Law enforcement officers face delicate situations on a daily basis. These situations require immediate and appropriate responses from these officers. Police exercise a great amount of discretion. Misuse of discretion can lead to society questioning police tactics and policies. How do we judge what the appropriate responses in these situations are? Who is to say that the discretion police use is appropriate in any given situation? Police are confronted with enormous pressures. Many well publicized …showed first 75 words of 1592 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1592 total…society’s needs, but also be held accountable to the communities they serve. Under our democratic system, police must operate under rules of law. We understand the difficulty they experience in situations where their quick and immediate 6 discretion must be used, but we also must understand that law enforcement officers must be held accountable for their actions. Under our laws, police officers must not only be responsive, but also accountable to society for their performance.