Kinds of Stressor to Police Officers
Dr. Bryan Vila in his talk highlights a number of issues that pervasively form police stressors. The major police stressors can be broadly categorized into four kinds. These stressors have negative impacts to both an individual and the organization he/she works with. Dr. Bryan Vila identifies the following key factors;
Budgets
Police operations have been for so long been restricted by budgets. The problem of understaffing is until know a problem among the police forces. The number of police officers does not match with the quantity of work they ought to do. The budgets have been made so restrictive that most police officers are not well taken care of in terms of their working conditions and even motivation
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Most of them are subjected to unhealthy conditions. This is in the name of securing the lives of citizens. The police expose themselves into critical conditions such as accidents when they are in their line of duty. This has also contributed to their stress.
Police fatigue Dr. Bryan Vila notes that the above three are very important. However, police fatigue is very crucial. It is the major cause of police stress. The poor working conditions can easily lead to fatigue. Police are also subjected to a lot of work. This may lead to fatigue and even accidents. Such case is explained by the increased accidents due to the ergonomics in the police cars.
Specific Type of Police Stressors
Too much work Dr. Bryan Vila cites work load as a cause of police stress. The police just like any other employee need reasonable amount of work for efficient performance. He goes further and adds that; the working duration of the police should also be checked. An overworked police officer is more likely to be stressed than that officer who has just done enough. An overworked police may even fall sick. The organization will suffer of police attrition which could be
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These conditions end up being a source of stress. Most of police suffer from this because their activities vary from time to time and place to place. Poor working conditions imply poor results for both a police and the organization.
Recommendations for Reducing Police Stress
Labor and conflict management
Dr. Bryan Vila agrees that conflict management at work provides a safe and conducive ground for efficiency. Grievances should be handled in time so as to gain police synergy. It is also important to train the police on how to avoid conflict at work place and embrace harmony.
Poor Sleep Poor sleep can be a silent cause of police stress. It is recommended that an organization screens its police for sleep disorders. This will enable them to take the necessary steps to combat disorders if any. Training the police on healthy sleeping is also important.
Shift Work Police shift may also lead to police stress. It is important that the police are trained on how to handle shifts. The schedules should also be made in a way that promotes police wellness. The shift lengths should also be
To begin with police officers faces more dangers than the average American citizen, “generally police are about three times as likely to be killed on the job as the average American” (Blako). “Some of the most important hazards police face are assaults, vehicle crashes, being struck by vehicles, stress, overexertion, and falls” (LaTourrette). Traffic stops make up a majority of the police deaths, but most of those deaths do not have to do with responding to the scene of a crime or the pursuit of a criminal suspect. Most would believe police have the most dangerous jobs in the world, yet many do not die in the line of duty. Police shows like Cops give the American population a false sense of danger when it comes day to day work of an officer. They only show the action to keep viewers interested because if you watching the normal stopping of a citizen to get a speeding ticket or to tell them a lights out the show would not be on anymore. If you do see an everyday traffic stop it is because something bad is about to happen like an oncoming vehicle probably not paying attention resul...
The impact of rotating shift work on police officers in terms of fatigue, increased stress, and other long term medical problems cannot be overstated. In 2011, an in-depth research project, “Sleep disorders, health, and safety in police officers” (JAMA, 2011), was conducted involving a group of North American police officers in regards to the sleep disorders and the health and safety of the officers participating. The study involved 4,957 officers that worked rotating shifts over a period of approximately two years. The findings were startling and revealed that 3,930 officers (79.3%) were overweight or obese. Another 40.7% tested positive for at least one (1) sleep disorder and the majority of those that tested positive for a disorder had not previously been diagnosed with any sleep condition. 28.5% of the officers reported excessive sleepiness during the study while another 45.9% of the officers reported falling asleep at the wheel at least one (1) to two (2) times a month. Participants were also found to exhibit other adverse work related issues such as displaying uncontrolled anger at suspects and increased rates of absenteeism. The study concluded that, “sleep disorders were common and were significantly associated with increased risk of self-reported adverse health, performance, and safety outcomes” (JAMA, 2011, p. 2). Participants involved in the study reported higher levels of citizen complaints against officers that tested positive for sleep disorders. According to some research, the increase in complaints may be attributed to the fact that officers suffering from excessive sleepiness may be unable to “govern appropriate behavioral responses to negative emotional stimuli” based on their levels of fatigue (JAMA, 2011, p....
