Many people hail police officers as being heroes and consider them to be brave and helpful people they can count on to come to their rescue in a time of need. State Law Enforcement Agencies & Roles | What Is State Law Enforcement? ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Officer discretion is a useful and necessary part of an officer's ability to do their job, as police officers must often make quick, in-the-moment decisions that cannot wait for specific laws to be consulted or reviewed. At the beginning of your career, you will likely be rather intimidated and insecure regarding how to handle difficult situations. And damn, its a great job! Many organizations allow workouts on duty and participate in dietetic and nutritional training for their employees. Let's look at some examples of when a police officer must use his or her discretion. Police discretion allows officers to make decisions when a clear solution may not exist. All rights reserved. Protecting the community and being on the front lines takes an emotional toll. In Texas, a police officer was fired, charged with murder, and sentenced to a $10,000 fine and 15 years in prison after body-worn camera footage contradicted his initial statement in the Apr. Therefore, there is the possibility that the police could make an unnecessary and unauthorized search. This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. One Grade 9 student said that the presence of police officers made the high school feel safer than other schools. On the other hand, the use of police discretion has been criticized for negative aspects. Since their job can be quite dangerous, many police officers also develop significant paranoia over time. Cop humor is often misunderstood, brash, or downright disgusting. The prosecutor can choose whether to attempt to charge someone with a felony or a misdemeanor, and can try to add on sentence enhancements as well. In turn, many officers are simply not able to process those experiences in an emotionally healthy manner and will suffer from mental problems like depression later on in their lives. Discretion in criminal justice is present at all levels of the system and in its bureaucracies. In this case, police are given discretion, or freedom to decide, on the job to make decisions, but there is a 'thin blue line' that the police cannot cross or they will be in violation of the law. Consequently, your family and friends will likely also have an easier time in their daily lives in general. Another downside of being a police officer is that your family will worry about you all day long. Another said they felt safer while walking home. For instance, one problem with being a police officer is that the job can simply be quite dangerous. It should come as little surprise, then, that police administrators, including police chiefs, are more likely to hold college and post-graduate degrees. Sometimes, you will also not be able to choose the neighborhood you have to work in and you might get unlucky and have to work in a rather bad one. When the police perform their official duties, there is a certain level of discretion they must use. Many people also greatly underestimate the stress that comes along with being a police officer. Police officers toe the thin blue line, the line between lawfulness and illegal acts. Flexible working hours Many security officers have the opportunity to choose their own schedules or work Quite often, you will see families breaking apart and you will also see the worst of humanity. Some employers There will always be the risk to get injured or dying during your shift as a police officer. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. You will also have to make difficult decisions within minutes or even seconds and your life will not be as easy as you might think now. Since police officers enjoy a high reputation among the general public, they often get additional perks. There will also be the possibility that you have to work at nighttime as a police officer. Uniform Stories features a variety of contributors. As a police officer, you will also have to rely on the support of your colleagues. It is up to the prosecutor's discretion to decide whether the offense was serious enough to spend valuable time, money, and resources in pursuing the punishment. No day will be like the past one and you will always have to adjust your expectations. Consequently, those wrong decisions can really break you in the long run since you will know that a better choice of you could have saved lives and many police officers simply cant deal with those things in an emotionally proper manner. Our fuses and energy become shortwith sleep deprivation, long shift hours, societal isolation, and continued exposure to negative human elements. Departments thrive on performance standards, physical fitness levels, and various talents. Crime Measurement Programs: History & Nature, The History of Women & Minority Members in the Police Profession, Recruitment of Women & Minorities in Policing. Officers are afforded the opportunity to use their best judgement and knowledge to make decisions. Often police officers have to deal with angry, distressed citizens or people who do not want to cooperate, which can make police work feel like a thankless job. Following several deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order on June 16 that calls for increased training and credentialing to reduce the use of excessive force by police. Policemen also learn how to deal with difficult people early on in their careers. You can also work in many different departments. List of the Advantages of Police Discretion 1. This is due to the fact that police officers often see pretty bad things that they can hardly