GRE-GMAT MATH

528 Pages·2005·4.15 MB·English

ARCO
M
ASTER THE
P O
OLICE FFICER
E
XAM
th
17 Edition
Fred M. Rafilson, Ph.D.
President, I/O Solutions,
Publisher of the
National Criminal Justice
Officer Selection Inventory
AnARCOBook
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Contents
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Before You Begin ...................................... ix
How to Use This Book ........................... ix
PART I: A CAREER AS A POLICE OFFICER
1 What Police Officers Do .......................... 3
Traits of a Police Officer ........................... 4
Duties of a Police Officer .......................... 6
Essential Job Tasks Performed by Police Officers ... 8
Specialized Assignments .......................... 13
Special-Purpose Public Police Forces ............. 18
The New Role of Police .......................... 19
General Working Conditions ..................... 20
Employment Outlook ............................. 21
A Career as a Detective ........................... 23
2 Police Recruit Qualifications .................... 29
General Requirements ............................ 29
A Typical Notice of Examination ................. 32
3 Municipal Police Forces ......................... 39
Organization of Municipal Police Forces .......... 39
Line Functions ................................... 40
Staff Functions ................................... 42
Civilian Personnel ................................ 43
Auxiliary Staff Services ........................... 44
4 The Police Officer Screening Process ............ 49
The Written Examination ......................... 49
Oral Board Interviews ............................ 53
VI Contents
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. Video-Based Examinations ........................ 57
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. The Medical Examination ......................... 61
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. Physical Performance Tests ....................... 71
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. The Background Check .......................... 98
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. The Psychological Evaluation ..................... 99
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PART II: POLICE OFFICER EXAM REVIEW
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.5 Police Judgment Quizzer ...................... 109
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. About the Police Judgment Quizzer .............. 109
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. Test-Taking Strategies for the Police
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. Judgment Quizzer ............................... 110
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. Sample Police Quizzer ........................... 115
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. Answer Key and Explanations.................... 159
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.6 Reading-Based Questions ..................... 177
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. Test-Taking Strategies for
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. Reading-Based Questions ........................ 177
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. Sample Questions ............................... 180
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. Answer Key and Explanations.................... 195
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. Practice with Reading-Based Questions .......... 199
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. Answer Key and Explanations.................... 212
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.7 Observation and Memory ..................... 215
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. Police Observation of Persons, Places,
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. and Things....................................... 215
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. Practice with Observation and Memory
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. Questions ....................................... 217
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. Answer Key and Explanations.................... 227
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.PART III: FIVE PRACTICE TESTS
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New York Police Department Test
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.Preparation Kit ...................................... 233
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. Exercise 1 ....................................... 237
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. Answer Key ..................................... 260
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Contents VII
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Exercise 2 ....................................... 261.
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Answer Key ..................................... 285.
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National Criminal Justice Officer Selection .
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InventoryTM .......................................... 289 .
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Practice Test .................................... 289.
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Answer Key and Explanations.................... 310.
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Practice Test 3 ....................................... 319 .
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Memory Booklet ................................ 319.
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Practice Test .................................... 322.
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Answer Key and Explanations ................... 356.
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Practice Test 4 ....................................... 367 .
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Memory Booklet ................................ 367.
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Practice Test .................................... 368.
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Answer Key and Explanations.................... 394.
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Practice Test 5 ....................................... 405 .
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Practice Test .................................... 405.
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Answer Key and Explanations.................... 429.
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PART IV: APPENDICES .
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Appendix A: The Police Academy ................... 441 .
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The First Step in Your Career .................... 441.
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Pre-Academy Preparation ........................ 444.
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Dealing with the ‘‘Boot Camp’’ Environment .... 446.
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Classroom Conduct ............................. 448.
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Lectures and Exams ............................. 449.
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Academy Subjects ............................... 451.
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Physical Training ................................ 455.
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Arrest and Control Classes ....................... 461.
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Dress Codes ..................................... 462.
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Role Plays ....................................... 463.
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Weapons Training ............................... 464.
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Emergency Vehicle Driving ...................... 465.
