Kirk worked on Tuesday. Officer Carter worked on Monday, Officer Johnson on Wednesday, and Officer Falk on Thursday.

10.

Mrs. Oneida called the police to report that a man was looking into her bedroom window last night around 9:45 P.M. Officer Williams talks to residents in the area and finds out several people have seen a white male dressed in black walking up and down the street at about 10 P.M. for the past week. Officer Williams decides to patrol the area closely and is in the area by 9:30 P.M. Which situation below should she investigate?

			A.	two teenagers in jeans and dark T-shirts sitting on the curb, smoking cigarettes
			B.	a man wearing black jogging shorts and dark shoes stretching his legs in the driveway of a house
			C.	a man dressed in dark jeans and a navy blue turtleneck walking rapidly away from some shrubbery at the side of a house
			D.	a man in dark clothing attaching a water hose to the faucet on the side of a house

Explanation:

The correct answer is C. The officer is looking for a suspect dressed in dark clothing who has been seen walking up and down a residential street during a specific time span—a window peeper. Choices A, B, and D suggest normal neighborhood activity because all the people involved are out in the open. The shrubbery the man in choice C is walking away from suggests a hiding place near a window.

11.	Four people witnessed a mugging. Each gave a different description of the mugger. Which description is probably right?

			A.	He was average height, thin, and middle-aged.
			B.	He was tall, thin, and middle-aged.
			C.	He was tall, thin, and young.
			D.	He was tall, of average weight, and middle-aged.

Explanation:

The correct answer is B. Tall, thin, and middle-aged are the elements of the description repeated most often and are therefore the most likely to be accurate.

12.

Officer Jones is the first officer to arrive at the scene of a burglary at Wiggin's Liquor Store. After making sure the scene is secure, he begins to collect evidence. The first item he finds is a screwdriver lying on the sidewalk in front of the glass doors leading into the store. The second item he sees is a small flashlight on the floor inside the building. Officer Jones places the screwdriver in a small plastic bag. What is the next thing he should do?

			A.	Lock the screwdriver in the trunk of his car.
			B.	Seal the bag with evidence tape so that the bag cannot be opened.
			C.	Write the case number and other information about the evidence on the outside of the bag.
			D.	Put the flashlight in the bag with the screwdriver.

Explanation:

The correct answer is B. Sealing the bag is step 2 on the list of procedures.

13.

Officers Roberts and Reed are on bicycle patrol in the downtown area. Sergeant McElvey tells them that a white male has been committing robberies along the nearby bike path by stepping out of the bushes and threatening bicyclists with an iron pipe until they give him their bicycles. There have been three separate incidents, and the suspect descriptions are from three different victims.

Robbery #1: Suspect is a white male, 20–25 years old, 5'9', 145 pounds, with a shaved head, wearing a skull earring in the left ear, floppy white T-shirt, worn light blue jeans, and black combat boots.

Robbery #2: Suspect is a white male, 25–30 years old, dark brown hair in a military-style crew cut, 6'2', 200 pounds, wearing a white T-shirt with the words "Just Do It" on the back, blue surgical scrub pants, and black combat boots.

Robbery #3: Suspect is a white male, 23 years old, 5'10', skinny build, no hair, wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt, blue baggy pants, dark shoes, and one earring.

Three days after Sergeant McElvey told the officers about the robberies, Officer Reed arrested a suspect for attempting to take a woman's mountain bike from her on the bicycle path. The description of the suspect is as follows:

Robbery #4: Suspect is a white male, 22 years old, 140 pounds, 5'10', with a shaved head and one pierced ear, wearing a plain white T-shirt two sizes too large for him, faded baggy blue jeans, and scuffed black combat boots.

After comparing the suspect description with those in the first three robberies, Officer Reed should consider the arrested man as a suspect in which of the other robberies?

			A.	Robbery #1, Robbery #2, and Robbery #3
			B.	Robbery #1, but not Robbery #2 or Robbery #3
			C.	Robbery #1 and Robbery #3, but not Robbery #2
			D.	Robbery #1 and Robbery #2, but not Robbery #3

Explanation:

The correct answer is C. The suspect described in Robbery #2 has a crew-cut hairstyle, is at least five inches taller than the other suspects, and is about 60 pounds heavier. The other three descriptions are much more likely to be of the same man because they all describe a similar build and mention one earring or a pierced ear.

14.	Officers are required to immediately report to their supervisor any damage to a patrol car. In which situation below should an officer call the supervisor to report a damaged patrol car?

			A.	A disgruntled citizen kicks a tire on the patrol car as she walks past it.
			B.	The driver's door is dented in by an irate man under arrest for public intoxication.
			C.	The officer bumps a pole while backing out of an alley but finds no dents or scratches on the vehicle.
			D.	The officer finds a dozen eggs smashed on the windshield.

Explanation:

The correct answer is B. No damage has been done to the patrol car in choices A, C, or D.

Please use the following to answer Question 15.

The first officer to respond to the scene of a sexual assault has many responsibilities. The officer should take the following steps in the order listed:

Aid the victim if necessary by calling for an ambulance or administering first aid.
Try to calm and comfort the victim as much as possible.
If the attack is recent, get a suspect description from the victim and radio the dispatcher to put out a be-on-the-lookout broadcast.
Find out from the victim where the crime occurred.
Determine if there is any physical evidence on the victim that may need to be preserved, such as pieces of the suspect’s skin or blood under the victim’s fingernails.
If possible, have the victim change clothing, and then take the clothing he or she was wearing as evidence.
Convince the victim to undergo a medical exam for his or her health and safety and so that evidence may be gathered.

15.

Officer Augustine is at 2101 Reynolds Street talking to Betty Smith, the victim of a sexual assault. Ms. Smith is uninjured and is very calm. She gives Officer Augustine a detailed description of her attacker and says she thinks he may be headed for a nearby tavern. At this point, Officer Augustine should

			A.	get into his patrol car and drive to the tavern.
			B.	give the dispatcher the description of the suspect.
			C.	take the victim straight to the hospital for a medical exam.
			D.	have the victim change clothing.

Explanation:

The correct answer is B. The officer has already taken care of steps 1 and 2: The victim doesn't need immediate medical help, and she is calm. Step 3 tells the officer to radio the suspect description to the dispatcher so a be-on-the-lookout bulletin can be issued.

BACK TO WRITTEN TEST

Police Exam Video Training Course

The newest police practice tests, with Video Training! 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Police Test

• written test answers •