You will be asked to respond to five different scenarios. Answer each scenario (about 1 page per scenario). You will need to: Decide what action the responding officer should take and provide an explanation/justification for your response. In your explanation, explain the role that discretion played in your decision. Choose at least five factors from the list below to include in your explanation. When considering your response for each scenario, remember that because of the nature of law enforcement work, police officers have always maintained a certain amount of discretion. Due to the amount of interaction that officers have with members of the public, this discretion must be fair, equal, impartial, and legal. As such, the use of discretion by officers is both a foundation of police work and a component of community policing. Note : You may make any and all assumptions necessary to answer these scenarios as long as they do not conflict with the details provided. FACTORS (CHOOSE AT LEAST 5 FOR EACH SCENARIO): Environmental factors Nature of the community. Socio-demographic characteristics. Level and type of crime in the community. Police/Community relations. Organizational factors Department Rules and Regulations. Policies and Procedures. Department bureaucracy. Officer experience. Dimensions of policing: philosophical; strategic; tactical; organizational. Situational factors Seriousness of crime. Weapon involvement. Victim – Desire to prosecute. Group/gang crime. Suspect’s demeanor. Age/gender/race of involved parties. Suspect’s criminal record. Ethics Moral values. Cultural/Societal norms. Accountability. Friends/Family/Coworkers. Experience/Upbringing. Legal Laws. Past practice. Evidence. Victim signatures. Landmark Supreme Court cases. Scenario 1: Officer Merced responds to a call of a Theft in Progress. Upon arrival, he finds that an 18-year-old female has stolen baby formula and diapers by exiting the store without paying. He speaks with her 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. What should Officer Merced do?  Do you arrest the woman or not? What factors influenced your decision? Provide an explanation/justification for your chosen response including the role that discretion played in your decision. Be sure to consider at least five of the provided factors in your explanation. Use evidence and details from the scenario as well as supporting information and examples from the text in your response. 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 .

1. You will be asked to respond to five different scenarios. Answer
each scenario (about 1 page per scenario). You will need to:
Decide what action the responding officer should take and
provide an explanation/justification for your response.
In your explanation, explain the role that discretion played in
your decision. Choose at least five factors from the list below to
include in your explanation.
When considering your response for each scenario, remember
that because of the nature of law enforcement work, police
officers have always maintained a certain amount of discretion.
Due to the amount of interaction that officers have with
members of the public, this discretion must be fair, equal,
impartial, and legal. As such, the use of discretion by officers is
both a foundation of police work and a component of
community policing.
Note
: You may make any and all assumptions necessary to answer
these scenarios as long as they do not conflict with the details
provided.
FACTORS (CHOOSE AT LEAST 5 FOR EACH SCENARIO):
Environmental factors
Nature of the community.
Socio-demographic characteristics.

2. Level and type of crime in the community.
Police/Community relations.
Organizational factors
Department Rules and Regulations.
Policies and Procedures.
Department bureaucracy.
Officer experience.
Dimensions of policing: philosophical; strategic; tactical;
organizational.
Situational factors
Seriousness of crime.
Weapon involvement.
Victim – Desire to prosecute.
Group/gang crime.
Suspect’s demeanor.
Age/gender/race of involved parties.
Suspect’s criminal record.

3. Ethics
Moral values.
Cultural/Societal norms.
Accountability.
Friends/Family/Coworkers.
Experience/Upbringing.
Legal
Laws.
Past practice.
Evidence.
Victim signatures.
Landmark Supreme Court cases.
Scenario 1:
Officer Merced responds to a call of a Theft in Progress. Upon
arrival, he finds that an 18-year-old female has stolen baby
formula and diapers by exiting the store without paying. He
speaks with her and finds that she has a newborn baby, does not
have any source of income, and needed the formula and diapers

4. for the baby. As such, theft is still a crime. What should Officer
Merced do?
Do you arrest the woman or not? What factors influenced your
decision?
Provide an explanation/justification for your chosen response
including the role that discretion played in your decision.
Be sure to consider at least five of the provided factors in your
explanation.
Use evidence and details from the scenario as well as
supporting information and examples from the text in your
response.
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

5. forgot that it was still in his hands.
What should Officer Sutherland do?
Provide an explanation/justification for your chosen response
including the role that discretion played in your decision.
Be sure to consider at least five of the provided factors in your
explanation.
Use evidence and details from the scenario as well as
supporting information and examples from the text in your
response.
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 the officer 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.
What should Officer Wilson do?

6. Provide an explanation/justification for your chosen response
including the role that discretion played in your decision.
Be sure to consider at least five of the provided factors in your
explanation.
Use evidence and details from the scenario as well as
supporting information and examples from the text in your
response.
Scenario 4:
Jamie is a 17-year-old male who has had a few encounters with
the justice system and has recently spent three months in a
juvenile center for assaulting another individual. Jamie has been
sentenced to probation where he is under a curfew and expected
to be home by 9PM. Jamie has previously been given a warning
in the past for his inability to meet his curfew. Jamie’s arresting
officer, Officer Gomez, notices Jamie walking down the street
at approximately 9:12PM.
What should Officer Gomez do?
Provide an explanation/justification for your chosen response
including the role that discretion played in your decision.

7. Be sure to consider at least five of the provided factors in your
explanation.
Use evidence and details from the scenario as well as
supporting information and examples from the text in your
response.
Scenario 5:
Officer Rose is on routine patrol and stops a 16-year-old for
going through a red light at a busy intersection. He explains to
the officer that he is late for work. After checking his license
and registration, Officer Rose finds that the driver has a clean
record.
Do you give him a ticket? Do you let him off with a warning?
Something else? What factors influenced your decision?
Provide an explanation/justification for your chosen response
including the role that discretion played in your decision.
Be sure to consider at least five of the provided factors in your
explanation.
Use evidence and details from the scenario as well as
supporting information and examples from the text in your
response.

8. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12),
with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references.
Your completed assignment should be 5–7 pages long, or a
minimum of 1 page per scenario.