Exploring Police Officers Use of Discretion Essay -- Criminal Justic

Discretion is used by officers throughout the country; it gives them the choice to carry out law word by word, based on the input of the situation and surrounding circumstances around the officer it also gives them the choice to disobey the written law which usually ends up in tragic instances. This is why discretion is such a hot topic in the United States and throughout the world. One side argues that police officers are ill trained to properly carry out split second decisions. The other side of the argument claims that discretion saves countless lives of many civilians and police officers. The abuse of power by the police is well documented. From Timothy Thomas, Roger Owensby from Cincinnati, Ohio or Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo in New York, many believe this was a direct cause of the officer’s personal belief about race which can’t be brushed aside so easily. If we all look at the criminal justice system we can tell from the cases and documents that the majority of men that are injured killed or imprisoned by the law are black males. Discrimination isn’t new to police officers around the country, in 1976 the city of Chicago was found to have discriminated against black, Hispanic and female police officers in hiring and in promotions to sergeant in its police departments. This level of dislike is common throughout America, so they say; it runs deep within a police station, against co workers. Many propose that new and harsher punishments should exist in law enforcement but I believe in order to drastically reduce these occurrences from happening would be to enroll these officers in classes that would get them comfortable with races and beliefs other than their own. This is a huge factor in every major case; a maj... ...eyes of a criminal. It would also give the failed assumption that killing an officer or threatening their lives wouldn’t have repercussions’ on the scene. In reality, this argument can last for many years due to what the law covers or doesn’t in regard to what an officer experiences in the field. There may be instances where the law may be clear. Laws are written in ways that could expand for future issues. Police encounter many people and behaviors, some of which would be completely new to an officer, where no laws have not been thought out. But on the other hand police have been known to do well with their discretion by choosing another option besides an arrest. We all should keep in mind the stresses that they deal with on a day to day basis and can cause an officer to become paranoid there for leading to instances where they use excessive force.