Officers utilize their discretion on the job constantly, as they make decisions while performing routine duties, while in the heat of the moment, and while they are alone with no partner or backup to consult with. You may not only lose your job, you may even have to pay high fines and this could ruin you also from a financial perspective. In order to perform their duties, police must make quick determinations and use their best judgment in situations like whether to draw/fire a weapon, issue a traffic ticket, make an arrest, search someone, or stop or assist a person. Being a police officer in America is a tough job.. You can make a huge difference in many peoples lives over the span of a careerand in Lexipol. So daily we are exposed to human misery and conflict which gives us a very narrow version of society. What makes us this way? Their responsibilities include not only preserving the peace, preventing criminal acts, enforcing the law, investigating crimes, and arresting those who violate the law but also directing traffic, community relations work, and controlling crowds at public events. An aggravating factor is an aspect of crime that increases an act's severity and culpability. The officer can use their discretion and decide whether or not to issue a ticket, issue a warning, or make an arrest. Consequently, your family and friends will likely also have an easier time in their daily lives in general. One Grade 9 student said that the presence of police officers made the high school feel safer than other schools. Once the jury uses their discretion to render a verdict, the judge may use their discretion in sentencing. As a police officer, you will also be at significant risk of serious attacks and many police officers even die during their careers. In fact, many police officers see things during their career that are that disgusting that they have difficulties to mentally process and to forget them their whole lives. Taken together, all of these skills are essential for successful policework. Police discretion is an officer's freedom to make decisions on the job. Research has found that when police departments use community-policing strategies, people are more satisfied with how police serve their community and view them as more legitimate. This in turn better enables them to more rigorously and regularly evaluate policies and practices adopted by their departments. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet. Police Subculture Overview & Examples | What is Police Subculture? Discretion allows officers to quickly judge a situation, determine what is going on, identify the legal statute that pertains to the case, and interpret that statute. You may start your career as normal patrolman, but you can get promoted pretty soon if you are ambitious enough and are willing to put in the work. Hence, you dont have to worry about future job opportunities as a police officer that much since there will be plenty of work that still has to be carried out by humans. Especially if this case is revealed in public, chances are that there will be huge shitstorms on social media and the pressure to fire you will be enormous. You will see many men and women of uniform volunteering within their community to make a difference. Decent pay ($53,360 average as of May 2014) Option to work in or out of an office environment (a probationer's home, place of employment or the officer's office)*. Most cops have hobbies, outdoor pursuits, or activities to keep our minds active and positive. Discretion affords police officers autonomy and authority. There are also plenty of career opportunities you can pursue as a police officer. While your job will be relatively easy in good neighborhoods, it can be a nightmare in bad neighborhoods where people just dont respect you at all. Police discretion allows officers to make decisions when a clear solution may not exist. Police officers are allowed to use their discretion, which grants them the freedom to make decisions as they perform their official duties. - Definition, Qualifications & Responsibilities, The Office for Victims of Crime: History, Role & Purpose, Discrimination within Police Departments: Law, Incidents & Impact, The Impact of State Prosecutors on Police Practices, The History & Impact of Policing in America, Jury Selection Process | Trial, Civil Cases & Litigation, The U.S. Court Systems & History | Overview & Purpose of the Dual-Court System. Among others, articles have been cited by NPOs, Wikipedia, Medium.com as well as on several college websites and lifestyle blogs. In fact, if people know that your family and friends know a police officer quite well, they will often act in a more respectful manner since they know that they can get into all sorts of trouble if they misbehave. Quite often, you will also spend your leisure together and some police officers even spend plenty of time together after they retire. Of the 60,105 assaulted officers, 31% sustained injuries. WebSome advantages of giving full police authority to private police are authority to address a wider range of criminal activity, improved security-officer morale, improved career In fact, you will have to decide when it will be appropriate to use your gun and when there will be no need for it. However, before you sign your contract, make sure you read this article since I show you all the pros and cons of being a police officer. Copyright 2023 A college education helps officers become better at identifying quality information and scientific evidence. Leaders with a graduate degree are twice as likely to be familiar with evidence-based policing, which uses research to guide effective policy and practice. For instance, the officer could misinterpret a statute and make an erroneous arrest. By arresting suspects and leading investigations, a police officer can keep the community safe from people who are committing crimes. However, the majority of the general public is still thankful for the help and security police officers ensure on our streets. Being a police officer in America is a tough job.. This can be rather annoying, especially if you have a family and dont know how to manage your private life since you often dont know the exact hours of your shift. Also if you think that police officers have a relaxed life, you should think twice. Discretion in criminal justice is present at all levels of the system and in its bureaucracies. Police officers may face disciplinary action for making the wrong decision. In fact, many people struggle with it since it destroys the natural sleeping rhythm. We are selective of where we dine. If discretion in law enforcement is used in a wrongful manner, it has great potential for being abused out of the field. While some people will be rather cooperative, others will try to insult you or to bring you down whenever they can. Disadvantages of Security Officers. The suspect obeys, and Officer Bob makes an arrest. Some police officers also grew up under rather poor conditions and urgently want to make a positive change for their community. This makes it really difficult since you will never know whether you will be able to pick up your kids the next week or not. Since police officers see so many bad things during their careers, they often also lose all their childish delusions of a nice world pretty soon. Always remember that one wrong decision in this regard can also take away your own life. 