Police Socialization And Discretion Of Police Subculture

Police socialization is the process in which recruits are introduced to police officers who impart not only their knowledge, but also any negative qualities they possess (Volti, 2008). The influence of socialization is enormous: it can erase the positive influences from training and introduce the recruit to the darker side of the police subculture (Ellwanger, 2012). It is through socialization that police recruits are inducted into the police subculture, enabling the subculture to maintain its norms and to continue its existence. Police socialization proceeds through the formal training school, and the informal process results from assignment to operational service (Fielding, 1986). In a study conducted by Yüksel, & Tosun (2015), it was found
It is the freedom to act on own judgement. Kenneth Culp Davis in Chase, E. (1970), succinctly define police discretion thus “A police officer or police agency may be said to exercise discretion whenever effective limits on his, or her, or its power leave the officer or agency free to make choices among possible courses of action or inaction.” The following are examples: traffic violations is one classic example of police discretion at work, when drivers get pulled over for speeding. Sometimes one might get a ticket, while other times it might just be let off with a warning. One can simply appeal to their discretion by telling the truth, and if the truth is a story that shows one to be a generally serious, upright citizen with good intentions and safe driving record, police often may let you go without being ticketed. Domestic violence is another example where police officer uses his discretional power, especially where verbal abuse is alleged and if there are no obvious bruises or signs of physical violence, it may be difficult to determine who initiated a fight and who escalated it. The police officer will have to use his or her personal