Evidence & Trial Practice Flashcards
7 cards from real MPOETC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Evidence & Trial Practice flashcards as text
Under Miranda v. Arizona, which condition triggers the requirement to provide Miranda warnings?
Answer: When a suspect is both in custody and subject to interrogation
Miranda warnings are required when a suspect is in custody (deprived of freedom of action) AND subjected to interrogation by law enforcement.
The 'fruit of the poisonous tree' doctrine provides that:
Answer: Evidence derived from an initial illegal search or seizure is also inadmissible
The fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine excludes secondary evidence that is derived from an initial constitutional violation.
Which exception to the hearsay rule allows dying declarations to be admitted at trial?
Answer: Dying declaration (statement under belief of impending death)
A dying declaration — made by a person who believes death is imminent — is an exception to the hearsay rule based on the premise that people are unlikely to lie when facing death.
When testifying about observations, a police officer should use which type of language?
Answer: Specific, factual, first-person descriptions of what was personally observed
Officers should testify using specific, factual language describing what they personally saw, heard, or did rather than conclusions or opinions.
A suppression hearing is a pretrial proceeding in which:
Answer: The judge determines whether evidence should be excluded from trial
A suppression hearing is held before trial so a judge can determine whether evidence was obtained lawfully and may be used at trial.
Which of the following BEST describes 'direct evidence'?
Answer: Evidence that directly proves a fact without requiring an inference
Direct evidence directly proves a fact — such as eyewitness testimony that a person committed the crime — without requiring any inference.
In Pennsylvania (MPOETC jurisdiction), an officer's use of force must be documented in a use-of-force report that may later be used at trial. This documentation primarily serves to:
Answer: Provide a contemporaneous account supporting the officer's testimony
Contemporaneous use-of-force reports provide an accurate, near-real-time account that corroborates the officer's trial testimony.