Law Enforcement Officers

The Beginning

Typically, a police recruit comes into the job with aspiring hopes and aspirations to make the world a better, safer place. After the training and probation period, the officer may discover that the job was not as exciting as he or she supposed, with hours of uneventful boredom sometimes spiked by 10 minutes of intense action. An officer on routine patrol who responds to a shooting incident may be jolted into making an immediate decision whether to shoot or not shoot, which no amount of book training will completely answer in the heat of the moment. The stress level goes from calm to extreme stress in minutes, and the effect is profound. The officer's response to the stress depends on his or her history of previous stressful situations and the amount of support received to mitigate the stress and trauma undergone or witnessed at the crime scene. The grace period ends abruptly, as trauma and stress become everyday occurrences for the law enforcement officer.

The Roller Coaster

The police officer may become so disillusioned with the job that he or she quits or engages in risky behavior; alternatively, the officer begins to adapt and maintain a positive outlook on the job, with advancements in his or her career. Stress may come from home because of irregular schedules, missing special family events, working on holidays, and a lack of understanding by the officer's domestic partner. Stress within the organization is ever present with the rules, regulations, customs, and traditions of the law enforcement agency as well as the supervisor's approach to discipline. Any mistake is magnified by internal investigations and the second-guessing of the officer's peers. Job survival at this stage depends on the various support systems the police administration has developed, as well as support from the home front.

Meeting the Challenge

After finding the appropriate niche, such as hostage negotiator or special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team member, the police officer moves to a greater [Page 342]level of sophistication, able to contribute positively to the organization and take his or her place as a team member. The police officer feels supported and realizes that he or she has a role to play in making the organization a better place to work. On the other side of the coin is the police officer who is in a downward spiral, isolated from family and colleagues, engaging in extremely risky behavior, no longer caring for himself or herself. This individual starts becoming a liability and, failing to get help, may end up a subject of an internal investigation.

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