Court Officer Exam: Applying Court Officer Procedures

There is nothing more paramount to career success than the ability to understand and apply established court officer procedures into regular practice. Procedures are established by court rules, statutes, memorandums, and orders.
Many courts provide a handbook of established procedures and acceptable practice. Others leave it to the individual court officer to gather his or her own information and compile it into a workbook. When the procedures are well drafted and provide a means to an end, they are executed flawlessly or with minimal difficulty.
The court officer exam might contain questions that deal with court officer procedures and their applications. Some questions will provide a procedure and a mock situation. Test takers are then asked how to respond to the situation based on the procedure. Other procedure questions supply a procedure and then ask test takers to identify the true or false statement based on that procedure.
For both types of questions, test takers may refer back to the procedure as needed. No outside knowledge is necessary; you should base your answer solely on the procedure as it is written. For questions based on court officer procedures, make sure to closely read and understand the procedure before you examine the question and answer choices.
To succeed on court officer procedure questions, you must possess common sense, problem-solving skills, good reasoning ability, good judgment, and sensitivity to human and cultural conditions. Training, practice, and experience can help you develop good problem-solving skills, but natural common sense is the indispensable ingredient.
Train yourself to play the 'what if?' game. Do it in various public places. Ask yourself, 'If I were a court officer, what would I do if . . .' This simple game could program your brain to respond promptly to these types of questions.

Tips for Answering Court Officer Procedure Questions
- Read carefully, but don't read anything into the situation that isn't there.
- Read all the options before you choose an answer.
- If possible, find information that supports your answer.
- Think like a court officer. Safety first; use the least possible force.
- Use your common sense.
- Stay calm and work methodically.

Practice Questions
Use the following court officer document to answer questions 1 through 5.

Administrative Memorandum #05-01
Investiture of Judges
FROM: CHIEF JUDGE ABIGAIL ADAMS
DATE: December 2, 2010
TO: All Court Personnel

On December 8, 2010, the court will hold an investiture ceremony for two newly seated judges, Judge Thomas Ricks and Judge Geraldine Koch.
The ceremony will be held at the Commissioner's Auditorium and will commence at 4 p.m. The court will be dark. The warrant judge will be Judge Quinn Rogers, who will attend the ceremony and will be available by direct pager. Bailiff Elaine Amos will assist Judge Rogers as needed.
The court is expecting 17 visiting judges in addition to our nine judges and two magistrates who will attend the ceremony. Seventy-two people have responded to invitations. There is adequate seating. Guests will be admitted beginning at 3:30 p.m.

ASSIGNMENTS: Security will be managed by Captain Tasha Desmond. Judicial security will be managed by Lieutenant Steven McDowell and Sergeant Carla Austin. The floor security will be supervised by Sergeant Harold Norman. There will be four court security officers at the main entrance for screening. Standard screening protocol will be in effect. The uniform of the day will be Class A dress. All civilian court personnel will wear appropriate business attire. All judges will be robed. A. the conclusion of the ceremony, a reception will be held in the Garden Room. The event is being catered by Gourmet Catering Company, who will enter at the south entrance at 4:30 p.m. One CSO from Sergeant Norman's detail will admit the vendor. All activities are expected to be concluded by 8 p.m. Exit security will be managed by Sergeant Norman and a roving parking lot detail of two CSOs.

1. The bailiff assigned to assist the warrant judge is a. Evelyn Maxwell. b. Ellen Carpenter. c. Elaine Amos. d. Edie Dorman.

2. The Gourmet Catering Company will arrive at a. 2:30 p.m. b. 3:30 p.m. c. 4:00 p.m. d. 4:30 p.m.

3. What is the number of court security officers handling main entrance screening? a. three b. four c. five d. six

4. The uniform of the day for this event is a. Class A. b. Class B. c. business attire. d. not mentioned in the order.

5. The parking lot security detail is being managed by a. Lieutenant McDowell. b. Sergeant Austin. c. Sergeant Norman. d. Sergeant Koch.

