Police Discretion Padlet by Shari Abbott https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0 Police Discretion Examples Here, include a link to a reputable news source from a city near you that relates to a local issue of police discretion. Explain briefly (4-5 sentences) how police discretion was used and what ethical considerations were (or were not) taken into account with that action. WHEN you post a reply to someone else, IF you cannot figure out how to link it to them, NO WORRIES. Just NAME them and their example in your reply. en-us 2021-02-01 01:25:14 UTC 2021-02-17 00:13:31 UTC hello@padlet.com Police Discretion in Chicago mseda3 https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1150746928 According to a Chicago Tribune article from September 2020, many young Black men don't believe the police protect them enough, and use their discretion on them way more than other races surveyed. More than 50% reported being stopped in their car by the CPD, 20% reported being questioned, and 19% reported having a gun pointed at them. What's most notable is that all of those reports happened unprovoked by the men, and seemingly at random by the CPD. A story in the article specifically mentions a young Black male who was just walking in his neighborhood when the police stopped him and threatened to taser him, and that he found out police fail to articulate why they stop these young men when filling out contact cards for street stops they make. Overall, police fail to protect the lives of Black men as well as White men or other races, and fail to have real reasons to stop Black men at such rates that they do.

]]> 2021-02-01 20:00:32 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1150746928 Police Discretion in Georgia https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1151257108 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/09/13/us/Roderick-Walker-Georgia-police.amp.html

In September of 2020, 26 year old Roderick Walker was pulled over in Clayton County, Georgia by two sheriff deputies during a routine traffic stop (a broken taillight).  In viral social media footage, the two officers are shown pinning down and beating Mr. Walker in the middle of the street.  The matter of minutes where the situation escalated from a routine traffic stop, to Mr. Walker inquiring about his need for ID (as every American citizen has the right to do), to both of the sheriff deputies pinning him down and beating him until his face is almost unrecognizable, is a vivid example of how police discretion can lead to questionable ethics.  According to the Clayton County sheriff's office, only one of the deputies was placed on unpaid administrative leave and eventually fired only after their office was made aware of the viral video.  This is concerning, because it leads me to believe that if there were no bystanders, then there would be absolutely no accountability.  In that case, what help did the officer’s body cameras offer in this situation or others like it? Also, why were both deputies not facing consequences? 

]]> 2021-02-01 22:56:41 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1151257108 Police Discretion in Connecticut https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1151441035 https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/Connecticut-State-Police-use-discretion-when-11395397.php

In this article it is talking about how police troopers in CT are trying to find a better way to make the distracted driving fines more fair and to help prevent further offenses. Initially not all the trooper cars were equipped to identify drivers based off their license plates to know if this was their first offense. But since then there have been improvements in the system and technology to help identify what the correct punishment should be. Along with that the fines for distracted driving have also been changed where the first offense can cost from $125 to $150, second offense from $250 to $300 and third offense from $400 to $500. The new rules and PSAs that have been put out have decreased the amount of distracted driving by a fair amount "The number of tickets being issued has declined, court records show. Police issued 30,109 in 2012, down from 38,556 tickets in 2011.". Since then the amount of tickets has gone down drastically. ]]> 2021-02-02 00:44:54 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1151441035 Police Discretion in New York City schnabelj1 https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1151555683 https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-police-get-new-discretion-over-minor-crimes-1456884530#:~:text=The%20New%20York%20Police%20Department,a%20new%20policy%20outlined%20Tuesday.

