Chapter 2: Quiz ANSWERS

Section 1: True/False

Please indicate which answers below are true and which are false.

1. The Fourth Amendment governs arrests.

ANS: True

2. An arrest must be supported by probable cause.

ANS: True

3. In some states, a citizen has the power to detain a person who has committed a crime.

ANS: True

4. A police officer must physically touch a person before he or she is considered under arrest.

ANS: False.

5. A person is under arrest when he or she believes that an arrest has occurred.

ANS: False

6. The degree of proof needed for probable cause is the same as required to prove a person guilty of the crime.

ANS: False

7. Probable cause is required when an officer briefly detains a person.

ANS: False

8. In some situations, a police officer is authorized to actually pat down the outer clothing of an individual he has briefly detained.

ANS: True

9. There is a preference at law for a warrant over warrantless arrests and seizures

ANS: True

10. An officer has a search warrant authorizing seizure of narcotics, but during the search he finds evidence of another crime. He is permitted to seize it, even though it is not mentioned in the search warrant.

ANS: True

Section 2: Multiple Choice

Please indicate the correct answer for the following questions:

1. The standard that law enforcement must show to justify an arrest:
a. reasonable suspicion
b. reasonable grounds
c. probable cause
d. proof beyond a reasonable doubt

ANS: C

2. In which of the following scenarios is probable cause not required?
a. the arrest of a suspected drug dealer
b. the search of a suspected murderer’s home
c. when consent is given
d. when the suspect is clearly evasive

ANS: C

3. All of the following are considered to be specific acts that can give rise to probable cause, except:
a. police description over the radio
b. prior run-ins with the suspect
c. suspicious or unusual behavior
d. information provided by a citizen

ANS: B

4. Danny is an off-duty police officer who sees a man parked outside a closed jewelry store. He has a strong gut feeling that the man is up to something, so he asks the man to step out of his car and cuffs him. Which of the following is true about this scenario?
a. It is a valid arrest
b. It is an improper arrest because Danny was off-duty
c. It is an improper arrest because Danny cannot arrest based on a ‘hunch’
d. It is an improper arrest because Danny shouldn’t have been near the jewelry store

ANS: C

5. All of the following are exceptions to the search warrant requirement, except:
a. administrative searches
b. evidence found in trash
c. evidence dropped by a fleeing suspect
d. evidence discovered after a valid consent

ANS: A

6. Carl is stopped at the U.S. border between Mexico and the United States. Border Patrol officers become suspicious about his contradictory answers about where he was in Mexico. They ask for consent to search and Carl refuses. The officers inform him that they have a drug-sniffing dog on hand, who can sniff out illegal narcotics. They again ask for consent and Carl again refuses. They bring in the dog who immediately scratches at Carl’s spare tire. This is how the dog indicates the presence of illegal narcotics. They open the tire and find a kilo of cocaine. Is this a valid search?
a. No, because there was no legal basis for the use of the dog.
b. No, because the search was carried out over Carl’s objection.
c. Yes, because there was a valid consent
d. Yes, because there was sufficient probable cause after the dog scratched at the tire

ANS: D

7. Police stake out Carl’s house because they suspect that he is growing marijuana under special lights in his basement. They have a special camera that allows them to read the heat signature of these special lights. Carl’s basement shows that such lights are being used. Do they have sufficient probable cause for a search?
a. Yes, because Carl’s use of the lights
b. No, because the use of the camera violated Carl’s right to privacy
c. Yes, because Carl is a known drug dealer
d. No, because Carl’s house is located on a private street

ANS: B

8. A search warrant can become ‘stale’ and no longer legally effective when:
a. too much time has elapsed since it was issued
b. the warrant refers to items that are not yet in the jurisdiction
c. the judge refuses to issue the warrant
d. all of the above

ANS: A

9. Danny obtains a warrant to search a local warehouse for ‘any evidence of illegal activity.’ He discovers some marijuana in an employee’s locker. At trial, the employee challenges the seizure on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. Is it?
a. No, because Danny had a valid warrant, signed by the judge
b. No, because the warrant stated that Danny could search for evidence of illegal activity
c. Yes, because the warrant was too vague
d. Yes, because there was no proof that Danny knew the identity of the employee

ANS: C

10. Danny stops Carl on the street and asks Carl some questions. Danny doesn’t like Carl’s answers and tells him so. Carl wants to walk away. Can he?
a. No, because he is under arrest
b. Yes, because Danny had no right to ask him questions in the first place
c. No, because a reasonable person who believe that he was under arrest
d. Yes, because he is not under arrest and Danny has no probable cause to detain him further

ANS: D