U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Observations Concerning the Work of the Criminal Police (From Police and the Community: Contributions Concerning the Relationship Between Police and the Community and Concerning Community Policing, P 64-80, 1990, Thomas Feltes and Erich Rebscher, eds.)

NCJ Number
129775
Author(s)
R V Ericson
Date Published
1990
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Information from a 1981 Canadian study formed the basis of an analysis of the limitations and discretionary powers involved in the work of police detectives.
Abstract
Unlike other police officers, detectives are often distant from the scene of the crime and must rely on the information of witnesses, suspects, and patrol officers to investigate their cases. Detectives were found to have considerable discretion despite their reliance on others for information. They are not tied to a specific beat, uniform, or vehicle. In addition, neither victims nor witnesses receive a copy of the final police report, so the detective decides without outside control how a case is handled. Detectives often ignore citizens' desires to press charges because they consider the case too insignificant or the evidence insufficient. More problematically, detectives can often obtain search or arrest warrants without obtaining the legally required evidence. They use many legal tricks and strategies to obtain guilty pleas and to avoid a lengthy trial that would expose their methods to court scrutiny. Further research should focus on assuring the responsible use of these discretionary powers. 27 references