The _______ the complainant, the more likely a patrol officer is to use formal procedures to report and investigate a crime. A. Older B. More affluent C. Less affluent D. Younger

The missing answer to complete this statement is (B) More affluent. Formal policies and procedures are in place so that institutional law enforcement is conducted in compliance with all constitutional and statutory requirements. Therefore, if the patrol officer acts in conformance with relevant formal policies and procedures, it is more likely that there will be a defensible result in case the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome or how they were treated.
Ideally, the patrol officer would always act in conformance with formal policy. However, as with any human endeavor, sometimes shortcuts are taken, or proper methods and policies are not followed. In general, the more affluent the complainant, the less likely they are to be routinely involved in the justice system and therefore might (perhaps unfairly) be viewed as more credible with their complaint, which would justify a more thorough investigation "by the book." Also, the more affluent the complainant, the more likely they are to have the resources and personal resolve to question outcomes they find unsatisfactory and bring suit if their concerns are not addressed and resolved.