Verified Document

Police Discretion What Is Police Research Paper

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 of managing and controlling police discretion has to do in part with staffing, recognizing who has the valuable knowledge to use discretion effectively and who would be better suited to stand back and learn this knowledge from those who are more adept with it. Perhaps those who have had more time in a given community or who have worked in many areas of the department and seen a greater variety of regional and community crimes and criminal behaviors should serve as mentors to those who have less experience. Additionally open door communication between departments and agencies as well as officers of varied ranks is essential to the development of proper use of discretion on the streets and in investigations. Sims, Ruiz, Weaver, & Harvey note that police discretion, and its allowance of use both in and out of balance is associated with several factors, both internal and external, "street-level decision-making by police officers is influenced simultaneously by departmental rules about the use of discretion, the extent to which the department is decentralised, and the more general views and expectations by the citizenry…" (2005, p. 247). The most essential aspect of police discretion and it's balanced use then lays in appropriate policy, communication of that policy, internal climate and culture within a department and the expectation of the broader community. Therefore communication regarding the use of discretion as well as balanced policy, associated training and the tolerance for use of discretion must be clear and communicated well. Additionally, police discretion issues when they are deemed or suspected of being unbalanced should be thoroughly reviewed on a constant basis and communications of ethical breeches should be performed with all those involved, possibly including community stakeholders as well as...

Any final comments on the police use of discretion (concluding comments on the practice).
The practice of police discretion is absolutely essential to the safety of officers and the public. Police work is inherently fast paced and events that could culminate into unsafe community events can happen in the blink of an eye. It is therefore necessary for police discretion to exists to the extent that it is not used in an unbalanced manner and disproportionately or with malice. This should include detention of suspects, questioning, arrests and of course use of force and seizure of property. The latter two issues should have extensive regulation and policy surrounding them, as they can ultimately demonstrate significant breeches in legal precedence and the former issues should be carefully and closely monitored, by appropriate use of discretion on the part of other agencies within the justice system. All of this information should be appropriately and thoroughly communicated with police personnel and constant continuing education, communication and training should be in place to control for possible imbalances in the use of police discretion. Though the culture of the department as well as the expectation of the community will likely sway the many issues surrounding police discretion open communication about potential imbalances should be shared with all ranking individuals and create a fluid development of policy on the acceptable use of police discretion in any given situation.

Resources

Miller, E.J. (2010). The Warren Court's Regulatory Revolution in Criminal Procedure. Connecticut Law Review, 43(1), 1-82. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Murakawa, N., & Beckett, K. (2010). The Penology of Racial Innocence: The Erasure of Racism in the Study and Practice of Punishment Murakawa & Beckett the Penology of Racial Innocence. Law & Society Review, 44(3/4), 695-730. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5893.2010.00420.x

Sims, B., Ruiz, J., Weaver, G., & Harvey, W.L. (2005). Police perceptions of their working environment: Surveying the small department. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 7(4), 245-263. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Sources used in this document:
Resources

Miller, E.J. (2010). The Warren Court's Regulatory Revolution in Criminal Procedure. Connecticut Law Review, 43(1), 1-82. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Murakawa, N., & Beckett, K. (2010). The Penology of Racial Innocence: The Erasure of Racism in the Study and Practice of Punishment Murakawa & Beckett the Penology of Racial Innocence. Law & Society Review, 44(3/4), 695-730. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5893.2010.00420.x

Sims, B., Ruiz, J., Weaver, G., & Harvey, W.L. (2005). Police perceptions of their working environment: Surveying the small department. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 7(4), 245-263. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Discretion Police Chiefs and Discretionary
Words: 2323 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

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

Police Administration; Structures, Processes, and Behaviors 8th
Words: 2594 Length: 8 Document Type: Multiple Chapters

Police Administration; Structures, Processes, And Behaviors 8th Edition The Evolution of Police Administration Over the centuries, police administration has evolved in several important respects including how police have been organized and what they considered their core strategy for providing value to the communities they serve (Perry, 2001). It is argued that the present police work is not very different from previous police work performed by the London Bobbies in 1829 and the

Policing Policies Analysis This Study Seeks to
Words: 1831 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Policing Policies Analysis This study seeks to strengthen the practice of policing by demonstrating the effectiveness of the problem-oriented policing. The information provided herein is useful to practitioners as it compares problem-oriented policing against community-oriented policing. Practitioners will be able to create much robust policing intervention when addressing real life situations within the field by grasping the theoretical mechanisms (Hess & Orthmann, 2011). In addition, by linking academic theories to policing,

Police Corruption and Citizen Complaints Relative to
Words: 1220 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Police Corruption and Citizen Complaints Relative to Ethnicity Police has a rather crucial role to play in the society. However, at more than one occasions, people have lodged complaints against police officers. Rather than maintaining justice and equality, police offers are discriminating against people. This problem should be addressed as priority since the role of the police can be tainted if such events keep on taking place. A contemporary event The case of

Policing Subculture
Words: 884 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Police Subculture- Add on Response Nathan, I enjoyed reading your perspective and can relate to much of what you have expressed. Your explanation of the life cycle of a police career provided a clear and concise way of explaining this stressful aspects of law enforcement. I agree with your opinion on patience and its importance on keeping a balanced and clear mind while engaged in stressful policing activities. Your summary was

Police Discretion Refers to Any
Words: 1919 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Furthermore, there is often a veil of silence from witnesses in these types of assaults, which makes investigation very difficult. However, when an officer exercises the discretion to treat these incidents as lesser-crimes, he reinforces the devaluation of the gang members and actually increases the validity of the gang culture. Furthermore, gang violence does not occur in isolation, and it is unfair to the non-criminal members of gang-afflicted communities

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

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