This article talks about how police officers in New York City have the discretion to not arrest those who commit minor infractions unless they are a threat to public safety. This could be things like drinking in public or littering. This will help reduce the number of arrests by up to 10,000 everyday. This will allow prosecutors to spend time on more important cases, and on criminals who may be much more a danger than those who were just literring. Instead they will be issues a summons to court, similar to a ticket you would get from speeding. It is overall a much faster process than actually getting arrested. This seems like an overall very beneficial example of police officers having their own discretion as if they chose to arrest, it is the same as the old policy or they can make the process easier by just issuing a summons.]]> 2021-02-02 01:49:21 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1151555683 Police Discretion in Washington State noar22 https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1151709848 The Seattle Times article I've linked below (just published today!) covers the debate -- and proposed legislation that has emerged out of it -- in the Washington State Congress over excessive force used by police. Although police discretion is not directly mentioned in the article, the legislation seeks to hold by-standing police officers accountable for intervening in situations when they believe their fellow officer has "gone too far." This is a type of police discretion I don't think the article we all read as a class covered: using those of equal rank to limit one another's discretion (and the decision they make to do so is also, I believe, a form of discretion); I think it is a creative way of using police discretion, although not necessarily beneficial given that it would only work if the bystander’s ethical discretion had been properly cultivated. This article also mentions House Bill 504, which endeavors to prohibit police tactics that have been commonly used in racially-biased policing incidents, like chokeholds, tear gas, and no-knock warrants (the chokeholds and no-knock warrant reminded me of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor). These measures would also curb the amount of police discretion, albeit in a more direct manner than that of relying on colleagues; I believe this bill is incredibly necessary, because unnecessary violence is so often linked to police discretion -- a devastating (for lack of a better word) flaw in the system. ]]> 2021-02-02 03:27:32 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1151709848 Seattle Police Officer Suspended for improper use of discretion https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1152380428 This article is about a police officer whose actions, including improper use of a "ruse," lead to a person of interest's suicide. A man had commited a misdemeanor hit and run where there was only minor damage to vehicles, with no injuries. When this (unnamed) police office tracked down a friend of the suspect, he told them that a woman was badly injured and fighting for her life as a result of the hit and run. The suspect apparently became so distraught that they committed suicide, and after an investigation, the officer was suspended for six days without pay. The Seattle police chief said that “the officer’s actions did not meet SPD’s standards of acceptable use of discretion and were not consistent with the standards of professionalism or training."  The use of the police officer's discretion was definitely an important factor in how this all played out, and he definitely made the ethically wrong decision in this case by choosing a ruse with implications worse than the crime itself. However, the police department said they wanted to institute training on how and when to use a ruse in an investigation. Hopefully they will follow through with that and give officers more guidance on how to implement their discretion in the future, both in similar cases and generally. -Claire Pearson]]> 2021-02-02 08:07:42 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1152380428 Police Discretion in Florida gurtleri22 https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1153850228 https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2011-03-28-os-law-you-officer-discretion-20110321-story.html

The Orlando Sentinel is a new source for the greater Orlando area that described an example of police discretion. The article covers an instant in which an officer, instead of giving the driver a DUI, instead drove him home in his vehicle. This is a good example of police discretion because the officer exercised his choice to arrest or not to arrest. The incident occurred when officer Chuck Gregory pulled over attorney William Charles Gula for speeding and swerving on the road. William Charles Gula refused to take a field sobriety test and using officer discretion, Gregory chose not to take him to the station but instead drive him home safely. I believe the use of police discretion should not have been executed here because drunk driving is inexcusable and if the attorney was drunk, he deserves a punishment. While police discretion is good at times, this instance the offender should have been punished because he is now able to do this again and could possibly kill or injure others on the roads. ]]> 2021-02-02 14:33:49 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1153850228 Police discretion in Chicago, IL https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1154952582
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-police-stop-and-frisk-20191024-2ht2ttwavzaqtaefp2bwkk3ime-story.html

This article addressed an overview of how a former federal judge has noticed a troubling pattern in Chicago police conducting street stops: supervisors assisting officers in reviewing hundreds of reports, sometimes many times, all to make it appear that the stops were lawful. The town agreed to review its street stops information, which controlled this. For each top and such, the police must have a constitutional justification before an officer undertakes it. Since the city feels that so many street arrests are being made by police officers, they have to be reported and have to provide information about the rational belief of the officer that a crime was occurring or about to happen. Supervisors review the reports and mark any reports that do not explain the stop so that the department can decide if the officer needs retraining or whether repeated illegal stops should be punished. Chicago police carried out four times as many stops and frisks as New York City at the height of the stops, and African Americans were stopped at a considerably higher rate. Around 70 percent of the street stops were made by African Americans, while they make up just about a third of the population of Chicago, according to the study. - Trinity Norman

