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Main Page Help With Interview Question
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: bosoxmanny

Hey everyone just a question here for you. In an interview i've had the question asked a couple times of "you go to an accident you find councilman so and so hit a pole and is DUI what do you do?" follow up to that is of course the old "ok same scenario only now the person in the car isnt the councilman its another cop" whats everyones usual answer to that? I've had both answers work and not work with 2 different departments.Any help would be great thanks!!

Posted by: phuzz01

Quote:

Originally Posted by bosoxmanny

Hey everyone just a question here for you. In an interview i've had the question asked a couple times of "you go to an accident you find councilman so and so hit a pole and is DUI what do you do?" follow up to that is of course the old "ok same scenario only now the person in the car isnt the councilman its another cop" whats everyones usual answer to that? I've had both answers work and not work with 2 different departments.Any help would be great thanks!!

They don't want our answer, they want yours. What would you do if you were actually in that situation? It's worth thinking about.

Posted by: 4ransom

here's the question i got in my oral interview... you are on routine patrol at 3 pm on a weekday in the center of town. you observe a vehicle run a red light. you stop the vehicle, only to find out the operator is a good friend from high school. what do you do?

here is the answer i gave: "i would take into consideration the severity of the violation, the risk of personal injury the violation incurred upon the surrounding civilians, and how sincere the person felt about the violation. all things considered, i would issue my friend a written warning, and a verbal warning saying that this will be the only time i give you a break."

they want to hear honesty as opposed to what is says in the law books. they want to know what you are really going to do, not what the book says to do.

Posted by: pablo

I always answered that like so: If it was a one car accident no other veicles I would tow the car, Issue a ciatiaion and advise the coucilman this was his first and last break. Same answer for the cop. If any other veicles are involved then its an oui Arrest if the person fails fieed sobriety. It would suck to arrest another cop, but he left me with no choice if another car is involved. And yes this has happened in my Dept for real and thats how we handled it. It sucks when a bother or sister Officer puts you in that spot by making a bone head decision to drive drunk/

Posted by: ChiefJoe

These are all good replies. Any of these would probably please the interview board.

The thing you really want to show them is that you have discretion. Not every situation warrants an arrest - councilman, cop or citizen. People make mistakes... people deserve breaks. You're trying to show them that you're not out there to lock up anyone and everyone who steps out of line.

If there's an accident with injury to others, property damage etc. Yes, lock them up all day and all nite (Pat Rogers). Shame on them for putting you in such a position.

Posted by: Patriot

As stated above, I believe that these kind of questions really are something you need to think about for yourself. Policing at its core essence is about making intelligent, considered decisions. There usually isn't one answer, or one outcome that is right.

Don't try and answer the way you think they want you too. Making the assumption of what they want to hear is a great way to flunk your interview. Remember that usually the person interviewing you is an experienced cop. Cops learn how to read people, it is the most important survival tool you can develop in your skill set. Think before you speak, and be honest and truthful in your answers. And always be prepared to defend your answer, the next question may very well be "why did you answer that way".

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