...Does stress have a greater effect on Law Enforcement Officers than other professions I think yes. I will argue why and how Law Enforcement Officers are affected more by stress than others in different professions. There really is no surprise that Law Enforcement is a stressful profession. Officers and Deputies put their lives on the line daily to keep people safe. These individuals are exposed to many different situations that need physical and mental abilities to be able to perform the job effectively and defiantly. What people are not aware of is the amount of stress that comes with daily policing. Even though stress is part of life when exposed to it excessively can have effect on the officers. Everyone loves to think it involves the same...
Words: 545 - Pages: 3
...Importance of self-care in law enforcement Some tips that could save your life while working in law enforcement. Taking care of one's self is important for anyone however it is crucial for anyone working in law enforcement. As a member of law enforcement we deal with crisis intervention and stressors everyday at work. Stressors can range from physical stress, emotional stress, psychological stress etc. In law enforcement, not only is it important to take care of yourself it is important to have strong leadership members that support you in work related matters as well as in your personal life. In addition to positive leadership influences a positive support group combined of coworkers, family as well as friends that understand what you go through on a daily basis while maintaining confidentiality is imperative to members of law enforcement. Most people that work in law enforcement have irregular work schedules. This can cause havoc on one's personal life if not managed properly. For someone that is not familiar with an irregular work schedule it is easy to say put in for a normal schedule. It is not that easy. I can't speak for all agencies but in my department our schedules are distributed by seniority. When seniority scheduling is done you might not get a desired schedule. You have to learn to work with what you are given. Most importantly you have to make the most of your days off. As a Probation Corrections Officer, we currently have schedules with two days off. In...
Words: 1593 - Pages: 7
...Plague Law Enforcement Personnel student 2013 Issues That Plague Law Enforcement Personnel student In the criminal justice career path many problems can arise. Stress from the job can create problems in the work field as well as in the personal and social areas of one’s life. Job stress can also tie into fatigue and alcohol and/or drug abuse. Fatigue gives us tired cops and tired cops can be a bad thing in the criminal justice field. Alcohol and drug abuse plagues cops everywhere. There are many suggestions for programs and treatment ideas for these problems that plague our law enforcement officers. Job stress can’t be avoided in any job field. It especially can’t be avoided in the field of law enforcement. Job stress can come from many sources. Having to exercise prudent discretion all the time, the threat of using violence and having violence used against them, and isolation from the rest of society are the major causes. It can lead to negative attitudes, burnout, loss of enthusiasm and commitment (aka cynicism), increased apathy, divorce, substance abuse and health problems, and many other social, personal, and job-related problematic behaviors. Work place support, training officers to cope with the effects of stress, stress management, and stress training are things that law enforcement are currently doing to lessen job stress. Stress training includes diet info, biofeedback, exercise, relaxation, and meditation. I believe that all law enforcement...
Words: 561 - Pages: 3
...Officers in Law Enforcement Abstract There are many factors in which comprise the impact of females in policing, one in which how they are treated within the work environment. Other things do come into play when trying to increase females in policing such as expanding on the diversity being accepted in police agencies. Many females think they are treated unfairly and unjust according to the system, it seems to always come back to the fact that women feel like they are being mistreated which needs to be changed. Females should not feel inferior to males within the workplace even if they are feeling belittled by other male officers. One way females can “vent” about what is being said or done to them, is mentoring within the workplace; this will help them with stress, and getting more comfortable with the job by being able to talk to someone about it. There are many positive affects that females have in law enforcement, and knowing that there should be a population growth with females in policing. Police departments are more diverse today than ever before. Females in policing are known to have a positive impact within all law enforcement, policing being most common. Many things come into play when females are within law enforcement, some being good, and some bad. Females do come across problems within the workplace, but so do males; this factor not setting them apart from males on the job. Females make a huge impact on policing in many ways, in which are positive to law enforcement...
