POST Exam Review – Practice Questions and Study Guide for Peace Officer Standards and
Training Assessment
What are the three general type of police encounters?
A. Consensual
B. Investigative/Detention
C. Arrests
D. All the above - ANS ✔✔D - All the above
Reasonable Suspicion for a STOP - ANS ✔✔Facts and circumstances which would cause a
reasonable person to suspect criminal activity is afoot
What are situations where a stop, detention, or even a search without suspicious of a crime
may be legally justified?
A. TBD - ANS ✔✔
Situation: You are a Minneapolis police officer. An adult with an Minnesota drivers license
commits a misdemeanor violation of possession of an alcohol beverage at a municipal park in
you presence. You decide to issue her a written citation for the violation as required by
Minnesota Rule of Criminal Procedure. Before issuing the citation, you may search the adult
incident to arrest?
True or False - ANS ✔✔False!
Here's why: State(MN) v. Varnado - The fourth amendment prohibits an officer from searching
an individual without a warrant, "subject only to a few specially established and well-defined
exceptions, those are: (1) a protective frisk for weapons, (2) a routine police procedure
conducted for officer safety, and (3) a search incident to a lawful arrest.
,Situation: You are a Rochester police officer. You receive a call to a residence on a complaint by a
neighbor of loud music coming from the residence. It is 3:00am when you arrive, and you can
hear the music clearly while sitting in your squad car with the windows rolled up. Which ONE of
the following statement is TRUE?
a) You knock on the door and a person who identified herself as the owners 16-year old
daughter invites you in. You may entree the house to tell the occupants to turn down the music.
b) You knock on the door and a person who identifies himself as an employee with the catering
staff answers the door. You ask for permission to enter, and the employee tells you that she
needs to check with her boss. Before she returns with an answer, you may enter the house to
tell them to turn down the music.
c) You knock on the door but nobody is willing to come to the door, which by the way happens
to be unlocked. - ANS ✔✔A - need to be given consent by a person who has lawful authority
over the property
Our constitution and its amendments protect our rights to be secure against unreasonable
searches. There are some exceptions where discovery of evidence does not qualify as a search,
so the Fourth Amendment does not apply to these exceptions:
a) Plain-view doctrine
b) Consent?
c) Exigent circumstances (moment destruction of evidence & imminent danger)
d) Plain-feel doctrine
e) all the above? - ANS ✔✔TBD
Reasonable Suspicion for a FRISK - ANS ✔✔Facts and circumstances which would cause a
person to suspect a person may be armed and dangerous
,A police officer legally ask you and any passengers to step out of the vehicle without any
apparent of wrong doing
True or False - ANS ✔✔True! - (PA v. Mimms & MD v. Wilson) An officer can ask a driver and any
of their passengers to step out of the vehicle pending a lawful traffic stop without any addition
suspicion for officer safety
What are the exceptions to the warrant requirement that entries into a residence require a
warrant:
a) consent
b) imminent destruction of evidence
c) Medical/Life-Saving emergencies
d) "hot pursuit"
e) All of the above - ANS ✔✔e - All of the above
Which amendment to the United States Constitution best addresses the issue of Search and
Seizure?
a) First
b) Second
c) Fourth
d) Sixth - ANS ✔✔c - Fourth Amendment
The minimum legal standard needed to stop a motor vehicle is probable cause.
, True or False - ANS ✔✔False - Reasonable Suspicion: A law enforcement officer is within his or
her rights to stop a vehicle if the officer has reasonable suspicion that a traffic violation or crime
has occurred
You are a Detroit Lakes police officer. You make a traffic stop on a car for a speeding offense;
posted speed limit is 30 mph and your trusty laser speed device determines that the car is
traveling at 44 mph. You are trained in the operation of the laser speed device, and the device is
working properly. The car is occupied by the driver only. One of your coworkers stops by your
location to check on your status just as you decide to write the driver a citation for speeding.
This is the first time you've seen your partner since she's returned from canine school. This is
her first patrol shift with fluffy, her Irish wolfhound mix dog who is trained in drug detection.
She thinks it might be a good idea for the dog to get some sniffs under her collar, so she suggest
that you allow her to walk her dog around the car to see if fluffy text drugs in the car.
This is lawful in Minnesota
True or False - ANS ✔✔False - (State(MN) v. Wiegand) You first need reasonable articulable
suspicion of drug activity
You are a Blaine police officer patrolling a neighborhood and you see a person walking down the
street. Something about the individual seems somewhat unusual, although you cannot quite
put your finger on it, so you slow down, roll down your window, and asked the individual where
he's going. He ignores you and keeps walking. Can you legally order him to stop and talk to you?
a) Yes, because the individual refused to talk to you
b) Only if it is in a high crime neighborhood
c) Not unless you have an articulable basis for suspecting the individual is involved in criminal
activity
d) Yes, because you have the right to demand identification from anyone in public - ANS ✔✔c)
Not unless you have an articulable basis for suspecting the individual is involved in criminal
activity
Training Assessment
What are the three general type of police encounters?