process in an emotionally healthy manner. Police officers with at least some college experience are more focused on promotion and expect to retire at a higher rank compared to officers with no college. As you can see, there are many additional benefits for police officers and this can compensate for the relatively low salary policemen get at the beginning of their careers. Use of force is defined as actions that range from verbal threats to use force to actually using force that could cause physical harm. After reading this article, you will get more aware of all the chances and dangers of becoming a police officer and you may even change your mind due to that. Being a police officer can be incredibly rewarding. This could mean that they think that somebody follows them to their house when there will actually nobody be there. Territories Financial Support Center (TFSC), Tribal Financial Management Center (TFMC). If someone was not competitive as a rookie, they probably will become so in time. Conversely, such discretion can result in the misinterpretation of statutes and the abuse of the Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches. They protect the community or certain neighborhoods and work to reduce crime rates. ], Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing, almost 30% less likely to fire their weapons in the line of duty, lower rate of officers assaulted by civilians, more satisfied with how police serve their community, increases commitment to community policing, moral reasoning and openness to diversity, identifying quality information and scientific evidence, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship, Associate Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature. An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice. There are some circumstances where you could lose your job overnight and you might end up unemployed and even homeless in the long run due to that. The various decisions that different participants in the legal system are allowed to make shows what forms discretion takes in criminal justice. The police discretion definition refers to the freedom of police officers to make decisions as they perform their official duties. If your colleagues make mistakes, you could potentially lose your life. There are occasions when our friends or family want us to share our darkest moments, but we usually leave them contained. If discretion in law enforcement is used in a wrongful manner, it has great potential for being abused out of the field. You may also just not be eligible for a career as a police officer. If you make mistakes, you may also get fired. All rights reserved. Among other things, they say a college education improves ethical decision-making skills, knowledge and understanding of the law and the courts, openness to diversity, and communication skills. In fact, it is not easy at all to be a police officer and to deal with all the emotional burden that comes along with it. Hence, if you want to become wealthy or even rich, a career as police officer will not be the way to go for you most of the time. Many police officers receive medical, vision and dental insurance. In turn, you can improve the quality of life of many people and can help them out in difficult periods of their lives. The salaries are relatively handsome. Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money. Officers genuinely care about making a positive impact in their community. Police officers usually also get more money if they work on weekends, in the nighttime or on holidays. I admit, this can be annoying at the beginning. Wanna make a contribution to save our environment? Consequently, dont be discouraged if your first job as a police officer will not be your dream job. If you are still not sure yet, you may have some friends who are police officers and can give you some additional information on this topic. Webnational police and troopers association; Community. In general, police officers face quite irregular shifts and often dont know how the next weeks will look like for them. - Definition & Laws, How to Press Charges: Definition & Statute of Limitations, Constitutional Law in the U.S.: Help and Review, Criminal Law in the U.S.: Help and Review, The Criminal Trial in the U.S. Justice System: Help and Review, The Sentencing Process in Criminal Justice: Help and Review, Corrections & Correctional Institutions: Help and Review, The Juvenile Justice System: Help and Review, CLEP American Government: Study Guide & Test Prep, UExcel Workplace Communications with Computers: Study Guide & Test Prep, Praxis Social Studies: Content Knowledge (5081) Prep, Praxis Business Education: Content Knowledge (5101) Prep, CAHSEE English Exam: Test Prep & Study Guide, Geography 101: Human & Cultural Geography, Sociology 103: Foundations of Gerontology, Criminal Justice 101: Intro to Criminal Justice, FTCE General Knowledge Test (GK) (082) Prep, Praxis Chemistry: Content Knowledge (5245) Prep, DSST General Anthropology: Study Guide & Test Prep, DSST Criminal Justice: Study Guide & Test Prep, Prosecutorial Discretion: Definition, Pros & Cons, Reading Consumer Materials: Comprehension Strategies, How to Pass the FTCE General Knowledge Test, Using Measurement to Solve Real-World Problems, The Impact of a Country's Infrastructure on Businesses, Student Organizations & Advisors in Business Education, Staying Active in Teacher Organizations for Business Education, Carl Perkins' Effect on Technical Education Legislation, The Business Educator's Relationship with Schools & Communities, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community, whether to issue a traffic ticket or other violation. 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