Occupational stress among law enforcement offers is a growing epidemic. Police officers are positioned at the frontline of the criminal justice system. The amount of discretion and responsibility placed in the hands of those enforcing the law is immense. With such a vast amount of responsibility to protect the communities they serve, occupational stress is guaranteed. Policing involves a vast array of work conditions that is by nature far more extreme than any other public service profession. Moreover, no other profession in the public sector requires such a demand for proficiency, equality and honestly as policing does. During any given shift officers may be expected to shoot someone, be shot at, witness the death of a partner, use force, participate in a high-speed pursuit, rescue abused children, and inform parents that their child has been killed in a motor vehicle accident (Page, 2010). However, due to the demanding work environments mental and physical strain intertwined with high divorce rates and a plummeting economy, many officers are beginning to succumb to occupational stresses and in some cases burnout. Through the course of this blog a clear illustration exploring the correlation between occupational stress and the unique aspects of policing will be established.
The underlying cause for occupational stress among today’s law enforcement officer is the occupation itself. According to John Violanti (1997), in the article Suicide and the police role: a psychosocial model, “policing is psychologically stressful work filled with danger, high demands, human misery and exposure to death (Violanti, 1997)". No other profession in the world requires so much mental strength and physical toughness from its workforce. Furthermore, police officers are always on duty (Waters, 2007). Even though an officer is out of uniform and on their own time, it is not unusual for an officer to continue carrying a concealed weapon. Officers must always remain alert for any potential threats whether on duty or off. Moreover, the individuals whom law enforcement officers protect society against are always on the offense; therefore, officers are practically always on duty.
It is commonly understood that a majority of law enforcement officer use alternative methods for coping with stress associated with their occupation. Furthermore, studies also indicate that nearly one-quarter of all law enforcement officers use alcohol as a result of job related stress (Cross, Ashley, 2004). Moreover, officers must adhere to the expectations of society; however, maintaining this image proves to be a difficult task for some. In addition to alcohol use current studies reveal cardiovascular disease as another factor associated with the occupational stress of policing. Moreover, the daily tensions of police work can have a corrosive effect, eroding away officer confidence and exhausting an individual's hardiness and resiliency (Water, 2007). As the nation’s crippling economy struggles to support many local police agencies, officers policing more violent communities are at an even higher risk for issues associated with occupational stress. For instance, in Oakland California which faces a $31 million deficit recently passed a new budget which includes layoffs for up 80 police officers (McKinley, 2010). If and when these layoffs occur, law enforcement officials will only be left with greater workloads met with less manpower.
In order to combat the issues surrounding occupational stress among law enforcement officers, certain aspects need to be addressed. For example, as more cities continue to reduce the number of officers within police departments, it reduces the overall effectiveness of crime prevention within the community, in addition, putting a greater number of officers at risk for developing occupational related stress. According to John M. Violanti, “police officers are twice as likely to die by their own hand as by that of an assailant (Violanti, 1997)”. It appears legislators are far less concerned with the number of officers in the community, and the effects that will follow. Police work entails a plethora of crimes as well encounters with the public, mostly negative in nature. In order to reduce an ever growing population of officer succumbing to occupational stress, intervention must continue. However, as long as police departments continue to be downsized and stripped of their specialized units, law enforcement official will continue to wrestle with the occupational stress of their profession.
References
1. Page, D. (2010, February). Surviving law enforcement. Law Enforcement Technology, 37(2), 26,28-33. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Criminal Justice Periodicals
2. John M. Violanti, (1997) "Suicide and the police role: a psychosocial model", Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Vol. 20 Iss: 4, pp.698 – 715
3. Judith A. Waters, York University, Canada, & William Ussery, York University, Canada. (2007). Police stress: history, contributing factors, symptoms, and interventions. Policing, 30(2), 169-188. Retrieved February 10, 2011, from Criminal Justice Periodicals
4. Chad L Cross, & Larry Ashley. (2004, October). Police Trauma and Addiction: Coping with the Dangers of the Job. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 73(10), 24-32.
5. McKinley, J. (2010). Facing Deficit, Oakland Puts Police Force on Chopping Block. New York Times
