You've made the decision to become a police officer and have taken a very important step in that process. Mastering the OPOTA Exam will help you score high and prepare you for what you'll need to know on the day of your exam and beyond it. This test is very similar to the peace officer exam taken in Ohio. When taking this test be prepared to think. Pay close attention to the words WHAT, LEAST, NOT; these word are placed in scenarios to test your critical thinking and judgement skills. All of the questions in this test are directly related to all of the Student Performance Objectives in your study guides. I do charge $7.95 for 10 days of unlimited access.  Good Luck!!

Mark Ellis                       

5 Sample Questions

A 70-year-old man calls the police and informs them that his wife of 45 years,
who had been ill and bedridden for some time, has died in her sleep at home.
The man, who had been his wife's sole caretaker during her period of illness, is
very distraught. The couple's adult children are estranged from their parents;
the man does not anticipate their return for their mother's funeral. The man
makes a comment about wanting to join his wife. Which of the following would
be BEST for the police to do in this situation?

  • A. The police should leave the man alone so that he can deal with his feelings of grief
  • B. The police should do all that they can to locate the couple's children.
  • C. The police should make sure that a neighbor, relative, friend, or social worker is present to keep the man from acting on any suicidal impulses.
  • D. The police should take steps to ensure that the man's medical needs are taken care of, since his sole caretaker has unexpectedly passed away.

You are on duty when you receive a call that a minor has been seen walking
along a busy highway late at night. You locate the minor, a 15-year-old girl.
She explains that she has run away from her family, but she refuses to explain
why. Which of the following is the most likely reason that the girl ran away from
home?

  • A. The girl is acting irresponsibly as a form of youthful rebellion.
  • B. The girl is being abused by her parents.
  • C. The girl does not receive enough attention from her parents.
  • D. There is too little information to determine the reason that the girl ran away.

You've noticed that your co-worker appears to be very tense lately. She loses her
temper more often than usual and seems to make more simple mistakes than
usual. She does, however, have an excellent attendance record and often applies
for overtime. She has also requested permission from your department to work
a second part-time job. Although she claims that everything is fine at home, you
have overheard her on a couple of occasions engaging in an argument with her
husband, who was recently laid off.Based on this information, which of the following
is most likely to be your co-worker's problem?

  • A. Marital problems
  • B. Financial problems
  • C. Drug or alcohol abuse
  • D. Psychological problems

You have just graduated from the police academy, and now you are patrolling
under the supervision of a field-training officer. Together, you pull over a
motorist for a minor traffic violation. Your field-training officer orders you to
search the woman's car. Based on what you have learned in the academy, you
believe that under these circumstances, a search of her car would be unethical
and illegal. Which of the following would be best for you to do FIRST in this
situation?

  • A. Ask your supervisor to clarify his order.
  • B. Refuse to comply with the order because you believe that it is unethical and illegal.
  • C. Comply with the order because your field-training officer has more experience than you do.
  • D. Comply with the order but speak with your field-training officer's immediate supervisor after the incident.

An off-duty police officer was seated in a restaurant when 2 men entered, drew
guns, and robbed the cashier. The officer made no attempt to prevent the robbery
or apprehend the criminals. Later, he justified his conduct by stating that an
officer, when off duty, is a private citizen with the same duties and rights of all
private citizens. The officer's explanation of his conduct was

  • A. wrong; a police officer must take appropriate action to prevent crimes and apprehend criminals at all times.
  • B. right; the police officer was out of uniform at the time of the robbery.
  • C. wrong; the officer should not have made any statements until he had a lawyer present
  • D. right; the robbers did not threaten him directly, so there was no need to take action