A. Consensual
B. Investigative/Detention
C. Arrests
D. All the above - ANS ✔✔D - All the above
Reasonable Suspicion for a STOP - ANS ✔✔Facts and circumstances which would cause a
reasonable person to suspect criminal activity is afoot
What are situations where a stop, detention, or even a search without suspicious of a crime
may be legally justified?
A. TBD - ANS ✔✔
Situation: You are a Minneapolis police officer. An adult with an Minnesota drivers license
commits a misdemeanor violation of possession of an alcohol beverage at a municipal park in
you presence. You decide to issue her a written citation for the violation as required by
Minnesota Rule of Criminal Procedure. Before issuing the citation, you may search the adult
incident to arrest?
True or False - ANS ✔✔False!
Here's why: State(MN) v. Varnado - The fourth amendment prohibits an officer from searching
an individual without a warrant, "subject only to a few specially established and well-defined
exceptions, those are: (1) a protective frisk for weapons, (2) a routine police procedure
conducted for officer safety, and (3) a search incident to a lawful arrest.
,Situation: You are a Rochester police officer. You receive a call to a residence on a complaint by a
neighbor of loud music coming from the residence. It is 3:00am when you arrive, and you can
hear the music clearly while sitting in your squad car with the windows rolled up. Which ONE of
the following statement is TRUE?
a) You knock on the door and a person who identified herself as the owners 16-year old
daughter invites you in. You may entree the house to tell the occupants to turn down the music.
b) You knock on the door and a person who identifies himself as an employee with the catering
staff answers the door. You ask for permission to enter, and the employee tells you that she
needs to check with her boss. Before she returns with an answer, you may enter the house to
tell them to turn down the music.
c) You knock on the door but nobody is willing to come to the door, which by the way happens
to be unlocked. - ANS ✔✔A - need to be given consent by a person who has lawful authority
over the property
Our constitution and its amendments protect our rights to be secure against unreasonable
searches. There are some exceptions where discovery of evidence does not qualify as a search,
so the Fourth Amendment does not apply to these exceptions:
a) Plain-view doctrine
b) Consent?
c) Exigent circumstances (moment destruction of evidence & imminent danger)
d) Plain-feel doctrine
e) all the above? - ANS ✔✔TBD
Reasonable Suspicion for a FRISK - ANS ✔✔Facts and circumstances which would cause a
person to suspect a person may be armed and dangerous
,A police officer legally ask you and any passengers to step out of the vehicle without any
apparent of wrong doing
True or False - ANS ✔✔True! - (PA v. Mimms & MD v. Wilson) An officer can ask a driver and any
of their passengers to step out of the vehicle pending a lawful traffic stop without any addition
suspicion for officer safety
What are the exceptions to the warrant requirement that entries into a residence require a
warrant:
a) consent
b) imminent destruction of evidence
c) Medical/Life-Saving emergencies
d) "hot pursuit"
e) All of the above - ANS ✔✔e - All of the above
Which amendment to the United States Constitution best addresses the issue of Search and
Seizure?
a) First
b) Second
c) Fourth
d) Sixth - ANS ✔✔c - Fourth Amendment
The minimum legal standard needed to stop a motor vehicle is probable cause.
, True or False - ANS ✔✔False - Reasonable Suspicion: A law enforcement officer is within his or
her rights to stop a vehicle if the officer has reasonable suspicion that a traffic violation or crime
has occurred
You are a Detroit Lakes police officer. You make a traffic stop on a car for a speeding offense;
posted speed limit is 30 mph and your trusty laser speed device determines that the car is
traveling at 44 mph. You are trained in the operation of the laser speed device, and the device is
working properly. The car is occupied by the driver only. One of your coworkers stops by your
location to check on your status just as you decide to write the driver a citation for speeding.
This is the first time you've seen your partner since she's returned from canine school. This is
her first patrol shift with fluffy, her Irish wolfhound mix dog who is trained in drug detection.
She thinks it might be a good idea for the dog to get some sniffs under her collar, so she suggest
that you allow her to walk her dog around the car to see if fluffy text drugs in the car.
This is lawful in Minnesota
True or False - ANS ✔✔False - (State(MN) v. Wiegand) You first need reasonable articulable
suspicion of drug activity
You are a Blaine police officer patrolling a neighborhood and you see a person walking down the
street. Something about the individual seems somewhat unusual, although you cannot quite
put your finger on it, so you slow down, roll down your window, and asked the individual where
he's going. He ignores you and keeps walking. Can you legally order him to stop and talk to you?
a) Yes, because the individual refused to talk to you
b) Only if it is in a high crime neighborhood
c) Not unless you have an articulable basis for suspecting the individual is involved in criminal
activity
d) Yes, because you have the right to demand identification from anyone in public - ANS ✔✔c)
Not unless you have an articulable basis for suspecting the individual is involved in criminal
activity