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. For example, many departments employ de-escalation tactics that aim to reduce use of force. Another advantage of becoming a police officer is that you will also stay quite fit during your active career. However, this fear will go away over time once you get more experience and learning to deal with this kind of fear is quite important. The major pro of being a police detective would be that the work would be interesting and intellectually stimulating. No matter which way you personally feel about the subject, the police must be sure not to cross the 'thin blue line' when it comes to utilizing police discretion. This could mean that they think that somebody follows them to their house when there will actually nobody be there. Hence, as a police officer, you will have the power to improve the lives of many people who will be thankful for what you do for them forever. Consequently, many police officers are also unable to unplug from what has happened during their shift and carry their worries and emotional issues back home. Officer Bob decides to intervene. Higher education, including graduate degrees, can enhance the leadership potential of criminal justice professionals and support their promotion through the ranks. They protect the community or certain neighborhoods and work to reduce crime rates. Use of force is defined as actions that range from verbal threats to use force to actually using force that could cause physical harm. It is often very exciting and spotted with adrenaline dumps. What is police discretion? Therefore, there is the possibility that the police could make an unnecessary and unauthorized search. Though each day is going to be different as a police officer, some people might rather have a more predictable, mundane type of job. If you are looking for a fast-paced, exciting career that will allow you to make a difference in your community, you may enjoy being a police officer. Especially in your early years as a policeman, you will be on the street quite often. To be clear, school resource officers (SROs) are sworn police officers and not security guards. Police work can affect or sway our behavior to a greater degree of positivity, too. This can be rather unclear in many situations and one mistake in this regard can even cost your life. Our fuses and energy become shortwith sleep deprivation, long shift hours, societal isolation, and continued exposure to negative human elements. Many police officers just have a hard time dealing with this fact and try to suppress it. Uniform Stories features a variety of contributors. Make sure to also get detailed information on the salary, prospects, future outlook, educational requirements, duties, responsibilities, work-life balance and job satisfaction of police officers. Many citizens are shielded from the horrors we encounter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_officer, https://golawenforcement.com/articles/10-tips-for-a-successful-law-enforcement-career/, https://www.criminaljusticedegreeschools.com/resources/best-police-career-advice/. However, some police officers quit their jobs after a while due to the dangers they no longer want to be exposed to. Next: 13 reasons why you love being a cop. Special District Police Agencies: Types & Roles, What Is a Guardian ad Litem? Inside our minds are images, voices, screams, visions, smells, and dreams which have been influenced by our career. They also make sure that people who dont play according to the rules get arrested. Law enforcement is ever-evolving, and so is the person occupying the uniform. The various decisions that different participants in the legal system are allowed to make shows what forms discretion takes in criminal justice. If someone was not competitive as a rookie, they probably will become so in time. These sources are experts and educators within their profession. Similarly, community-oriented policing emphasizes building relationships with citizens to identify and respond to community crime problems. Police officers have to rely on each other to make their operations as safe as possible. Add to that the ability to help people on a daily basis and this line of work can be very fulfilling. Officers love the fact that no two calls are alike and you never know what you are going to get sent to by your dispatch center. 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. While some people dont like this high level of insecurity, others live for it since it gives them a certain level of thrill and excitement. The following are the types of decisions that might require a police officer to use their own discretion. The use of discretion allows the police officer the flexibility necessary to perform their job. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Here are the top recognized benefits of community policing: Improved officer morale: The national narrative around policing has had a significantly negative impact on In fact, if you want to do good for the district you have grown up in, being a police officer can be a great way to do so since you will have plenty of influence and can also advise young people to stay away from things that might get them into trouble. Gabrielle Nicolet has been writing and editing professionally since 2004. Spend your leisure together and some police officers have to rely on each to. Action for making the wrong decision in this regard can even cost your life too. Aggravating factor is an aspect of crime that increases an act 's severity and culpability crime problems cops hobbies. 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