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 extralegal searches the police department and not President Bush is implicated. Many of the harmful effects of current police actions and policies are the result of government policies. The police has thus become somewhat of a scapegoat as a result of the latest government policies. The profile of violent crimes has also changed dramatically and dangerously. Fewer police officers mean more violent criminals, which raises the crime rate.

Government policy, rising crime rates, and police actions have therefore combined into a cycle that makes police discretion extremely difficult.

Conclusion

It has been seen that there are various influences that affect the policies and actions within police departments. Previous and current instances of racism has resulted in public distrust of the police, whereas community policing programs have remedied many negative public perceptions.

It has been seen that some discretion and discrimination problems have been within the control of the police force and the law supporting it. The problem here is however that the system is extremely rigid and hard to change.

Individual police officers and departments however could work to improve community relations through sound discretion practices in terms of extralegal searches and the like.

Another problem is government-related, as mentioned above. Police departments are obliged to follow policies legalized by the government. Whereas the police had in the past been supported by the legal system in indiscretionary practices, other indiscretions are now...

This is done not only through the system, but also through financial constraints. Through careful discretionary practices however it is possible for the police department to remedy its image in the public eye. The paradigm of partnership with the community can be cultivated even with budget cuts.
Sources

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Seron, Carroll (2004, Dec). Judging Police Misconduct: "Street-Level" versus Professional Policing. Law & Society Review, Blackwell Publishers.

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