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VIII Contents
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. Field Trips ...................................... 465
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. Graduation ...................................... 466
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. Field Officer Training ........................... 466
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Appendix B: Physical Fitness Course ................ 471
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. Defining Fitness ................................. 471
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. Program for Women ............................ 474
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. Program for Men ................................ 492
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. Staying Fit ....................................... 508
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. Isometrics ....................................... 509
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. Water Activities ................................. 511
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. Weight Training ................................. 512
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. Sports ........................................... 513
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Before You Begin
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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Everytown,city,county,andstateneedsqualifiedandenthusiasticnewpolice
recruits. This book was carefully researched and written to help you navigate
the application and screening process. The information provided will prepare
youforthewrittenexam,educateyouonthephysicalskillsyouneed,andgive
youvaluabletipstosucceedduringyourinterviewandpsychologicalscreening.
Togetthemostoutofthisbook,takethetimetoreaditcarefullyandthoroughly.
Once you know what to expect, you will feel confident in your chances of
fulfilling your dream of becoming a police officer. You can gain even more
confidence by preparing for the written test.
The first step in your preparation is to create a study schedule. Devote a
periodoftimeeachdaytopreparationforthepolicescreeningprocess.Choose
a quiet, well-lit spot with as few distractions as possible.
Part I gives an overview of the duties of police officers and the qualifications
that are required. It also gives an overview of the organization and functions
within municipal police forces.All of this information will give you a sense of
what to expect as a police officer and the options you may have in the
departmenttowhichyouareassigned.Don’thesitatetounderlinepointsthat
you consider significant or to make notes in the margins. Part I also contains
detailsabouteachportionofthepoliceofficerscreeningprocess.Thisincludes
information about the written and video-based exams, the oral board inter-
view, the medical exam, the psychological evaluation, the background check,
and the physical performance tests. Tips are given to help you understand
each step of the process.
PartIIofferscomprehensivereviewmaterialcoveringthethreemaintypesof
questions that appear on the written police examination. The question types
are Practical Judgment, Reading-Based, and Observation and Memory. Many
policeforcestestonlyinthesethreeareas.Eachofthesechaptersbeginswith
instructions about the topic and the kind of question and gives practical
suggestionsabouthowtoanswerthequestions.Readtheinstructionsineach
ix
X Before You Begin
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chapter and try the practice questions. Then study the answer explanations.
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You can learn a great deal from them, and even when you have answered
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correctly, the explanation may bring out points that had not occurred to you.
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This will reinforce your understanding of the questions.
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.When you feel that you are well prepared, move on to Part III—the exams.
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.They are sample police examinations and practice exams that were created
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.using questions that have appeared on police exams over the years. We are
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.grateful to the NewYork Police Department for use of their Test Preparation
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.Kit containing sample exams. Note that many cities have different types of
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.exams; included in this book are samples of various types that you may
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.encounter.
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.If possible, work through an entire exam in one sitting. If you must divide
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.yourtime,divideitintonomorethantwosessionsperexam.Youneednotdo
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.thefirstexamfirst.Thepracticeexamsaresomewhatshorterthantheactual
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.New York City exams. It might be wise to save the longest exams for a
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.weekend.
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.When you do take the exams, time yourself accurately and do not peek at the
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.correctanswers.Remember,youaretakingtheseforpractice;theywillnotbe
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.scored and do not count. So learn from them.
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PartIVgivesacomprehensiveoutlineofwhattoexpectonceyouareaccepted
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into the police academy, along with a sample physical fitness course with a
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program for women and a program for men. This will help you prepare for
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your physical performance tests and to reach the fitness level you need for
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success at the police academy.
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.Although we have done our best to provide you with the most comprehensive
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.informationtohelpyoulaunchyourpoliceofficercareer,you’llneedtodoabit
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.of work on your own to find out about the specific requirements for the police
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.departmentinyourparticularcity.Butthebasicsarehere,andyouwillhave
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.abetterunderstandingofthepoliceofficerscreeningprocessandthepractice
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.you need to score high on your exam.
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.Congratulations on choosing a career as a police officer, and best of luck!
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