Why Do Police Officers Acquire Discretion?
Today’s police officers have more than enough pressure on them to do the right thing. One of the main tools an officer has available is their ability to do what is right in that instant, as it relates to discretion. If an officer followed the letter of the law and held strictly to it, then the jails and prisons, along with the court system, would all be so overloaded there would be nowhere to put anyone else. Not every possible scenario an officer might experience can be thought of nor taught in the academy. Therefore they need some latitude in exercising discretion because they are the only ones who can read and judge the situation at that moment. By using discretion, they can choose whether to stop someone who may have failed to use