Which term is NOT a defined police-citizen interaction type?

• A. Definitional
• B. Imperative
• C. Coercive
• D. Negotiated

Answer: (D)

The concept being tested is how police-citizen encounters are categorized by the way authority and framing shape the interaction. In this framework, the defined modes describe distinct patterns of control and communication the officer uses during an encounter: the officer sets the purpose and defines why the encounter is happening (definitional), issues clear commands or directions (imperative), or uses threat or force to compel behavior (coercive). Each of these reflects a formal, recognizable type of interaction.

Negotiated, while it can occur within an encounter as parties discuss options, is not part of the standard defined taxonomy of police-citizen interaction types. It describes a process that may happen inside or alongside an interaction, rather than a distinct mode of how authority is asserted and the encounter is framed. So the term that doesn’t fit as a defined interaction type is the negotiated one.