Police Work Environment and Stress
Within law enforcement there are many stressors that are placed on our minds and bodies. These stressors affect each officer in different ways and how we cope with them differ as well. I briefly touched on this subject in our module six in-depth question, but I would like to elaborate further about the effects of the internal work environment and PTSD symptoms that come from it.
It is a known fact that police officers experience traumatic events daily. Whether these events are physically experienced by the officer or they are witnessing the aftermath, each critical incident can have a lasting effect. Going into this job you expect and possess some understanding that this is what comes with the territory. What you do not expect is how the internal workings of a police department can become even worse to your physical and mental health. Many items within a police agency can place undue stress on an officer; issues with equipment, problems with other officers or civilian staff, quality of supervision, shift work, and your identity within the department (Maguen et al., 2009). These factors are key as more research is being conducted on PTSD within law enforcement and the findings are showing that “routine work environment” plays an important part in the growth of mental health distress (Maguen et al., 2009). This issue of work environment, according to Maguen et al’s study, highlights that fact that the reasons stated above have a “direct impact on PTSD symptoms” (Maguen et al., 2009). As a recruit entering my first law enforcement job, this finding would have staggered me.
In my own experience, what affects officers the most is the lack of quality supervision. I have seen good supervisors and very poor ones. It is that absence of leadership that causes the most stress. You feel on your own with the other members of your squad or unit. There is no leader to turn to unless a de facto leader emerges from within the ranks, but this creates another problem. When a police department’s administration feels the need to place an unqualified individual in a supervisory role, then added stress is placed on the officers that must deal with that lack of leadership. For example, I have seen supervisors throw their officers “under the bus” to protect themselves from a poor decision they made. The stress of the incident was enough yet now the officer must worry about potential discipline as an internal investigation takes place. All because a poor leader failed to take responsibility for their actions. This example also would place an added burden on the other officers under this command. Seeing what just occurred can affect them in future incidents leading to unnecessary stress concerning events that have not occurred.
But work environment can also be a positive and not a stress magnet for officers. Morale is a big part of police work. Having a positive, effective work environment can fuel morale and work ethic. When strong leadership is present, it can create a barrier against the effects of stress which leads to better morale and overall production as a professional officer (Maguen et al., 2009). It has also been shown that when a positive work environment is established within a law enforcement agency it can help with negative events contained in an officer’s home life (Maguen et al., 2009). If an officer brings the effects of stress and PTSD symptoms home, it is logical that those effects will be placed upon the officer’s loved ones. This creates added stress in both worlds were the officer spends much of their time. When one of these worlds becomes out of balance, meaning high levels of stress as compared to low, it creates a chaotic atmosphere in both because the problems in one lead to problems in the other. One study by Mikkelsen and Burke (2004) sustains this very idea within police officers; when events outside of work that are negative, “such as work-family conflict,” they are identifiers to poor mental health (Maguen et al., 2009).
For the law enforcement profession, it is essential that we explore ways to foster positive work environments. This is key to protecting and retaining officers who can add to the success of the profession. If our vocation lacks the foresight in understanding the effects of work environment on our officers it will have devastating effects, for example suicides. Suicides within the police world are the number one killer of cops (Rousseau, 2018). This needs to be recognized as a real threat. When an officer is killed in the line of duty, the media reports on it for days if not weeks. If an officer takes their own life in may gain attention for a day. Law enforcement needs to pay attention each day on the effects of stress and trauma to gain the advantage against its repercussions such as suicide.
There is not one police department that can control what critical events occur within their jurisdictions (Maguen et al., 2009). But we can control is preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. With that mindset, we can control what occurs within our own work environments. Fostering positive surroundings and providing strong leadership can minimize the effects of stress and PTSD symptoms. This will lead to successful and professional departments which creates positive outcomes in the communities we serve.
References:
Maguen, S., Metzler, T., McCaslin, S., Inslicht, S., Henn-Haase, C., Neylan, T. and Marmar, C. (2009). “Routine Work Environment Stress and PTSD Symptoms in Police Officers” National Institute of Health Public Access. October 2009 197(10) pages 754-760.
Rousseau, D. (2018). Trauma and Crisis Intervention. Module Six-Trauma and the Criminal Justice System lecture. Boston University; Metropolitan College