See Order Instructions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

See Order Instructions - Research Paper Example Everyday police officers face different challenges and experiences that expect them to make decisions on how to handle the situation individually without involving additional advice or immediate supervision, and this is the heart of police discretion. In law enforcement, Hassell and Archbold (2010) argue that the police officer has the mandate to make judgments or reasonable decisions within certain legal bounds. Police officers face a wide range of options especially when confronted by dangerous situations. Some of their decisions have been misconstrued as misconduct and a good example is the use of excessive force. External and internal mechanisms affecting police discretion involve the lack of agreement on the exact criminal behaviors that law officers should use in discretion. As a result, there is no evident legal discretion of the criminal actions requiring discretion. However, there are control mechanisms including Internal and external control mechanisms, control by citizens, legislative controls, and control by courts. Analysis A study by Palmiotto and Unnithan (2011) posits that more attention remains on the need to prepare police officers for the appropriate use of discretion. These preparations begin at the training school in the academy continuing later to their field practice. According to the trainings, the use of discretion is critical mainly after an event or on regular basis.