Unit 8 Assignment

RICH SAMPSON
PS124-03
APRIL 23, 2017
PROFESSOR KRISTINA NORIEGAIAN
PURDUE GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
What We Do

 A law enforcement officer is tasked with several key

responsibilities amongst others:
 The preservation of life and property.
 The maintaining of law and order.
 The prevention and detection of criminal activity.
 The arrest or apprehension of suspected criminals.
 The enforcing of state, local, and federal laws and
ordinances.
Our Career, Our Future

 The field of law enforcement is both challenging and enriching.

 Police officers are asked to risk their lives each and every day in service to the
communities which they are members of.
 Of any profession, a career in law enforcement is one of the few fields where a
wrong split second decision can lead to the death of an innocent person.
 Attaining a job in law enforcement is said to be one of the hardest to achieve,
but the easiest to lose because of the high levels of consistent performance
asked each individual.
 The following presentation will highlight several factors of key importance when
considering and starting a career in law enforcement. The information
presented herein is meant inform current and future police officers of mental
health concerns associated with the field so that they may take note of their
own symptoms and seek treatment prior to these issues manifesting into
something larger.
Law Enforcement and Our Well Being

 In 2017, a research study was conduct by Dr. Marilyn Price of Harvard

Medical School concerning psychiatric disabilities suffered by law
enforcement officers as a result of their daily duties.
 The research cited the fact that police officers face a constant threat of
violence, traumatic events and confrontation on a daily basis.
 As a result of this prolonged exposure, law enforcement officers
consistently suffer from trauma-related symptoms such as depression,
alcohol-use disorders and stress-related medical disorders.
 Because of these issues, departments often times see officers seek early
retirement pensions as growing rates for stress-related psychiatric and
medical conditions.
 (Price, 2017)
By The Numbers

 A byproduct of these police officers seeking early medical retirements

is departments losing seasoned and experienced officers who would
traditionally pass this experience on to new and upcoming police
officers.
 (Price, 2017).
 As of 2014, 806,400 individuals were employed in the capacity of a law
enforcement officer (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).
 Contrasting this to the population of the United States in 2015 which
was approximately 319,929,162 people, that mean there was one
officer per every 396 citizens (Worldometers, n.d.).
 According to the Bureau of Labor’s 2016 report, law enforcement
officers suffer from the highest rates of illness and injury (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 2016).
By The Numbers (Cont’d)

 On average, from the years 2003 to 2014, 115 police and sheriff patrol
officers suffered from a fatal work injury.
 In 2014, law enforcement officers suffered from 13.5 fatal work injuries per
100,000 full-time officers compared to all other professions which showed a
much lower statistics at 3.4 fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time
individuals.
 From 2009 to 2014, annual non-fatal work injuries of police officers
averaged 30,990 per year.
 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).
 Law enforcement engage in a wide variety of dangerous activities
throughout their daily duties such as high speed pursuits, interactions with
combative criminal suspects, or other hazardous situations.
 (Price, 2017).
Byproducts of A High Stress Career

 As a result of the demanding duties of police work, officers often times

suffer from various psychiatric impairments.
 These deficiencies can result in decreased cognitive and and emotional
functions, both of which are extremely important to everyday duties.
 Combining these deficiencies with an officers requirement to carry and
employ a firearm through the performance of their duties, leads to a
potentially dangerous scenario.
 In many of the dangerous scenarios which law enforcement might
encounter, the introduction of hesitation or impulse when responding to a
threat carries with it the very real possibility that a officer may react
incorrectly to a real or perceived threat they face.
 (Price, 2017).
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD as it’s referred to is normally experienced

by individuals who suffer from a severe traumatic event.
 This trauma would continue weeks, months, or years down the road as they
experience intense continued fear-related reactions when reminded of the
traumatic events.
 While commonly associated with service members who experience combat, it
is also has the potential to be experienced by police officers and anyone else
who endures a traumatic event.
 Some symptoms include:
 Re-living the traumatic event.
 Avoidance of events which might trigger memories of the event.
 Increased startle response as a result of heightened psychological arousal.
 (Green, 2013)
Why Does This Happen?

 Knowing and recognizing that the potential for psychological disorders

exists is an important milestone to combatting this issue.
 Law enforcement officers are looked to as pillars of strength in the
community.
 Oftentimes, officers find themselves placed in situations where they have
to deal with citizens on the worst days of their lives. This furthers their need
to be a figure of strength.
 The best chance of combatting this is the destigmatizing of the idea that
police officers cannot show weakness.
 In a study conducted by in 2012, it was found that 17% of law enforcement
officers suffered symptoms associated with PTSD (Chopko & Schwartz,
2012).
What Are We Doing About It

 Many departments recognize the growing dangers of stress-related

psychological disorders relating to the demanding duties of police work.
 As a result, departments are taking proactive steps to educating and
intervening prior to disorders manifesting into larger, harder to treat
conditions.
 One step being taken is departments altering working environments to
mitigate stressful environments (Price, 2017).
 Oftentimes, departments are mandating mental health consultations to try
breaking down the reluctance to seek help (Price, 2017).
 Another step being taken is to offer training to officers on mental health
awareness and stress management techniques (Price, 2017).
Conclusion

 In closing, a career in law enforcement is both challenging and

rewarding.
 Despite the potential exposure to dangerous and hazardous
conditions, many perform their duties honorably and with great
integrity until the day they retire or no longer are capable.
 Recognizing the warning signs of stress-related psychological
disorders is paramount to seeking treatment and avoiding
potentially career-ending disabilities.
 Some agencies are also employing a network of other officers to
form a support system for others who might be suffering from
psychological issues (Price, 2017).
References

 Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor. (2016). Occupational Outlook

Handbook, 2016–17 Edition. Washington, DC: Police and Detectives. Retrieved
from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm
 Chopko, B. A., & Schwartz, R. C. (2012). Correlates of career traumatization and
symptomology Among active duty police officers. Criminal Justice Studies, 25, 83–
95. doi:10.1080/1478601X.2012.657905.
 Greene, E. (2013). Wrightsman's Psychology and the Legal System (8th Ed).
Cengage Learning. VitalBook file.
 Price, M. (2017). Psychiatric Disability in Law Enforcement Officers. Behavioral Sciences &
The Law, 35(2), 113-123. doi:10.1002/bsl.2278
 Worldometers. (n.d.). United States Population in 2015. Retrieved from
http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/us-population/