Stress and Law Enforcement
As people, we all have the chance to experience some type of stress or traumatic event in our lives. How our minds and bodies react to the stress and trauma determines if we will live as we always have with positive or negative responses. This is extremely evident in the field of law enforcement. Those like myself, who choose to be part of law enforcement, recognize that stress is a part of the job and assume it will not affect us. Prior to this class, when I would hear the terms trauma, stress, and PTSD my thoughts would always turn to our military, feeling as if they were the ones who were susceptible to these terms because it’s a wartime exposure and response. Little did I know, we are all susceptible to the effects of trauma and stress, which can lead to PTSD and all of the responses that may come along with it.
As Law Enforcement Officers, we respond to calls where most people are at their worst and in need of help. The chronic exposure to such traumatic events can affect individuals differently and can come in many different forms either mentally or physically or both. This is on top of the current social climate where not everyone sees the Police as allies and protectors. As we might not even be aware of the effect the stressors of the job are having on us, we are still tasked, every day, with making life or death decisions, in split seconds, all while maintaining the ability to think like a counselor, social worker and lawyer. To perform the job day to day, the men and women need to make sure they remain in healthy mind and body to combat the negative effects of stress and trauma such as PTSD, anxiety, depression and even health problems (Hinkman, Fricas, Strom, & Pope, 2011). If these conditions are not treated they can lead to numerous underlying responses such as cynicism, emotional detachment, reduced efficiency, absenteeism, aggressiveness, substance abuse, personal relationship problems, PTSD, health problems and even suicide (Beshears, 2017).
The first step in managing and treating the effects of stress and trauma, before it is too late, is identifying the causes of stress which are not only the job-related functions but can also be internal and individual causes. Internal factors can include poor management, long and constant hours and even poor equipment, while individual factors can include family, financial and personal relationships (Beshears, 2017). By identifying these causes officers can find a method to address and discover a personalized approach to self-care before it goes too far. For this to be effective, Law Enforcement Organizations first need to remove the overall belief that seeking help for chronic exposure is a sign of being weak or vulnerable. I feel that, if this was accomplished, those who are in the high-risk field of law enforcement would be able to access therapy or help without fear of professional or coworker ridicule from embarrassment. There are many methods an officer can care for themselves physically and mentally, but the methods need to be made known, all the while removing the negativizes stress and trauma has on everyone especially those in the Law Enforcement field.
Police One, put together a great article on how police can reduce and manage stress, outlining ways to reduce and manage stressors among police officers. The highlighted ways in managing and reducing stress are healthy eating, taking scheduled time off, a realistic exercise program, getting away from the job and having conversations about something other than work and plan to achieve balance in one’s life (Beshears, 2017). By the use of these methods officers are less susceptible to the effects of chronic exposure but, not immune. To increase these chances, I feel that organization could implement an annual psych evaluation with an employed professional. By integrating this evaluation as part of the annual performance review, and not only when a tragic even occurs, this will provide individuals with the opportunity to speak with a professional and it will be applicable to all, making it required for everyone, and not just singling one person out. Also, by performing these annually, there will be a base line and progressive observations for officers that can be monitored and hopefully alleviate complications in the future. As a result of these reviews officers can talk to a knowledgeable person regarding ways to effectively self-care to reduce and manage the effects of stress and trauma creating a long and healthy career. By doing this, the officer, co-workers, society and the organization will benefit from the healthy well-being of those who are serving.
Works Cited
Beshears, M. (2017, March 30). How Police Can Reduce and Manage Stress. Retrieved August 5, 2018, from PoliceOne.
Hinkman, M. J., Fricas, J., Strom, K. J., & Pope, M. W. (2011). Mapping Police Stress.Police Quaterly, 14(3), 227-250.