dep214, my response is written in everyday English, there is no gibberish. Perhaps the parallel I was attempting to show is too much for you to understand. In short, there is no reason an officer, any officer, regardless of whether he is a Game Warden or a Texas Ranger can't give a warning when he feels that would be the best approach to a particular situation. If you never in your thirty year career used your discretion in a situation, then perhaps you answered your own question. I know that some things are not considered to be warnable offenses, in those situations, you let the court straighten it out but if by using a little tact and human decency you can do your job without going that route, everybody is better off.
Just as a matter of curiosity, how would a casual observer know that you had let this individual go with a warning?
The warnings I used to give out were good for a year, if the individual was stopped again within that year for the same warnable offense, they were hammered.