]]> 2021-02-02 17:32:41 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1154952582 Police Discretion in Baltimore, MD https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1154956204 https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-police-coronavirus-policy-20200319-7iz2zuwmnbdz5pnrkbiq2r4dre-story.html

This article explains how police in baltimore used discretion for low level arrests to decrease the spread of the corona virus.  The state attorney said that her unit would stop prosecuting cases such as drug possession, trespassing, and minor traffic offenses so that they could avoid a covid outbreak behind bars.  I personally think this is a good idea because they are not going to just stop policing the area obviously, but they are going to cut down on the unnecessary arrests that could increase the spread of the virus to prisoners.(and the officers).  -Johnny Melancon

Additional Notes about police discretion in baltimore, maryland.  
"She also wrote Gov. Larry Hogan and asked him to release such prisoners from state corrections facilities." This quotation is a positive one, because it highlights that the police discretion is actually going to make a positive impact in people's lives, because the police are not only going to stop making unnecessary, low-level arrests, but they are also going to start releasing people who are convicted with these crimes, to help with the spread of covid-19.
-Johnny Melancon
 
 ]]> 2021-02-02 17:33:19 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1154956204 Police Discretion in Pittsburgh, PA slinhardt https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1156224056 This article talks about the many instances of police discretion in Pittsburgh, all the way back to August of 1841. This article was full of many different occasions, but I chose to focus on more recent ones. On December 22, 2019, police officers were called to a scene on the corner of Wood and Penn where there were reportedly two men with guns. When they were about two blocks away, they saw a man that they believed to fit the description of one of the other two men, and began a foot chase. The police claim that he turned and fired at him, and they then fired back. This man was named Romir "Rome" Talley, and he was shot seven times and died at the scene. Many people questioned the shooting, as the police did not have body cams or dash cams. This was also a case of mistaken identity, as Rome Talley wasn't one of the men that was originally reported to the police. At his vigil, an Allegheny County Councilwoman said this incident “…is yet another example of needed police oversight." I think that the police discretionary of assuming the identity of this man was wrong in this case, and that they should have made sure that they knew which men were apart of the armed dispute before they started chasing someone. - Sophia Linhardt]]> 2021-02-02 22:12:04 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1156224056 Police Discretion in Dallas https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1156445386 https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-police-protesters-kettling-margaret-hunt-hill-bridge-11916828

police discretion in dallas
In this case, in a series of protest over the summer, police officers ushered protestors onto a bridge leading away from a rally. Then they used a technique referred to as kettling to essentially trap all of the protestors, and made nearly 700 arrests of the indivudals whom had found themselves on the highway. The discretion in this instance was the officers use of this technique, prior to the march they had decided that these indivudals were commiting a crime, and thus cornered them and arrested a very large portion of them. 

However, at a later point in time, the Dallas Police Chief decided that they were not going to pursue charges on the individuals. In this instance i think the secondary instance of police discretion was ethical even though it was largely prompted by public outrage and pressure.  - Micaiah Kapumba]]> 2021-02-03 00:19:48 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1156445386 Police Discertion in France https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1157322228 This article, though not going into great depth about what occurred, has links to numerous other sources that go into greater depth. Sadly all of those are in French, so I decided to link this one instead.
On the 3rd of January 2020, a man called Cédric Chouviat was strangled as he was held to the ground by police officers, and was pronounced dead just 48 hours later. To paint a picture, this  article compares what happened to him, to what occurred in the United States with George Floyd just 142 days later. The police murdered this father of five, simply because he had said a few words about them, such as calling them "clowns" and "fools." Even as his skin was turning blue and he was telling them they were suffocating him, these officers acted on their frustration rather than in an organized legal way. They went in with the mindset that he was guilty, as they had previously stopped him for using his phone while riding his scooter, and having a dirty license plate.
- Alicia van 't Riet]]> 2021-02-03 07:32:58 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1157322228 Police Discressoin in New Mexico During Covid 19 rodj2101 https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1166114698 During the covid -19 pandemic New Mexico's main jail has Benn heavily impacted by the covid 19 pandemic. The Jail had severe outbreaks towards the middle of October resulting in 343 inmates testing positive for Covid on Oct. 16th. In response to this Cops around the Metropolitan area were instructed to use they're descension to decide to Let people off with warnings, or fine them for minor crimes such as drug offences. Its crazy that Covid 19 has created buy products in new Mexico at least that relate to our prior unit of Mass Incarceration, seemingly as a part time fix or at least a measure to help the issue. 

