Whether a police department has a legalistic , watchman , or service style is a matter of how discretion is controlled and structured. In this perspective, discretion is the empty area in the middle of a ring consisting of policies and procedures. The freedom of being able to make choices is called a strong sense of discretion by Dworkin. In the weaker sense, we would consider cases in which not only the rules don't apply, but the officer makes individualized judgments. In both senses, it's the problem of loose definition.
Discretion is the opposite of routine and habitual obedience.
It brings knowledge, skill, and insight to bear in unpredictable ways. It involves making personal contributions, judgment calls, exercising autonomy, and individual solutions. It's about the courage to make your own decisions, to have personal input, following your conscience, even if those decisions are reversed later by a superior. Prudence, foresight, the ability to size up people, arguments, and situations. Tactfulness, tolerance, empathy, and being discreet are all forms of discernment.