Words: 2170 - Pages: 9
...Casualties of Law Enforcement: Homicide and Suicide Katherine Nielsen Buena Vista University Online Abstract This work is an overview of the increase in deaths of law enforcement agents: those killed on duty and those who kill themselves. As per a yearly report (Berman, 2014), the number of law enforcement agents killed while working rose almost a quarter this past year compared to years prior, especially ambush-style killings. Police officers across the country face potential dangers on their job, and they are a target simply because they are in uniform. As well, every 17 hours an officer commits suicide (Berman, 2014). This paper explores the correlation of the stress experienced by law enforcement associated with general strain theory (GST). GST is an explanation for suicide ideation for law enforcement officers. Other articles observe that police officers may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a critical incident or a traumatic experience. PTSD awareness is critical for saving lives. Why is there an increase in law enforcement deaths and suicides, and what needs to occur to change this trend? Keywords: post-traumatic stress disorder, general strain theory Introduction There were 50 officers murdered by shootings in 2014, a huge leap from the 32 such deaths a year prior (Berman, 2014). One officer killed is one officer too many, and this trend needs to be reversed. How does society stop this? Altogether, 126 law enforcement officers died in...
Words: 8098 - Pages: 33
...Corruption Comes Home: Domestic Violence and Abuse by Law Enforcement Taren A. Lalli IFS2075 Professor Maier-Katkin March 6, 2015 Corruption Comes Home: Domestic Violence and Abuse by Law Enforcement At the beginning of my research and initial framing of this paper, I proposed to write about the drug system within American prisons across the scope of the nation. It wasn’t until a, somewhat recent, article came across my computer screen about a Honolulu officer being investigated after allegedly beating up his girlfriend that changed my mind completely (Blaine, 2014). Many of the qualities valued in on-duty, or even off-duty, police officers can make them dangerous domestic violence offenders. Domestic violence is a multifaceted complex phenomenon. It includes abusive acts towards children, intimate partners regardless of gender, and the elderly. All abusers use similar methods to control and abuse their intimate partners. Officers however, have skills and tactics not generally possessed by civilians. Professional training in combat, intimidation, interrogation, weapons and surveillance become a dangerous and potentially lethal combination in an intimate partner or domestic situation. Victims face the bias of law enforcement agencies and the legal system, psychological fear, and a high lethality risk. This is because victims of domestic violence by police officers are in a very different situation than that of other victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence is...
Words: 1681 - Pages: 7
...Policing Culture CJA/214 Policing Culture Whether you’re interested in becoming a Fish and Wildlife enforcement officer or just a Law Enforcement Officer and you have a strong desire to protect and serve your community or a state and federal area. There are many departments within every city, but they have their own recruitment and selection process. Many of the smaller agencies recruitment and selection process mimics that of the larger local Police Departments, this is due to the strong relationship all agencies have with within their states. “No specific formula exists for recruiting and maintaining the ideal officer, and many of those who were once considered ideal may experience stress, burnout, personal problems, and ultimately may cause more harm than good” (Grant, H.B. & Terry, 2012). Primarily the first steps to becoming a Law Enforcement Officer is to apply for a Law Enforcement recruit positions. One must first meet the minimum application requirements examples are: [pic] High School Education Verification, Birth Certificate, Driver's License copy, copy of DD214 if[pic] applicable, [pic]Next is the selection process, [pic]based on information[pic] submitted in the resume, the HR staff will evaluate the resume to make certain that the candidate meets the minimum credentials. Information on the submission documents will be confirmed later in the background investigation process. It is the accountability of the applicant to be frank and to provide correct...