Correctional institutions are unique work settings because of the unpredictable nature of their physical environment and clientele. Correctional officers are responsible for supervising individuals whom are held against their will. The correctional officer’s main focus is that of security within the institution and for the community. However, they are typically faced with a limited amount of resources and thus must assume these responsibilities without adequate support. The relationship between work resources and job stress indicates that correctional work settings that emphasize involvement, coworker cohesion and managerial support can decrease stress levels (Waters, 1999). Unfortunately, this is a rather uncommon occurrence, leaving correctional officers to face stressors without proper intervention due to fear of stigmatization. Within law enforcement, those individuals who access “mental health” services are labeled as and treated similarly (Aredondo, Shumway, Kimball, Dersch, Morelock, 2002). However, research on effective ways to prevent or reduce the physical and psychological effects of the high levels of stress correctional officers face on a daily basis is limited and a rather new phenomenon. This literature review examines the reasons for correctional officer stress, the implications of such stress, and interventions that are being put in place to combat the consequences of such stress.
the psychological health of police, fire, and ambulance officers.” International Journal of Stress Management, Vol. 11, pp. 227-44.
Studies have shown that officers working rotating shifts sleep one to four hours less on average than those assigned to permanent shifts (Aveni, 1999). Some of these officers develop a long term sleep deficiency that can never be recovered. Officers that are sleep deprived are not only operating at an unsafe level, but have been found to have the same level of performance as someone with an alcohol impairment between 0.04% and 0.08% BAC and would be presumed to be legally unsafe to operate a motor vehicle (Aveni, 1999). Findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that performance in the areas of vigilance, attention, and other motors skills deteriorated to the point that sleep deprivation was comparable to that of alcohol consumption. Sleep deprivation and alcohol consumption had similar effects in regards to decreased reaction time, attention, and judgment. In addition, sleep deprivation increases job stress and the ability to cope with the daily pressures that officers must be able to process effectively. The impact of sleep deprivation can have a long lasting detrimental effect on officers leading to poor work performance, increased worker’s compensation claims, and is a contributing factor to the fact that police officers commit suicide at a much higher rate than national average as compared to the general population (Cowan, 2008).
The law enforcement officers suffer quite more job-associated stress than the people living in the community. Many have had to realize that the nature of the profession itself may be exposing officers to the increased levels of stressors. In essence, job-associated stress is among the major health concerns of the law enforcement community, and this is because it can have some impact on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the officers. The difference in the stressors between the law enforcement personnel and other individuals is the fact that, the enforcement officials get to interact with the human population that are quite angry, upset or even uncooperative, in which case it takes some toll on
This first study did not mention exactly how many officers were used in this study but it stated that 39 to 55 percent have experienced work related violence or threats. (ncjrs.gov). Most of the work related stress did not come from the offenders but from the agency itself. There are three major types of stress in the probation world, high caseloads, paper work and lastly but not least deadlines. And as many jobs have it, about 87 percent blame their supervisor for one of the causes of stress. They said the lack of advancement of the job, and recognizing well job done. (ncjrs.gov). As we can see already, each and one of these stress actors is tied to another. Now the question to ask is how these strong and willing full individual deal and cope with their stress. Some said they took extra sick days just for themselves and other by going to church, venting with family, friends or co workers and others by exercising. (ncjrs.gov)
Police stress is viewed as a structural problem that is amongst the police culture (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). The argument made is that the working environment causes the stress. Even though a police officers job is not as dangerous officers still determine the danger as a source of stress. Police stress can be split up in to three sources: occupation, job-related and external stress (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Just the thought of the job gives officers stress. Job-related circumstances such as responding to calls can also create stress. Finally, external sources such as personal stress can all lead to an officer being highly