https://www.koat.com/article/as-pandemic-slams-mdc-cops-asked-to-use-discretion-when-making-arrests/34388599]]> 2021-02-04 21:06:48 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1166114698 Some additional notes from the articles quinn_resnick https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1172077343 I was unable to add onto my last post so Ill put them here
“Hong Kong police have been granted sweeping new powers, including the ability to conduct raids without a warrant”. This gives police too much power and leeway that can become dangerous and unfair to the general population. “They also allow police to enter and search premises for evidence without a warrant 
”. In a sense, this could be beneficial due to the fact that if someone was truly very dangerous, then the police wouldn’t have to wait for a warrant that could possibly take time away from detaining a suspect. “The new powers were revealed when Hong Kong authorities released “implementation rules” late on Monday and swiftly used them to crack down on democratic behaviors, such as holding a protest sign.”
It would be different if it were a violent protest but, if people are peaceful there is no reason to fine or detain someone for expressing their political views in public
Source 2
 I believe that the stop and frisk technique is very unconstitutional. People should not have to be stopped and searched by an official without a true cause or if they haven’t seen someone committing a crime.It violates them in a way and if it is in public snd they are doing nothing wrong it can be very embarrassing and hurt someone’s ego or self-esteem. “It gives police license to racially profile people, and that minority residents are disproportionately targeted.” This is a very common case where minorities like African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be stopped and check than Caucasians Trump thinking that this could stop crimes before they are committed could be true but it can also be exposing and scary to the younger population who are commonly targets 
]]> 2021-02-06 21:16:24 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1172077343 Police Discretion in San Francisco https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1190657904 In 2015, Mario Woods had just stabbed a woman and was standing with the bloody knife when five police officers shot and killed him. Although the Department of Police Accountability found that the officers used "unnecessary force," the officers received no discipline since they had not deviated from any policies that were in place then. The DPA concluded that the "shooting revealed wide-ranging lapses in the SFPD's policy at the time" and since the officers had not technically broken any rules, the DPA had no grounds to recommend discipline. The report also explained that the police department did not have an implemented de-escalation policy at the time of the incident. But since then, the DPA has made 17 additional policy recommendations, many of them aimed at how police investigate and evaluate the shootings after they happen.
The police officers involved in the killing of Mario Woods faced no repercussions because they hadn't technically broken any policies. But all five officers decided to shoot Woods at the same time when he started heading in the direction of a populated bus stop. They shot him a total of 27 times, immediately killing him. They had been deploying earlier "less-lethal" force on him and so this did not coordinate with the escalation resulting in the use of excessive force. As other news outlets reported, this incident was "part of a long history of racial tension in San Francisco." Some called the death of Woods at the hands of police San Francisco's "George Floyd" moment.
- Thresia V.]]> 2021-02-11 05:35:07 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1190657904 Police Discretion in Hawaii during COVID-19 tlasure211 https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1209106976 Title: VIDEO: Honolulu Police Department has issued 60,000 coronavirus-related violations
Link: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/10/28/breaking-news/watch-live-honolulu-police-department-deputy-chief-john-mccarthy-joins-honolulu-star-advertisers-spotlight-hawaii/

This article deals with police officers in Honolulu giving out citations for COVID-19 related reasonings including non-essential travel, not wearing face masks, and not social distancing.  However, this does not mean the number of citations given out as citations can have multiple violations on them. They also have the ability to arrest the person if they believe it is need. It is considered a misdemeanor which means up to $5,000 in fines and a year in jail.  Ethical considerations are that that this time, Oahu had about 20,000 cases and people were throwing huge parties which would risk the spread of COVID-19 which the police was trying to prevent. However, many people in the comments believe that it is a waste of time and money to prosecute each violation and how the police only listen to politicians or are corrupt. Another point that is brought up is that the county of Honolulu is bankrupt and this would bring in much need funds.]]> 2021-02-16 23:56:24 UTC https://padlet.com/shariabbott/a954kz5lqu60tqy0/wish/1209106976