Review the 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.
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
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.