If you are pursuing a college degree in the social sciences, at some point you may need to earn credits in the principles of law enforcement. But what if you already know a lot about law enforcement? Maybe you have a family member who works for the city police, or perhaps you have read a lot of books independently. With DSST testing, you can earn college credit for what you already know, without having to pay for a semester ‘s worth of classes.
DSST is a prior learning assessment program that can allow you to test out of a course you already understand. Passing the DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement exam will award you three hours of lower-level college credit for your transcript if your college or university accepts the exam. While thousands of schools across the country accept DSST exams, you should make an appointment with your academic advisor to verify that your college or university views DSST as a valid form of credit.
Once you know that your school accepts DSST exams, you can register for the DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement exam with any college that administers DSST exams. You should plan to study for the exam before your scheduled test date, because although DSST exams are meant to measure what you already know, it is always a good idea to review.
The DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement exam covers these broad topics:
- History and Professional Movement of Law Enforcement
- Overview of United States Criminal Justice System
- Police Systems in the United States
- Police Organization, Management, and Issues
- United States Law and Precedents.
When you are studying for the exam, you should review a DSST study guide, which provides a detailed outline of what will appear on the exam, in addition to other helpful information.
DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement Practice Questions
1. The world’s first modern police force, the Metropolitan Police, was established in the early 19th century in what city?
A. Paris
B. London
C. Stockholm
D. New York City
2. The Metropolitan Police resembled modern police forces in all of the following ways EXCEPT:
A. They wore uniforms to stand out from the public
B. They patrolled the streets to deter crime
C. They used military-style hierarchies and administration
D. They received professional training at an academy
3. The education advocated by August Vollmer and implemented in criminal justice courses at the University of California in the 1920s could be best characterized as:
A. heavily influenced by social-science research
B. strongly based on criminology
C. mostly practical training on the administration of police work
D. derivative of earlier criminal justice education
4. The Kansas City experiment of the early 1970s provided which of the following results about police patrolling?
A. Increased patrolling reduced preventable crimes
B. Increased patrolling increased preventable crimes
C. Decreased patrolling increased preventable crimes
D. Changes in the amount of patrolling had no significant effect on preventable crimes
5. The Wickersham Commission of 1931 recognized that Prohibition was unenforceable largely because of an increase in which police activity?
A. Regular police beats disappeared due to the need to enforce Prohibition
B. Police corruption increased due to the wealth of bootleggers
C. Border patrols were insufficient at slowing smuggling from Canada
D. Police were forced to work second jobs due to the Great Depression
6. The law enforcement of the American frontier until the 19th century could best be characterized as:
A. vigilantism
B. night watch
C. comes stabuli
D. directed patrol
7. Which of the following trial steps is conducted at an initial hearing before a magistrate or lower-court judge?
A. Jury selection begins
B. Presentation of evidence starts
C. Consideration of pretrial release
D. A decision on whether to indict the defendant
8. Criminal trials in the United States are held under which of the following systems?
A. inquisitorial
B. adversarial
C. judicial
D. procedural
9. Which of the following actions would constitute “preserving the peace” as it applies to the mission of the police?
A. ticketing a man for public urination outside of a bar
B. apprehending a man fleeing the scene of a store robbery
C. investigating a homicide committed in a federal building
D. an officer testifying at the sentencing hearing of a convicted felon
10. Strategic policing would best be used to target which kind of crime?
A. a drug distribution network
B. graffiti on public transportation
C. a holdup outside of an ATM
D. domestic violence
DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement Practice Questions Answer Key