A wide spectrum of options for disposing of criminal allegations is available to Commanding Officers/Generals. During the initial investigative stages, a Commanding Officer/General must weigh the seriousness of the misconduct with other factors, such as:
For example, the Commanding Officer/General may decide not to prefer charges because the alleged misconduct is not overly serious and would be disproportionately disruptive to the command.
Typically, a Commanding Officer/General has four options when disposing alleged misconduct: