critique these oral board questions

[sheriff2004]

A guy who just got into our dept. had this question on his oral board, and wanted to know how a police officer would have answered it.


You get dispatched to a call. The victom is a young (20's) female who was just raped. As you approach the address where she is, you see a man who fits the description, a black male in his 30's, red hat, white shirt and black pants running out of the building. What do you do?


As you and your partner arrive on scene of a house that was avoiding the noise ordinace, you walk in and see 1lb of MJ and $10k in cash. You and your partner take the subjects into custody. Then you decide to tag the property as evidance. While your leaving, your counting the money and your partner decides to take $5k for himself. What do you do?

Some of my answers were different than his. Any feedback.

[backinblue]

These are my answers. Who knows what the board is looking for.

Question 1. Alert other units of your 20 and the chase is on. Have other units set up a perimeter and also have another unit respond to the Victims location. Attempt to have air and K9 respond ruff ruff. Notify your supervisor.


Question 2. Speak with your partener at the scene, tell him to put the money back because you don't want to get in the jack pot because of his actions. If he does nothing more will ever be said to anyone. If the money turns up missing CYA. Tell you supervisor and let them handle it.

Answers I wouldn't tell the board

Question 1. Shoot the suspect in the back because he is a fleeing felon.
Question 2. Pocket the other 5K whats 5K to a scum bag.

As you may know oral boards are more of a stress test. If you use common sense in your answers most likley the answers are not wrong. Another good way to respond is the old. "With proper police training I feel I would be more qualified to answer your question, but this is what I would do at this point"
Good luck

[469881Q]

Question 1. Alert other units of your 20 and the chase is on. Have other units set up a perimeter and also have another unit respond to the Victims location. Attempt to have air and K9 respond ruff ruff. Notify your supervisor.

The man leaving the building fits the description, but isn't necessarily the rapist. What if the rapist is still with the girl? If the second unit doesn't get there for another 10 minutes the girl could be dead. Wouldn't you call for backup and give the location and direction of the suspect and go and make sure the girl is okay? You're chancing a rapist getting away, but you also may save the girl's life.

[backinblue]

The man leaving the building fits the description, but isn't necassarily the rapist. What if the rapist is still with the girl? If the second unit doesn't get there for another 10 minutes the girl could be dead. Wouldn't you call for backup and give the location and direction of the suspect and go and make sure the girl is okay? You're chancing a rapist getting away, but you also may save the girl's life.

Thats true, but one would think that when the girl called 911, they would have all the information regarding the suspect. If the suspect was still there when the girl called 911 I would absolutley take your route. If the suspect had left the location then I would still chase the subject matching the description running away. In ordinary circumstances the Victim would still be on the line with 911 giving updates. In that case he saftey is verified. As far as a second unit not getting there for 10 that is not a likley senerio in the area I work. You do have valid points though. As you know every call is different so I based my answer on a senerio in my head, but what I would do if I recieved that exact call is based on more information then is provided here.

[hemicop]

Call for an air unit, K9 & establish a perimeter,advising responding units where to set-up & have radio inform a supervisor keeping in mind response time may be awhile so set -up a BIG perimeter (you can always shrink its size), If you catch up to the guy detain him per policy,using minimum force & explain a crime has occurred nearby & he fits the description of the susp. Don't tell him what type of crime. have the 2nd responding unit go to the victim & check on her. If you have a valid crime, preserve the crime scene & bring the victim to the susp. for a "one-on-one" identification. If it's the guy,good work . If it's not, have the 2nd responding unit remain with the victim, you another unit go with the K9 & conduct the search while the perimeter is maintained 7 the Air Unit searches overhead. Alot of work?Sure! But would you do or want anything different if it was your wife/daughter/mother? Taking money or dope from a crime scene? that's just wrong! tell your partner & if he stilldoes it ,you've got BIG problems

[469881Q]

...If you have a valid crime, preserve the crime scene & bring the victim to the susp. for a "one-on-one" identification...

Great information, I find these types of posts fascinating. Regarding the statement above, would you really do that, wouldn't a rape victim need to go straight to the hospital, or possibly talk to someone such as a councilor etc. before seeing the (suspected) rapist?

[hemicop]

Not necessarily. Physical evidence Should be gathered ASAP, but you're arriving minutes after it occurred so you do have SOME time. Anticipating your victim will "finger" any blackman she sees can be eliminated by follow-up questions of both her & the suspect. The procedure I mentioned is SOP in Phx. & has worked well for years.

[backinblue]

Great information, I find these types of posts fascinating. Regarding the statement above, would you really do that, wouldn't a rape victim need to go straight to the hospital, or possibly talk to someone such as a councilor etc. before seeing the (suspected) rapist?

No. The Victim of the crime would be taken to the suspect for a show up. Once the suspect is positivly identified as the perp. The perp would be arrested taken to the station for booking. The Victim then meets with Sex Crimes who in turn will take them to the hospital etc. Crime Lab would be called to the scene for collection of evidence. Responding patrol officers are there to secure the scene, and of course to write an initial report. The Sex Crime Detectives would then interview the perp along with Crime Lab who would collect evidence from the suspect. Then the arrest paperwork would be done by Sex Crimes Detectives and the initail responding officers.
Mabey just mabey the responding officers may get to sit in on the interview.

469881Q are you an LEO?

[sheriff2004]

Hemicop

i answered the question...first is victom safety, you would call in your location, advise backup and call for a sgt. Then have them set up a perimeter. The responsibility for the officer is to make sure the victom is safe and secure, if she happens to die, it's on your watch because you chose to chase a guy who looked like someone else. The backup will get him, he won't get away, nobody gets away from the police. They can issue a warrant for him, and pick him up, however they can't go back in time and prevent a girl from dying.....

The second question I answered the same exact way. First you give him the option to put it back with a little important advice. If he does, it goes away. If he doesn't, you inform the sgt. and let him handle it. I've worked too hard to get where I am, I'm not going to let someone take it away from me.

[hemicop]

Good answers. I was basing my response on what we do out here & what resources we have. Many agencies don't have air units up 24/7 or loads of personnel for back-up. With the victim as the caller I interprett3ed that to mean she was relatively safe & with a fleeing individual nearby I could afford the time to try to stop this person. In Phx we avg. 8-10 squads & overlapping shifts so back-up isn't always a problem. I think the thing here is ,to have a generalized plan & know what resources you can call on.

[sheriff2004]

hemicop

Definetly understand your response. The chief told him that either answer would have been correct as long as you can justify why you picked it. Nobody knows if she's the one who made the call, a neighbor could have. All he was told is that he was dispatched to the scene. But on each side, they argued. If you chased the suspect, then you leave the girl, if you protect the girl you loose the suspect. Either way you can't do both. I guess the only thing they were looking for is for you to back up your answer. If backup can assist the girl, then backup can chase the guy, it goes both ways. If she made the call, and she's o.k then you chase the guy, but what if it's not the guy, and he's still hiding out in her apt.or house, when he watches you leave, he goes after her again, this is a double edge knife, but a good mind boggler....

[hemicop]

True. Thinking about this for a minute, it's a good & fair, Oral Board "no win" situation. BUt like many Oral Board questions they want you to back-up your answer & see if you'll stick to it. Years ago, when i got on they asked me "You roll up to a traffic stop back-up & see the officer laying there as the car speeds away. What do you do?" I gave my answer And one of the board members,who was reading my file while I was answering, threw down the file & yelled at me,"You mean you would let the suspect get away?!!". I stuck to my answer & he just sat back down & said, "oh, okay". that was it. I hate Orals.