answer this question once you done reading both pages .

-) Would you arrest the wife if you were the responding officer?

-) What factors play a role in your decision (refer to the concept of police discretion)? Identify at least three factors.

The Color of a Living Room You are a female police officer. You have worked for the police depart- ment a little over two years as a juvenile officer and have transferred into the patrol division only a few weeks ago. You had enjoyed working in the juvenile bureau but felt you had greater career potential as a patrol officer Some of the male patrol officers seemed a little apprehensive for one reason or another when you transferred into the patrol division. You had expected some resistance but believed that you could eventually prove yourself, which is what has happened. You currently have an older male partner who works well with you and has made your transition much smoother. You and your partner have just finished eating dinner when you receive a radio call about a family disturbance. As you proceed toward the address, you think about the training you received concerning how to han- dle family disputes. As your patrol car comes to a stop in front of the house in question, you can hear screaming and shouting coming from inside. After quickly surveying the surrounding area, your partner looks through the front porch window and observes a middle-aged couple having an argument. The screaming diminishes when your partner knocks on the front door and announces your presence. A battered, middle-aged man comes to the door and asks if he can help you. He has a large bruise on the left side of his face, and his right eye is almost swollen shut. He looks embarrassed. Your partner introduces you and himself and asks if it is all right to enter the house and talk. You follow the man and your partner into the living room, and you see the woman sitting on a sofa. The living room is a mess. There are paint cans, brushes, and newspapers strewn around the floor. It is obvious that the couple is in the process of painting the living room. You ask the woman what's going on, and she quickly becomes belligerent. She has obviously been drinking and is quite intoxicated. She explains to you that she Wanted light blue paint in the living room, but her husband started paint- ing the room a beige color. The woman suddenly rises from the sofa and begins to stumble around the room, cursing her husband all the while. The 61 Scanned by CamScanner 62 Section II: Family and Crisis Intervention was painting the living room when his wife came home from a friend's house after apparently having too much too drink. He further explains that he is afraid his wife may be becoming an alcoholic and that he is worried about her. That comment infuriates his wife even more. Picking up a paint roller, she begins to threaten her husband. You step toward the woman in an effort to quiet her down. She unexpectedly swings the roller at you, hitting you on the arm and splattering paint over your uniform. Your partner quickly relieves the woman of her paint roller and firmly orders her to settle down. After assessing and discussing the situation, you and your partner both agree that the husband probably needs medical attention. You also realize that if the husband were the violent party instead of the wife, he would be arrested. However, the husband assures you and your partner that he is all right and pleads with you not to arrest his wife. Scanned by CamScanner