er elusive to definition, yet are absolutely necessary for law enforcement to function.
Some of what falls within the discretionary area of police work would be termed peace-keeping and social service. Cohen states that when confronted with these peripheral situations, the officer must have the means to achieve the end. There must be no better way to achieve that end, and the means must not subvert the end (32). Split second decisions are constantly made regarding these criteria.
Lundman discusses interesting governing factors of the rules of encounter between citizens and officers. The order revolving around police-citizen encounters includes exchange of deference and maintenance of proper demeanor (Lundman 93). These interactions are symbolic. That is, the citizen defers to the function and institution of police, rather than the individual police officer. This may require temporary subordination and is shown with intonation, vocal quality, and choice of words. If the citizen refuses deference to the officer, the likelihood of his arrest is greater. This is one manifestation of discretion. Lundman cites the results of a study regarding leniency of police officers in their encounters with drunken offenders. Of the 195 encounters that could have ended in arrest, only 31 percent were arrested (184). It is basic to observe that it is not simply drunkenness which leads to the arrest of drunken offenders.
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