Consider the typical instances a police officer might face on a typical patrol: loud music, teenagers loitering, people being in a park after it closes. How does selective enforcement play a role in how officers handle these cases? Do you think it likely that any arrests would be made in these situations? Why or why not?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Selective enforcement is the policy that police officers follow on patrol, whereby they can choose to focus on more severe crimes but handle the rest in an informal manner. They should know when and when not to take action. In the case of these situations, it seems likely that the patrol officers would use selective enforcement to handle the matters informally, asking the offenders to turn down their music, the teenagers to find somewhere else to congregate, and point out the park is closed and ask the violators to leave. It seems unlikely that any arrests would be made in these situations because the offenses being committed are minor, and the officer talking to the violators would likely lead to them correcting the situation. Any of these situations could escalate or lead to arrest depending on how the violators respond. For example, if the people at the park refused to leave and continued arguing with the officer about it, a more serious step could be taken. Or, if the officers noticed that the people at the park were drinking and doing drugs illegally, that could also escalate the situation.