An officer in the patrol division has repeatedly failed to complete written reports by the end of the shift. This has come to the attention of the division commander. The officer has less than two years of experience.
You are also aware of a more senior patrol officer with 12 years of experience who has made a habit of submitting reports late. According to the sergeant the junior officer is still adjusting to the workload. Therefore, the junior officer is referred for remedial report writing training and given an informal memo of counseling outlining steps to correct and improve performance. The senior officer has been counseled repeatedly over several years for the shortcoming. Now the sergeant has recommended a one-day suspension and a letter of reprimand to be placed in the senior officer’s personnel file.
Do you think the treatment meted out to the two officers in this scenario is fair? Why or why not?
After you’ve completed your research and incorporated your personal experience and the information contained in the previous scenario, what do you see as the differences between discipline and punishment?