The Commander Of The Operations Division Of A Police Department

This evidence proves that there is not just one factor that causes officer stress, but there are many elements that create officer stress. According to the National Institute of Justice, “Enduring stress for a long period of time can lead to anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”. “PTSD is a psychological condition marked by an inability to be intimate, inability to sleep, increased nightmares, and increased feelings of guilt and reliving the even”. This evidence proves that if agencies don’t take a more proactive approach in ensuring that correctional officers have the resources available to assist in helping them manage their stress, then officers can occur a more serious psychological issue. Post-traumatic stress not only affects the officer, but it affects the family members of the

The threat of inmate violence against officers, actual violence committed by inmates, inmate demands and manipulation and problems with coworkers are all conditions that officers have reported as contributors to stress (Parker, 2006). The job of a correctional officer encompasses a wide array of activities. Officers are required to maintain order, security and control (Castle & Martin, 2006). Through the day their responsibilities may be revised as they are faced with an ever changing environment. As correctional staff feel conflict exists within their assigned duties and perceive a lack in control over their tasks, work stress will result (Tweksbury & Tiggins, 2006).

In the average person’s life seeing someone who had died in a car accident, been murdered, or committed suicide would be traumatic event that they would distinctly remember for the rest of their lives. Police officers encounter these type of events on a regular basis. Seeing those type of events and more go beyond just stress. These are traumatic events that wear on officers over time and can have serious negative mental health effects. In 2008 there were 141 officer suicides, in 2009 there were 143, and then another 126 in 2012. In the last six months on 2015 there were 51 police officer suicides. These numbers are well above the national average for suicides. There are many years where more officers take their own lives then are taking while in the line of duty and most years they are at least similar in numbers. It’s truly a tragedy that officers are as likely to kill themselves as to be killed by criminals. What is possibly most frightening about all of this isn’t just the high number of suicides, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, it’s the even higher number of officers who are currently at risk to become suicidal themselves. For every officer suicide there are at least another 1000 officers currently suffering from some symptoms of PTSD.

It is safe to say that one of the most arduous and taxing, both physically and mentally, occupations in the country right now would be that of a police officer. Just imagine having to witness half of the atrocities these brave men and women must endure through, knowing that to them it is “just another day at the office.” Unfortunately, police officers are not, by any means, impervious to these scenes and some are even traumatized by it. This is why it is up to their fellow officers, their brothers and sisters of the badge, to assist them in coping with their experiences. After all, who else could understand what they are going through if not the people they trust with their own lives out on the streets?

United States Law Enforcement officers are constantly under pressure. Their job requires them to serve and protect mankind, under any circumstances, at all times. Because of this, officers run the risk of putting themselves in harmful situation. This may include apprehending a violent assailant, or entering harmful locations. In this study, I used books and articles such as, Criminal Justice Today, to get an understanding of the dangers Law Enforcement Officer face in the line of duty. When performing task outside the prescient, office4rs are put into dangerous situations because of their surroundings, offender’s actions, and officer mistakes. Due to the high stress of this job, it not only affects their performance, but their health as well.

Stress can cause officers to develop depression, and it can cause them to have problems at home and work. As a result, officers are two times more likely to commit suicide than civilians are (Grant & Terry, 2008). With that being said, there needs to be more avenues for help out there for officers to be more successful in managing their stress. Help could come in the form of better training for new recruits regarding stress and better counseling services for current police officers. Stress will continue to be an issue within law enforcement, and it will only get worse in the future of policing. That is why it is important to develop measures now to help officers manage their stress levels instead of waiting. It is a known problem now, so why not develop a plan to combat it?

Many elements can make contributions to this hassle the police force is having with police officers abuse of strength, certainly one of them being the psychological health of cops where they aren’t in shape to serve and shield the human beings they sworn to guard. After the capturing of an unarmed lady at Capitol Hill, the countrywide Allegiance on intellectual infection (NAMI) and the disaster Intervention schooling (CIT) started out what is to be the most comprehensive Police Officer intellectual health application inside the country, this 40 hours’ disaster intervention application is to be had in forty five states as well as the district of Columbia,

Officers cannot usually control entrance into most situations they face, unlike most people who get warnings. They have to react, not prevent problems. It is difficult to defend against burst stress.

As I acknowledged before, many may argue that police officers face high stress situations. Well, according to the article "The Search for Reasonableness in Use-of-Force Cases:

“Because the concept of "off duty" does not exist for most law enforcement officers, they experience a higher rate of divorce, alcoholism, and suicide. Stress is simply defined as an elevation in a person's state of arousal or readiness, caused by a stimulus or demand. As stress arousal increases, health and performance actually improve. Within manageable levels, stress can help sharpen our attention and mobilize our bodies to cope with threatening

In addition, police officer exposed to high levels of stress relate to their job have been at an increased risk for adverse health problems, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, (Grant & Terry, 2012).

As crime coexists with humanity, the presence of the police force ensures the suppression of crime and the safety for our society. Every occupation has its own work stress. What is unique is all the different stress found in one job. Aside from the heroic services police officers perform in their duty, they experience overwhelming stress in their daily duty. Police stress refers to the negative pressures related to police work (Police Stress, n.d.). In order to maintain peace and order, there must be an effective police force up and running. For that to happen, departments need to be aware and deal with the negative effects caused by police stress. Whereas, police officers must conquer their stress in order to work at their

Normal people encounter stress every day, it’s something you can’t avoid. Law Enforcement personnel experiences a different type of stress. Imagine getting invited out to eat, Now, add anxiety, flashbacks, sweaty hands and frightening thoughts. Doesn’t sound like much fun, so you decide to order in instead. This is me, every day. This type of stress is called PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) which is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or a situation in which physical harm occurred or was threatened. I have a lot of experience in that field, from being a Detention officer till now as a Police dispatcher. My issues began January of 2011, I was only Twenty-one years old, after I began my employment with Craven County Sheriff’s Department.

Interestingly, physical danger is ranked low on the list of stresses by police officers! A study of 2376 Buffalo NY police officers found that compared to the white male population police officers had higher mortality rates for cancer, suicide, and heart disease (Constant). Suicide is one of the worst effects that stress can have on police officers.

Friederich Nietzsche wrote, “Whoever fights monsters should seek to it that in the process he does not become a monster”. This aptly applies to police officers who face unexpected and potentially dangerous situations every day. Police officers are confronted with destructive and negative behavior on a regular basis. Law enforcement is one of the most stressful and demanding professions in the United States. Characteristics of police work are stressful because a situation can change at any time. An FBI report shows that approximately twelve out of every one hundred or 60,000 police officers are assaulted each year (Stevens, p. 587). Combined with many other factors,