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Police Academy 101 (U.S. Law) Trivia Quiz

Police officers have to make snap judgements in all kinds of situations. They don't have the luxury of carrying law books or having weeks and months to make up their minds when deciding to arrest someone. Let's see how much you know about the law.

A multiple-choice quiz by Jack212. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
Jack212

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
245,617

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
9 / 10

Plays
4854

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 104 (9/10), Guest 74 (9/10), Guest 97 (7/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. When a police officer makes an arrest without a warrant he/she must have obeyed this rule of law. Hint

Probable cause

Preponderance of evidence

General suspicion

The facts

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Question 2 of 10

2. What is a K-9 officer? Hint

An officer who works with a trained dog

The officer that has a radio number of "K-9"

An officer that works inside the police station answering the phones

An officer that looks for fingerprints at the scene of crimes

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Question 3 of 10

3. In US law, what is the generally accepted definition of first degree murder? Hint

It is when someone shoots another in cold blood

It is when the defendant makes a complete confession

It is when the person is caught red handed

It is when there is premeditation or when the murder happens during the commission of a felony

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which one of these calls for service would the police probably NOT respond to? Hint

When someone calls the police about a barking dog that keeps them awake

When somone reports a murder

When someone complains that the neighbor's radio is too loud

When a credit card company calls to complain that someone has not paid their monthly balance

5. Aunt Tillie and Mr. Jones have a minor traffic accident in the parking lot of the mall, although no-one is injured. One of them calls the police but the dispatcher says that the police would not be coming. Why is that? Hint

The mall security guards would probably handle the accident and arrest whoever was at fault

A traffic accident, especially when there is no major damage or injury, is a civil matter

The police don't go onto mall property unless there is a murder

Officers can't be bothered with accidents involving old people

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Question 6 of 10

6. Joe Smith is walking down the street and finds a wallet on the sidewalk. It contains two hundred dollars and the driver's licence of Mary Jones. Joe considers this a stroke of luck and keeps the money. This is called "finders keepers" and Joe gets to keep the money.

True

False

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Question 7 of 10

7. What crime has been committed when a man confronts someone on a sidewalk, hit them over the head knocking them down, and then takes their wallet? Hint

Coersion

Larceny

Robbery

Theft

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Question 8 of 10

8. What crime has been committed when someone goes into a store, hides a twenty dollar item under their coat, and leaves without paying? Hint

Encroachment

Robbery

Theft

Embezzlement

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Question 9 of 10

9. What is one test that an officer might give to a driver who is suspected of driving while drunk? Hint

Doing a cartwheel

Spelling the names of five U.S. senators

The hop, skip, and jump test

Walking in a straight line heel to toe

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Question 10 of 10

10. When someone has been arrested and is due to appear in court he/she is called; Hint

The defendant

The plaintiff

The suspect

The prosecutor

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When a police officer makes an arrest without a warrant he/she must have obeyed this rule of law.

Answer: Probable cause

Probable cause has been defined as "what the reasonable man would believe". In other words (in this hypothetical situation) someone breaks into a house and escapes with a tv. The home owner sees the culprit get into a purple Cadillac and speed away. Two miles away a police officer sees a purple Cadillac going seventy miles an hour.

The officer stops the Cadillac and sees a tv in the back seat. This would be probable cause for an arrest. Does it mean that the driver is guilty? No. But there is probable cause for the officer to believe that the driver committed the crime.

2. What is a K-9 officer?

Answer: An officer who works with a trained dog

A K-9 (actually an "spin-off" of the word Canine) officer trains with a dog until his superiors believe that the dog is qualified and trained to go on the street. The dog might have been trained to track suspects and items, look for certain scents, or detect explosives.

3. In US law, what is the generally accepted definition of first degree murder?

Answer: It is when there is premeditation or when the murder happens during the commission of a felony

Generally first degree murder is when murder is committed with premeditation or when a murder is committed during a felony. For example you are the driver of the car and your partner goes into a bank and robs the bank and shoots and kills the teller. You as the driver could be convicted of first degree murder even though you never entered the bank.

4. Which one of these calls for service would the police probably NOT respond to?

Answer: When a credit card company calls to complain that someone has not paid their monthly balance

The credit card case would probably be considered a civil matter and not a police matter. All of the other calls are legitimate calls for police service.

Answer: A traffic accident, especially when there is no major damage or injury, is a civil matter

Over twenty years ago most major police departments decided that investigating minor traffic accidents were a waste of manpower and time. Today the police only respond if the accident is blocking a major road or if there is personal injury. Of course there are exceptions and in small towns the police do handle minor accidents.

Answer: False

In most states a person who finds lost property, especially when there are clues to the identity of the owner, is obligated to either find the owner or to turn the property over to the police. In this case Joe could easily have seen that the wallet belonged to Mary Jones.

7. What crime has been committed when a man confronts someone on a sidewalk, hit them over the head knocking them down, and then takes their wallet?

Answer: Robbery

The definition of robbery is generally when someone takes property by using force, threat, or violence. Remember the exact wording of the law is probably slightly different in every state.

8. What crime has been committed when someone goes into a store, hides a twenty dollar item under their coat, and leaves without paying?

Answer: Theft

The definition of theft is when a person steals something of value but does not use force, violence, or threat. In some states this might be called "retail theft".

9. What is one test that an officer might give to a driver who is suspected of driving while drunk?

Answer: Walking in a straight line heel to toe

Officers might choose to ask the suspect to walk in a straight line by placing their front foot against the toe of their back foot and so on.

10. When someone has been arrested and is due to appear in court he/she is called;

Answer: The defendant

A person becomes a defendant after he has been arrested and a court date is set. Before arrest the person is merely the suspect.

Source: Author Jack212

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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