¶ … police discretion? How do the internal and external mechanisms influence police discretion? Is there a better solution to improving police discretion?
Police discretion is when the officer will have the responsibility to make their own determinations as to how they should be enforcing the law. The way that this is accomplished is through giving them the flexibility to decide how much emphasis they should place on dealing with specific situations. For example, assuming that someone is speeding three miles per hour over the speed limit is considered to be a gray area. Technically speaking, the patrolman has the right to pull the driver over and give them a ticket. The discretionary part takes place if it appears as if other crimes could be committed during the process (such as the driver of the car is swerving radically). This will give the officer the power to pull the vehicle over based upon the belief that this person could be driving while intoxicated on drugs or alcohol. While simply pulling someone over for speeding, might not be an issue based on the fact that the rest of the traffic could be moving at this speed. This is important, because how discretion is used will determine the way the law is enforced on a regular basis. (Scott, 2011)
The internal mechanisms establish various policies and procedures as to how discretion is applied. This takes place by having a specific unit inside the department that will monitor what actions their officers are involved in (i.e. internal affairs). As they will investigate issues that will have an impact on the...
706). Yet, this clearly does not eliminate the possibility of abuse of power and wrongful use of police discretion as the disproportionate application of justice upon those of lower class and of minority races is fundamentally present in both lesser and greater crimes. III. If you were a supervisor within a police department, how would you manage or control the discretionary practices of your officers? One of the most important aspects
Police Discretion The execution of discretion in judgment among police officers has been studied for decades (De Lint, 1998). Before the 1960's, For some three decades now it has been established knowledge that police officers use discretion (De Lint, 1998). Through the 1960's, officers were expected to use "common sense," with little attention paid to analyzing situations where discretion was called for or for applying specific training to improve the kinds of
Therefore, it does not seem logical that a police department could exist without at least some form of discretionary decision-making. Discretion is used at just about every level of a police department, from the officers on patrol to detectives and even management. Another expert notes, "Police encounter a wide range of behaviors and a variety of situations that the law hasn't even thought about yet. One of the most amazing
This alternative essentially redistributes some of the power within the department in order to facilitate more successful service in individual communities. This clearly makes discretion appropriate based on the individual needs of the community. Police Chiefs need to develop "new concepts to better satisfy the demands and needs of the citizens they serve," and as such, may have to use discretion in how the approach and interact with unique
Protections Against Improper Police Behavior Ladies and Gentlemen, It is important to note that in seeking to detect and prevent crime as well as when it comes to the apprehension of lawbreakers, you need to be mindful of the various protections accorded to the citizens of this country against improper police behavior. To begin with, you need to be aware of the various protections the Federal Constitution accords the citizens of this country
City Police Department Police departments are professional organizations comprised of men and women who are empowered by society to serve as the guardians of society's well being. Organizations of professionals are characterized by extensive and continuing professional training, shared and understanding of and commitment to the values of the profession, and the desire to improve their communities. This paper discusses a city police department that has demonstrated great success over
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now