Discretionary Use Of Police Authority Research Paper

Disadvantages of police discretion

The blanket use of discretion can result in repressive tactics being utilized against suspected criminals. If the police department refrains from guiding and controlling the use of this authority, abuses as well as extreme disparities can occur. Where, various individuals could become corrupted from the large amounts of authority they are given. As they could begin seeking out special favors (bribes / kickbacks) or they could use severe tactics when dealing with suspects. This is because police officials often operate in environments, where they are mostly alone. While at the same time, they are in contact with people in who live in different social / economic conditions. (Goldstein 1977) When you put these various elements together, this means that the use of discretion must be limited (due to the fact that possible abuses could occur).

Factors that influence an officer's decision-making process

There are a number of different factors that could influence a law enforcement official's decision making process (when it comes to the use of discretion). These include:

How serious is the issue?

The mental state of the police officer at the time.

The attitude...

...

(Debra, 1977)
Clearly, the question of police discretion profoundly challenges society as: policy makers, law enforcement officials, academics and scholars are working to deploy fresh methods of community / political control. At the same time, they must introduce new guidelines to keep up with changes in the law and how this principal is applied.

Bibliography:

Goldstein, H. (1977). Categorizing and structuring discretion. Policing in a Free society (pp. 93-130). Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing Company.

Livingston, D. (1997) Police Discretion and the Quality of Life in Public Places: Courts, Communities, and the New Policing. Columbia Law Review 97 (3), 551-672.

Remington, F. (1965). Police in a Democratic Society. Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science (1965): 361.

Wilson, James Q. (1968). Varieties of Police Behavior, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Sources Used in Documents:

Bibliography:

Goldstein, H. (1977). Categorizing and structuring discretion. Policing in a Free society (pp. 93-130). Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing Company.

Livingston, D. (1997) Police Discretion and the Quality of Life in Public Places: Courts, Communities, and the New Policing. Columbia Law Review 97 (3), 551-672.

Remington, F. (1965). Police in a Democratic Society. Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science (1965): 361.

Wilson, James Q. (1968). Varieties of Police Behavior, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.


Cite this Document:

"Discretionary Use Of Police Authority" (2011, February 07) Retrieved April 19, 2024, from
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/discretionary-use-of-police-authority-5011

"Discretionary Use Of Police Authority" 07 February 2011. Web.19 April. 2024. <
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/discretionary-use-of-police-authority-5011>

"Discretionary Use Of Police Authority", 07 February 2011, Accessed.19 April. 2024,
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/discretionary-use-of-police-authority-5011

Related Documents

Discretionary Situations for a Police Chief Discretion in the Police Department Discretionary Situations in Criminal Arrests: "Stop" and "Frisk," Racial Profiling The expectation is that public administrators apply a balancing act in the decision making process. Focus for this study is on law enforcement administrators, especially police chiefs, on their responses to their officers' discretion to criminal arrests. The argument put forth is that police discretion is limited by managerial and information technology

Police and Racial Profiling Racial profiling, the practice by law enforcement of targeting people for police and security stops based on their race or ethnicity, has become a topic of concern and debate across the country. Many refer to this practice as DWB -- "driving while black," however, many other minorities feel that they too are singled out unnecessarily by law enforcement in public areas due simply to the color of

In places such as Richmond, that have an already checkered past in their relationship with the public, the public perception is further damaged by the rise in crime. This is true of the police department in the rest of the country as well. The rise in crime affects the perception of the public with regard to the police department, and not the government. In actions such as racism and

police officers have discretion when dealing with domestic violence? Answer: YES with qualifications. An in-person survey might work best here because citizens don't all see police as protectors of society; some see them as threats. Discretion is lately recognized as a "necessary evil" according to the police science faculty at North Carolina Wesleyan College (ncwc.edu). Discretion can be put to effective use in a domestic violence situation when it is

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.

Defining Police EthicsAbstractOwing to the power and authority that law enforcement officers wield, it could be argued that honesty and integrity are some of the most crucial attributes of a police officer. This is more so the case given that failure to embrace the basic tenets of ethical behavior could result in abuse of power and loss of public trust and confidence in law enforcement. Indeed, to a large extent,