Words: 1246 - Pages: 5
...disease of alcoholism and its progression among members of their forces. While it is common knowledge that the law enforcement profession is not the only occupational group to experience alcoholism among the ranks and the alcoholic officer is not unlike millions of others in the workforce that contend with the disease, how prevalent does the abuse of alcohol among police officers remain? It was 1975 when former law enforcement turned novelist, Joseph Wambaugh, shared The Choirboys with us. Wambaugh’s fictional tale of the shenanigans involving police officers spent a great deal of time discussing the use and abuse of alcohol by the police. Are cops are still turning up the bottle and at an alarming rate? From the Wambaugh’s tales of the after-shift meetings in MacArthur Park to today’s “stress-relief” briefings at various wing houses and sports bars across the country police officers are boozing it up and alcohol abuse among the profession has reached an all-time high. Recent studies indicate that one-quarter of all police officers in the U.S. are afflicted with the disease of alcoholism. Not surprisingly, studies have established a significant correlation between occupational stress and increased alcohol use by police officers today. Occupational stress, if untreated, can lead to negative changes in a law enforcer’s life, especially how they view themselves and the communities that they serve. This puts the officer at risk...
Words: 1337 - Pages: 6
...Law Enforcement Health and Physical Fitness Being in a career of law enforcement can push a person’s body and health to the limit. It can be due to all the stressful call of service that police officers respond to or just the way they are eating because of the lack of time. By being in this career field, it is very important to stay healthy and physically fit. Police officers can stay healthy and fit by implementing exercise programs, participating in physical activities, and eating healthy. Some of the challenges that police officers face is staying in shape. By working long hard hours and rarely having the time to eat a home cook meal will have major affect on a person’s body. By having some or little time after the work shift just to rest and for family time will make it difficult for a police officer to exercise. There are many things that can be implemented that can help a person’s physical fitness by just taking five minutes or less to perform. By doing some push ups or sit ups can help the body burn some energy and keep the body used to physical activities. It is very important to be in shape and healthy to be able to perform well in a law enforcement profession. It is highly recommended that physical fitness is taken seriously and it will help a person have a long healthy career. Some police officers have been in the career field for some time and became used to the fact that physical fitness doesn’t mean anything to them. Early on a cold, rainy morning, four veteran...
Words: 1093 - Pages: 5
...The Future of Policing Christina Johnson CJS/210 September 14, 2014 Ronald Rucker University of Phoenix Policing in the United States has changed dramatically since it was first brought to the thirteen colonies from England. However, some of the issues faced then are being faced in policing today. There are also new trends that are prevalent, and these trends will continue to have lasting effects on the future of policing. Even though new trends improve policing overall, they can also cause more serious issues. It is crucial to continue making changes topolicing because it allows law enforcement officers to keep up with the rest of society, including the knowledge of new crime trends. This paper will describe the current trends and issues in policing and analyze possible solutions to improve policing tactics. One trend currently affecting policing is police-community relations. There is a strong emphasis now on community policing, which promotes trust and better relationships between police officers and community members, and less on the militaristic style (Stephens, 2005). Improving police-community relations not only accents the importance of diversity, but it reduces prejudice and discrimination by officers. Community policing helps build trust between the police and community members by relying on citizens to help fight crime. Hence, it is a type of proactive policing (Walker & Katz, 2011). By relying on citizens, police officers have a better chance at preventing...
Words: 1493 - Pages: 6
...the area every 20 minutes, the risk of becoming busted is high so the crime does not happen. This is good for high crime areas. Police officers are willing to explore alternatives to law enforcement to tackle the underlying cause of community problems. The role of police officer was lessened there would be much more crime on the streets. Community policing would not be able to enforce the laws as they apply. They would not be able to stop the criminals; the theory is for both to work together and learning from each other. They are sharing information and learning how to enforce the laws or make new laws to stop the criminals. The role of a police officer is very important to this theory and practice, without him or her, and his or her knowledge the criminals would get away with his or her crimes. By both of the community policing and the police officers working together to stop crime was a good idea that way he or she is learning new ways to stop the criminals and learn new ways to enforce the laws (Xu, Fiedler, Flaming, 2005). Issues Police officers may encounter different levels of crime daily, as every day new challenges may surface at a moment’s notice. For example, an officer may witness victims of murder, beatings, robberies, rapes, and sex crimes that may affect his or her stress level. Therefore, police officers experience mental issues daily in the field; however, other issues within the department, such as politics, budget, public expectations, police values...
