Discretion in Criminal Justice Police Patrol Law Essay (Essay Sample)

Discretion in Criminal Justice Police Patrol
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Discretion in Criminal Justice Police Patrol
Discretion refers to the privilege to determine what should be done in a set of circumstances. Police discretion is, therefore, the power and ability of an officer to make decisions with lawful authority and act accordingly to stop an offender, arrest, or use force to arrest. Considerably, most of the police activities do not take place in the public, which allows police officers discretion in how they deal with situations or with people who are committing crimes. In law enforcement, discretion refers to decisions made in a legal context, and therefore decisions made out of bad faith are not discretionary and might land police officers in trouble.
Discretion within the policing department is essential in enhancing the department's functioning and fostering good relationships with the public. The use of discretion enables a police officer to quickly interpret the set law in a given situation and act upon determination. Consequently, police discretion improves the courage of police officers to make the correct decisions. Further, in case their superior revokes the decision made by one police officer; the others can respect the police officer's input. Discretion also enhances citizens' loyalty and satisfaction when they maintain their confidentiality, and as a result, they assist in maintaining law and order. Notably, even if police officers were to detect every crime in a given area, the available resources would not be enough to make investigations for each crime and make an arrest. Therefore, discretion is essential to filter offenses and crimes that should be investigated