Three approaches of police behavior in the U.S have been pinpointed as; the legalistic method of policing; watchman method of policing; and the service method of policing. The legalistic method of police behavior is described as police officers who believe they are symbols of the law they are sworn to uphold. Legalistic police officers avoid discernment on the reasoning of the spirit of the law, trying to judge only whether a law is broken or followed. The legalistic method of policing could be compared to the "police officer who would give his own mother a ticket for speeding' philosophy. The watchman method of policing creates the opposite kind of police officer. The watchman police method disregards many lawbreaking activities. Watchman police officers are disposed to provide more warnings than tickets, and make hardly any arrests when they are not serving a violation. The service method of policing makes the greatest use of discretion. They examine each circumstance on its own distinction and form their option to apprehend a violator on the safety of the public. The service method of policing is a leveling between the legalistic and the watchman methods of policing and has been indicated as producing one of the preferable styles of police-community relations.
Police officers practice an immense number of discretion in implementing their purposes. Police experience a variety of behaviors and a variety of circumstances. One of the most significant points about policing is who and how many violators they let go (non-arrest options, leniency, under reaction). Police work is generally perilous, and officers sometimes view non-threatening situations as more threatening than they really are (brutality, deadly force, over reaction). They make many decisions from a range of possible actions or inactions available to them that are not specifically prescribed by law. This simple notion, that seems self-evident to some and controversial to others, lies at the heart of...