Scenario 1
Officer Merced responds to a call of a theft in progress. Upon arrival, Officer Merced finds that an 18-year-old female has stolen baby formula and diapers by exiting the store without paying. Officer Merced speaks with the female suspect and finds that she has a newborn baby, does not have any source of income, and needed the formula and diapers for the baby. As such, theft is still a crime.
Scenario 2
Dane is in an electronics store where he and a couple of friends are searching for a potential gift to give to a friend. They are happy to find a video game that is on sale but decide to continue looking around the store. They decide to go grab a bite to eat before making a final decision on what to get for their friend. As they are walking out of the store, the security alarm goes off and the store’s security guard notices that Dane has the video game in his hands.
Officer Sutherland arrives at the scene and Dane explains to the officer that he did not intend to steal the video game and simply forgot that it was still in his hands.
Scenario 3
Officer Wilson arrives on scene at a local pharmacy where a young woman, Brooke, was caught attempting to steal a plastic bag full of medication. When questioned, Brooke explains that she was trying to steal some medication so that she could sell it and make some money to help her mom pay their rent. Brooke tells Officer Wilson that if her mom cannot make the next rent payment, they will be evicted from their apartment. Brooke has never had any encounters with the police and starts sobbing out of remorse for what she has done. Officer Wilson feels sympathetic towards Brooke.
Scenario 4
Officer Thomas responds to the local high school for a “graffiti” or destruction of school property complaint. Officer Thomas speaks with the Principal who indicates a student has written racial and sexual orientation remarks in the bathroom. The slanderous remarks are directed toward a student who is a minority and a transgender student. The Principal has the suspect student on in-school surveillance cameras going into the bathroom with a can of spray paint and coming out of the bathroom empty-handed. The student was called in and admitted spray painting the bathroom. The student indicated he intended on scaring the transgender student in an effort to get the student to leave the school.
CRJ310 – Discretionary Use of Authority
Name: ADD NAME HERE
Overview
As you review each scenario. Consider different ways the responding officer(s) might respond to each situation, and consider the discretionary factors that might apply.
· The Law
· Seriousness of the Offense
· Officer & Citizen’s attitudes
· Victim/Offender Relationship
· Evidence of a Crime
· Complainant Opinion
Note: You may make any and all assumptions necessary to answer these scenarios as long as they do not conflict with the details provided.
Scenario #1
Examine two actions the officer could take in this scenario including at least two discretionary factors used in selecting those actions.
Select one action and justify which of the two actions you would have selected if you were the responding officer, using at least two discretionary factors in your response.
Scenario #2
Examine two actions the officer could take in this scenario including at least two discretionary factors used in selecting those actions.
Select one action and justify which of the two actions you would have selected if you were the responding officer, using at least two discretionary factors in your response.
Scenario #3
Examine two actions the officer could take in this scenario including at least two discretionary factors used in selecting those actions.
Select one action and justify which of the two actions you would have selected if you were the responding officer, using at least two discretionary factors in your response.
Scenario #4
Examine two actions the officer could take in this scenario including at least two discretionary factors used in selecting those actions.
Select one action and justify which of the two actions you would have selected if you were the responding officer, using at least two discretionary factors in your response.
Conclusion
Complete this document and submit it in the assignment area for the Week 4 Assignment: Discretionary Use of Authority.
Note: This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The library is your home for SWS assistance, including citations and formatting. Please refer to the Library site for all support. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
© 2023 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
