Respond to a classmate whose decisions are different than your decisions. Discuss why you believe your decisions are different. In your response, refer to the required readings and study materials for this module/week. You must include concepts from the Biblical Principles of Criminal Justice article to support your statements.
In the Police Patrol-You Make the Call 1 activity, the Field Training Officer taught several officer training tactics to assist the new officer out on patrol. They include overall, using police discretion to decide who comes into the criminal justice system and who does not. This is accomplished by not only using the authority to make arrests, but also through the obligation to consider the unforeseen and/or unintended consequences of the officer's decision in using their authority. Depending on all the circumstances of the situation, an officer can decide to give the offending party a verbal warning, issue a citation, or make an arrest. How the officer resolves the situation is at their discretion, but a good rule of thumb to use is to get the attention of repeat offenders.
In applying the officer training tactics to the new traffic stop situation in Los Angeles, the arresting officers could have completely changed the outcome on both their actions and the outcome of injury to the woman. To prevent incidents of police brutality and excessive force, officers need to be reminded that while they do have the authority to use force, it should only be used as a last resort, when they themselves or others in the vicinity are in immediate danger.
Police integrity and professionalism are extremely important for all police departments in the United States. Integrity and professionalism are the characteristics that keep communities safe. Without these behaviors being exhibited, police departments open themselves up for horrible issues like corruption, brutality and even death. Hendrix states that "a focus on encouraging professional behavior and integrity within policing agencies increases trust in the community, making law enforcement more effective and police more responsive to those they serve and protect (Hendrix, 2013, p.193). Police integrity and professionalism ensure a safe and just police agency and most importantly, a safe and just society.