Use the following court officer procedure to answer questions 6 and 7.
Civil process that cannot be served will be returned to the civil clerk within three days after the process is labeled as non-service. The court officer who attempted service will complete Form CPNS-01 in triplicate. The original will be placed in the court file, the first copy mailed to the plaintiff or plaintiff attorney with the returned process, and the second copy returned to the court officer to support log entry. The court officer will retain the form for one year.

6. Civil process that cannot be served will be returned by the court officer to the a. plaintiff. b. attorney for the plaintiff. c. civil clerk. d. judge's clerk.

7. Which form will the court officer complete? a. CPNS-01 b. CVNS-01 c. NSC-001 d. CC/NS01
 

Use the following memorandum, which pertains to a particular court officer procedure, to answer questions 8 through 10.
Memorandum
To: All Court Officers
From: Tom Cox, Court Services Supervisor
RE: Security
Date: September 1, 2010
In lieu of the recent security breach, the following will serve as a reminder of Court Procedure 32, subsection 53A—Court Admittance.
Visitors enter and proceed through the security turnstile located to the right of the main entrance. Employees enter and proceed through the security turnstile located to the left of the main entrance. A. per county directive, all those who pass through the court's main entrance must be screened for contraband. Bags, briefcases, etc, are to pass through the scanning machine. Everyone must clear the metal detector. If someone is unable to clear a metal detector, a wand detector will be utilized. If this individual is unable to clear the wand detector, you are to contact your supervisor. The individual must be asked to stand aside until your supervisor arrives.
All employees must have visible court identification for admittance. All visitors must have picture identification and be able to identify a clear purpose for their visit.
All court officers will remain at their designated posts unless directed otherwise by their immediate supervisor.
Any exceptions to this policy must be made by a supervisor. Failure to adhere to the policy will result in disciplinary action.

8. Joan, a court clerk who has faithfully served the county court for the last 17 years, cannot clear the metal detector. She is late for Judge Foreman's court and she is afraid that she is going to be fired. Based on the memorandum, you should a. call your supervisor. b. use the wand detector. c. allow Joan to enter to avoid time delays. d. tell Joan she must return in one hour.

9. It is 12 p.m. and it is time for your lunch break. Your supervisor has been detained upstairs on another issue. Mark Conkling, another court officer, tells you that he will cover your post while you take your break. Based on the memorandum, you should a. thank him and tell him you will take only 15 minutes. b. tell him not to worry because your post does not need coverage in your absence. c. wait for your supervisor. d. call the court clerk for permission.

10. Nory Padilla, a family court law advocate, has been working for the juvenile court system for ten years. As she rushes into court, she realizes that she left her county ID in the car, which is ten blocks away. You have known Nory for years and you know that she is scheduled to appear in court in a few minutes. Based on this information you a. ask her to leave and retrieve her identification. b. let her in; she is on the court's docket. c. tell her to wait while you call your supervisor. d. tell her to enter through the visitors' turnstile. If she has a driver's license, she can come in.

Answers

1. c. Bailiff Elaine Amos is assigned to assist Judge Quinn Rogers.

2. d. The order states that the caterer will arrive at 4:30 p.m.

3. b. The order requires four CSOs to perform screening duties.

4. a. Class A uniforms for court officers is the uniform of the day. Choice c is required for civilian court personnel.

5. c. Sergeant Norman is in charge of the parking lot detail. Choices a and b are assigned to judicial security. Choice d, Sergeant Koch, is not mentioned.

6. c. The court rule requires that the process be returned to the civil clerk by the court officer.

7. a. Form CPNS-01 is identified in the court rule. The other answers are incorrect because these forms are not mentioned in the court rule.

8. b. When one cannot clear the metal detector, the next step is to use the handheld wand. If Joan was unable to clear the wand, you would then contact a supervisor. You have no authority to let her in the courthouse or to tell her to return in one hour.

9. c. The memorandum clearly states that you should not leave your designated post unless you are directed to do so by your immediate supervisor. Doing so could result in disciplinary action.

10. a. Employees cannot enter without court ID. Her ID is in the car and she should be instructed to retrieve it. Even though you are certain of her identity, allowing her to enter violates policy. All IDs must be visible for entrance. Allowing her to enter through the visitors' turnstile is another policy violation.