Because there are several hundred people in the united states for every police officer, police

   Use discretion in deciding which situations warrant their attention

Explanation:  Discretion is the right, that is, the freedom to decide, on the basis of which they act according to the priority, that is, which situation takes priority in the attention of the police. Such discretion is prescribed and defined in the criminal justice system, and with discretion it strikes a balance in such a system. On the ground, this practically means that police officers have the discretion to stop, search, arrest people, based on their decision, which is presumed to be correct, because it is also assumed that police officers have the power to decide who to stop, search or to arrest.

productive most commonly means: achieving or producing a significant amount or result.

explanation:

productive can also mean:

these depend on how the word productive is used. most likely productive will mean   achieving or producing a significant amount or result.