Words: 818 - Pages: 4
...Paper The role of law enforcement officer has many duties; officers are sworn to protect and serve by fighting crime, maintaining order and conducting other services that benefit the community. Often times, a police officer is considered a crime-fighter, and this image has been enlarged by media attention. Styles of policing must match the community they serve to ensure that the roles of the officers are relative to the community. The structure of future policing can have a dramatic social, economical and political effect on the community and departments needs to recognize these aspects to ensure proper policing. Law enforcement agencies take part in several functions that place officers in situations that may possibly be life threatening. Dangers Law enforcement endangerments are regrettably real and officers are wounded or murdered in the line of duty every year in the United States. Bodily harm is most likely the greatest threat an officer will face. An officer is confronted with the possibility of assault by an armed offender every time the officer is called to respond to some form of disturbance. Bodily harm and death to an officer are not the only dangers of policing. Stress related illnesses and family issues can also contribute to the danger of police work. Challenging jobs can take a grim toll on an officer’s life and well-being, if staying safe and the pressure are not coped with properly. ? Today’s law enforcement officers face a multitude of...
Words: 1051 - Pages: 5
...Stress affects the policing community because stress naturally affects the way one thinks and their reactions to situations. This is crucial for an officer because their duties do not allow much room for error. Also policing agencies are a team and a team is only as strong as its weakest member. With the normal stress of fighting crime one doesn’t have much room for added stress. Everyone and any amount of stress affects the entire department one as a whole. A police officer has to be alert and aware of their surroundings. If one person slips for a mere second it can very well cost another’s life. Police culture develops in different cities in their departments over generations of policing. I believe that the cultures are somewhat inherited and have a lot to do with the surrounding area. Keeping in mind that every police officer is in fact an individual with different morals beliefs and standards which are brought to the departments to create an overall culture filled with some of every ones ideas and beliefs throughout the department. This affects evolving job situations dramatically. Older officers are more set in their ways which makes it hard for the newer officers to come in with any ideas and also hard for them to promote. Promotions have changed in this day and age and they are not based on seniority has they once was. It is hard for an individual in the work place to come in has a supervisor fresh out of college and supervise a 20 year veteran. Education plays a bigger...
Words: 437 - Pages: 2
...Challenges of Law Enforcement and Community Relations The biggest challenge facing law enforcement today is keeping morale up amongst officers. Morale is defined as “the state of the spirits of an individual or group, as shown in willingness to perform assigned tasks, confidence, cheerfulness, and discipline” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, William Morris Editor, 9th Printing). Factors that affect officer morale come from inside the department as well as from outside forces. Community relations can either help or hinder officer morale. Two types of stress that law enforcement face are organizational and operational. Organizational stress comes from within one’s own organization or place of employment. Some...
Words: 265 - Pages: 2
...Petrie Grantham University Police or Law enforcement subculture is a collection of typical procedures and morals that control police officers trigger in relation to their pledged duties or responsibilities. Law enforcement officers are ranked fifth as the most traumatic and stressful job in the world. Law enforcement work is very stressful and officers have to not only confront, but deal with several aggressive people in the community. Law enforcement subcultures are composed of officers that come together and search for others that have related beliefs, troubles, opinions, and thoughts. The individual officers start a group and then redefine their thinking and confront general culture norms. Law enforcement subcultures occur because several individuals find a need to have a different uniqueness, the need to revolt, to pursue approval. Police officers are people the community normally looks up to as personifications of self-control and guardians of law and order; yet, police conduct in recent years has been everything but perfect. Some community members no longer have faith or have confidence in police officers enforcing all sorts of modifications against them. Law enforcement behavior is certainly horrible in a selection of cases, particularly where women and minorities are concerned. Law enforcement officials are swayed by a faulty police subculture that has a profound affect on the arrogance and conduct of most law enforcement officers. With that being expressed this...
Words: 638 - Pages: 3
