Since policing is a job that is usually done without much supervision and in unexpected circumstances, police officers are often required to use their discretion when it comes to giving and applying the authority given to them. Discretionary use of police authority means that a police officer is acting based on not only the explicit facts of a situation, but also on their own perceptions and judgments of a situation. It is hoped in using this discretion that officers choose the best and most ethical
The police department and the law enforcement sector as a whole has been thought of having myriad challenges with regards to situations of the breaking of law. This is mainly because an officer is not always aware of what type of situation he/ she is going to encounter next in the course of maintaining law and order which is their basic mandate; having said that, it is an all too familiar situation to the law enforcement officers that any particular situation is entirely different from another. With
Police discretion is a highly debated topic among many different groups, not only in the United States but internationally. It is imperative to understand police discretion, and the various control mechanisms available such as internal control mechanisms, external control mechanisms, control by the citizens, legislative control, and control by the courts. Each control mechanism plays a vital role in how officers of the law handle various situations. Not only do these mechanisms control police discretion
of force and discretion used by officers has a large influence within real-world situations. Police discretion, by definition, is the power to make decisions of policy and practice. Public servants, such as police officers, hold the discretion on how to enforce law, when it needs to be enforced, and the use of force needed to enforce it. Police use of force, defined as acts that threaten or inflict physical harm on suspects (Terrill, 2003) has been an important topic of research since it was first
Discretion of a police officer is the subject I would like to tackle. In this paper I will discuss the issues I have with the discretion, the problems with these discretions I have, and how some officers may use discretion to their advantage. By the conclusion of the paper the reader will be educated on the subject of discretion and the issues facing it. Discretion is defined by Pollock (2010) as, “having the authority to choose between two or more courses of behavior. Law enforcement professionals
Introduction Officer Discretion is defined as “the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation” (dictionary). Therefore, in the police department, the term “officer’s discretion” is one that allows a police officer to make a judgment call during several situations. It is an officer exercise that is used a lot more than citizens think. Officer Discretion is not something that can be explained in one simple definition. Officer discretion is variable, depending on the officer and the
Discretion, undoubtedly plays a massive role and is implemented in various aspects of the system. But what is discretion? Discretion, as defined in Canadian Criminal Justice: A Primer, is merely the freedom to choose among different options when confronted with the need to make a decision. As significant part of the criminal justice system in Canada, being a police officers “involves the use of a significant amount of discretion” (McKillop & Pfeifer, 2004) . Due to the portrayal of the police by
Discretion is defined as the authority to make a decision between two or more choices (Pollock, 2010). More specifically, it is defined as “the capacity to identify and to document criminal and noncriminal events” (Boivin & Cordeau, 2011). Every police officer has a great deal of discretion concerning when to use their authority, power, persuasion, or force. Depending on how an officer sees their duty to society will determine an officer’s discretion. Discretion leads to selective enforcement
Discretion is defined as the authority to make a decision between two or more choices (Pollock, 2010). More specifically, it is defined as “the capacity to identify and to document criminal and noncriminal events” (Boivin &ump; Cordeau, 2011). Every police officer has a great deal of discretion concerning when to use their authority, power, persuasion, or force. Depending on how an officer sees their duty to society will determine an officer’s discretion. Discretion leads to selective enforcement
(2011) describe the public idea of discretion as a very misunderstood aspect of police work, therefore making the public’s opinions of police operations negative in some circumstances. Abdullah and Wells (2011) also highlight Packers crime control model saying that “A crime control model places high value on efficiency in apprehending and punishing offenders” and “to operate efficiently the officers must act quickly”. A more concise definition of police discretion is viewed by many law enforcement