First, stress in the lives of police officers often result in poor performance from sleep deprivation and panic. Sleep deprivation is one effect that stress can have on officers. The fatigue that stress causes can very literally kill the affected officer. Many times, officers hold anxiety inside them. When they are in bed, they are oftentimes let alone to think, which leads to many “racing thoughts” and “what if’s” (Koeling). Thinking about such things can keep officers awake for hours, leaving them fatigued and sleep-deprived when they report for work the next day. More causes of sleep deprivation are due to stressful, long shifts and odd hours (Casey). As a third-shift security guard for four years, Carl Koeling has had his share of sleep deprivation. In a recent interview, he said that when he stood a sleep-deprived watch, he remembers feeling “lightheaded and woozy” (Koeling). As a psychologist for thirty-eight years, Koeling also knows that fatigue caused by stress can also affect officers’ judgement, balance, and physical health (Koeling). It is vital that these three things be working properly for those in law enforcement, as the work they do often depends on good decision-making, decent balance, and high levels of physical fitness and well-being (Miller “Law Enforcement”). Panic is another effect that stress can have on police officers.
Law enforcement is an important element of the United States’ system of criminal justice apart from the corrections and the courts. It is one of the major functions of the various governmental agencies of police. It is therefore concerned with police service or functions of police departments. In this paper, the author analyzes at law enforcement and related issues. Specifically, the author discusses law enforcement, theoretical understanding of the different models of policing as well as policing styles. The author also looks at the question of stress associated with the life of a police officer and how such stress affects them. This is a purely theoretical discussion based on secondary sources of information. Time and resources constraints could not allow for a more empirical, experimental fieldwork research. The materials relied upon are mainly journal articles from respectable academic journals and databases.
... special individuals and have some of the same qualities of the military personnel. Officers are often asked to do a stressful job for average or below average pay. Communication is also important for officers to have, to be able to relate to the modern citizens and fellow officers. Judgment is also important for officers to have, and it is something that comes as your career prolongs as an officer. Stress is also an issue that citizens deal with on an everyday basis. But police officers have an added pressure on their families and themselves. Police work can be a tiring job, and the ability to make it through the strain of their work is necessary for not only their health, but to be able to pass physical tests required at their agency. Therefore, your personality and how you handle stress and lead, will help you make the transition from civilian to police officer.
A police officer’s duty is to maintain public order, preventing, and detecting crime. The concept of police officers, also known as cops, and law enforcement has been around ever since the ancient Romans had a theory that an organization of “peacekeepers” would reduce the crime and violence being committed. This theory stuck with society and is still around today. People of law enforcement have a mission when they step into their police car, that mission is to enforce the rules of conduct or law. Of course, accomplishing this mission can be dangerous. Often when a cop leaves his or her house to go to work worries start to set it, such as “will I be coming back home when my day is over” or “will a simple traffic stop go sour and someone ends up dead?” These thoughts are apart of the stress that comes with the job and most people are trained to deal with this stress.
If you decide to become a Police officer you must be available for shift work at any time of day and any day of the week, including holidays. Some Shifts can be longer than the standard eight-hour office day. The routine of the job can also be dangerous, as well as physically and e...
The functions they perform are varied in nature and thus they have to be on their toes all the time. Excessive work load affects their health. Some of the police persons succumb to smoking and drinking to release their work pressure. If they are not leading a healthy life it’s impossible for them to give their best to this profession.
Correlates Of Correctional Officer Job Stress: The Impact of Organizational Structure Lambert, Eric G; Hogan, Nancy Lynne; Allen, Reva I American Journal of Criminal Justice: AJCJ; Spring 2006; 30, 2; ProQuest Central pg. 227