When examining the concept of discretion, how do police utilize it?

Discretion is a very important term in the police profession. The use of discretion is one of the major challenges facing U.S. police today. Discretion is the availability of a choice of options or actions one can take in a situation. Depending on the situation, the police may have wide discretion or very limited discretion. Discretion is not just limited to police; the entire criminal justice system is based on the concept of discretion. The idea is that no two crimes are exactly alike, and thus we are justified in looking at the circumstances.