Police Stress

Police stress is a well known problem among law enforcement officers. It is the leading cause of suicide, divorce, and domestic violence among law enforcement officers The image of police officers is that they are action oriented, problem solvers who are in control of their own emotions. They are supposed to be strong, resilient, and, of course, stoic. To be stoic means that they must remain unaffected by the violent and vicious behaviors that they encounter every day of the week. Feelings are addressed by repressing them. The price of readjustment ranges from simple irritability to heart attacks and suicide. The only way to address the problems is through screening, training, on going prevention programs, and early interventions and treatment based on programs

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Early Warnings

EARLY WARNING AND INTERVENTION
1) Pre‐Hire Screening and Investigation
Certification agencies and/or departments shall conduct thorough background investigations of all potential new employees using address history, driverʹs record, protection order database and a search on IADLEST. All candidates shall be asked if they have engaged in or been investigated for domestic violence and asked about any past arrests, suspended sentences, diversion programs, convictions, and protection orders related to elder abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, or domestic violence. Those candidates with a history of perpetrating violence (to include: elder abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, or domestic violence) should be screened out at this point in the hiring process. Candidates shall be clearly informed of the departmentʹs position of zero tolerance concerning domestic violence by officers.
2) Post Conditional Offer of Employment
The psychological screening of all viable candidates will focus on indicators of abusive tendencies in their background. Departments should strongly consider a no‐hire decision in the case of a candidate with tendencies indicative of abusive behavior.
3) Post‐Hire Intervention
When new officers are hired, the department shall reach out to their intimate partners/family members to introduce this policy and other relevant department policies. Departments should engage in periodic outreach to officers and their intimate partners/family members with information on this policy, the point of contact within the department and referrals for local support services.

4) Department Responsibilities
The department shall develop cross‐jurisdictional MOUs to ensure timely notification of an incident involving an officer. The department shall, either in response to observed warning signs or at the request of an officer, intimate partner, or other family member, provide non‐punitive avenues of assistance before an act of domestic violence occurs. The department shall inform officers of the procedure for seeking confidential referrals, either internally or externally, to confidential counseling services. A disclosure on the part of any officer, intimate partner or family member to any member of the department that an officer has personally engaged in domestic violence will be treated as an admission or report of a crime and shall be investigated both administratively and criminally.


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Prevention and Training

While prioritizing the safety of victims, this policy is designed to address prevention through hiring and training practices, provide direction to supervisors for intervention when warning signs of domestic violence are evident, institutionalize a structured response to reported incidents of domestic violence involving officers, and offer direction for conducting the subsequent administrative and criminal investigations. Components of the policy include: A) Prevention and Training B) Early Warning and Intervention

A) PREVENTION AND TRAINING The department will adhere to a zero‐tolerance policy towards police officer domestic violence and will not tolerate violations of the policy. The department will provide ongoing training to every officer on domestic violence and the zero‐tolerance policy throughout all phases of the police officerʹs career.
1) Prevention Through Collaboration
(a) Through ongoing partnerships with local victim advocacy organizations the department shall develop domestic violence curricula and train officers in order to enhance the officers’/agency’s response to victims.
(b) The department shall provide local domestic violence victim advocacy organizations copies of all domestic violence training curricula, protocols and policies for review and possible revision.
2) Training Topics Upon implementation of this policy, all officers shall receive comprehensive mandatory instruction covering the following topics:
(a) Understanding Domestic Violence
(b) Departmental Domestic Violence
i. Response Protocol
(c) Warning Signs of Domestic Violence by Officers
(d) Victim Safety
(e) Federal Domestic Violence Laws
(For details on these training topics, see Concepts and Issues Paper, section A) Prevention and Training, #2)
3) Ongoing Training
Departments shall use a variety of training techniques including in‐service, roll‐call, FTO, ride‐alongs, and training bulletins to regularly reinforce standards of effective response protocol.
4) Program Evaluation
To enhance the effectiveness of the training, departments should work with internal or external research resources to evaluate the training and its impact.



http://www.wvdcjs.com/justiceprograms/STOP/Publications/DV%20by%20LE%20Officers%20Model%20Policy.pdf

Prevention

The Prevention
There many different strategies to prevent stress in a police officer. Individual coping strategies include: the development of a dependable support system, improved communication skills, a means of ventilating feelings appropriatel, a regular exercise program with a minimal time expenditure of 30 minutes a session, a diet that contains elements necessary for optimal functioning and excludes elements that have negative values (e.g. a high fat diet), the development of other activities that provide for recreation, change of focus, and positive feedback, regular vacations, muscle relaxation exercises, meditation, the use of biofeedback, and participation in self-help groups. (Judith A. Waters, 2009) For the departmental strategies include: realistic job-related training in police functions, open communication channels between officers and supervisors, opportunities for meaningful input into departmental decisions whenever possible, reassessment of shift hours, constructive feedback on job performance, workshops on dealing with marital conflicts, good parenting procedures, and preparation for retirement, training for supervisors in good management techniques, opportunities for "debriefing" sessions at the end of the shift, and stress management training. (Judith A. Waters, 2009)

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 April 26, 2009, from Criminal Justice Periodicals database. (Document ID: 1373520491
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Domestic Violence

Domestic violence actually occurs three times more frequently in divorce or separation situations than in intact households. Divorce almost appears to be a catching disease in police families. Another issue may be alcohol and drug abuse. Alcohol and or drugs are frequently involved in cases of domestic violence. However, according to Megan Hubartt (2009) alcohol is a correlative of violence, not the cause. Lowered inhibitions certainly affect the seriousness of the abuse. While cases of domestic violence occur across every segment of society and in every age category, uniformed patrol officers and narcotics officers are reported to have higher rates of domestic abuse than other officers (Megan Hubartt, 2009). One of the problems is that fatigue seems to have a negative effect on self control. Officers working the night or swing shift and/or more than 50 hours per week, and those suffering from sleep deprivation and "burnout" are frequently involved in domestic violence.

Divorce/ Prevention
Police officers have one of the highest divorce rates when compared with other groups of professionals. Law enforcement officers and other first responders face extraordinary challenges in marriage and family relationships due to factors such as chronic job stress and irregular work schedules.
The development of interventions, specifically marriage education focused on improving the lives of law enforcement professionals, is a critical first step in this process. (Gary Westphal, 2009)
For these reasons, a program was developed in order to provide general marriage education for law enforcement officers and their spouses to enhance marital satisfaction and increase marriage skills. Westphal and Openshaw talk about this project called Law Enforcement Healthy Marriage and Family Project developed by the Mesquite Police Department.
The marriage education program is provided through retreats and weekly seminars. The present program involves four sessions that can be held during a weekend or in a few evenings over a period of four to five weeks. The MPD conducted a pilot program in which 30 officers and their spouses participated on three different occasions over a two-year period. A fourth program was then expanded to include 12 officers from three other law enforcement agencies and their spouses. (Gary Westphal, 2009).

Gary Westphal, Linda Openshaw. (2009, January). Law Enforcement Healthy Marriage
and Family Project. The Police Chief, 76(1), 48. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from Criminal Justice Periodicals database. (Document ID: 1636177811).
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Police Stress Prevention

Police Supervisors are not always trained to recognize the symptoms of stress, or if they are, they do not take appropriate action. Consequently, many of the ills associated with law enforcement such as alcohol abuse and marital conflict, fester until the results include physical illness, depression, domestic violence, and suicide. Although most departments provide officers with communications equipment, weapons, vehicles, and bullet resistant vests, “we have not yet devised training programs that are capable of bullet-proofing the mind." (Judith A. Waters, 2009) Police departments tend to deny the very existence of psychological factors. Due to misreporting, however, the present statistics underestimate the scope of the problem. “What we do know is that the suicide rate for Federal Bureau of Investigation agents is 116 percent above the national rate.”(Judith A. Waters 2009)

Suicide Prevention
In law enforcement, the prevention of suicide and other sequelae to traumatic events requires a strong support system. To the police officers, no one is better equipped to comprehend the pressures of law enforcement than another officer. Police officers normally tend to gravitate towards other officers to help them through traumatic experiences or problems associated with their line of work. Officers understand that the people that will understand them the most are their colleagues. Departments should train peer counselors to help officers cope with the stress associated with the job. According to Judith A. Waters (2009), Peer Counselors should be conducted by mental health professionals with experience in counseling skills, crisis intervention theory and practices, early warning signs of acute or chronic stress, suicide lethality assessment, the facts of alcohol and other drug abuse, and the issues of confidentiality. In addition, according to Lou Michel (2009), Peer counselors should be selected based on several criteria, including, trustworthiness, and sensitivity to the issues of racial diversity and other cultural factors, and the ability to command respect and establish rapport with clients quickly.

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 April 26, 2009, from Criminal Justice Periodicals database. (Document ID: 1373520491

PIX:

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Police Stress

Police stress is a well known problem among law enforcement officers. It is the leading cause of suicide, divorce, and domestic violence among law enforcement officers. In this paper I will discuss the issues in detail and also find out what the agencies are doing to prevent these devastating issues. A police officer has a lot of power and authority in our society, and responsibilities. They are responsible for keeping the peace and protecting the public from criminals and they are usually one of the first ones to respond when someone need help. They are the ones that determine if a person goes to jail or not, or who’s at fault during disputes or accidents. Police officers today face many serious problems; they have one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, a high divorce rate, and about second in the nation in alcoholism, about twice as often as the general population.
Suicide is the second-highest cause of death among Buffalo police officers behind fatal diseases, and matches suicide rates in other big-city police departments, according to a University at Buffalo study. “Officers were 8.6 times more likely to die from suicide than at the hands of another person, and they took their lives twice as often as other city workers, the study found” (Lou Michel, 2009) Police Supervisors are not always trained to recognize the symptoms of stress, or if they are, they do not take appropriate action. Consequently, many of the ills associated with law enforcement such as alcohol abuse and marital conflict, fester until the results include physical illness, depression, domestic violence, and suicide. Although most departments provide officers with communications equipment, weapons, vehicles, and bullet resistant vests, “we have not yet devised training programs that are capable of bullet-proofing the mind." (Judith A. Waters, 2009) Police departments tend to deny the very existence of psychological factors. Due to misreporting, however, the present statistics underestimate the scope of the problem.