Police & Society CH 13,14,15 - Essay Example

Chapter 13 A police officer’s job is not an easy and ideal profession for their life is always at risk due to their compliance with their duties andresponsibilities. Aside from being considered as one of the most risky professions, being a police officer can also mean being under constant pressure and stress. The chapter has given several factors that can cause stress which are found to be much inherent in the nature of a police officer’s job. The common police stressors may be triggered by death of a colleague or having to kill or harm someone in line of duty, shifting schedules especially night shifts and problems or concerns regarding government support could also lead to stress among police officers.

The contemporary issues that affect police officers are negative media image as well as national proceedings. Given the confirmation regarding the existence of stressors affecting police officers, there has been a limited amount of study that concentrates on these stressors. Alcohol abuse has long been associated with the jobs of policemen. It is common notion that drinking alcohol is a usual occurrence during parties, occasions and even regular gatherings of police officers. With the use of drugs (which could further lead to drug abuse), researchers have not found any concrete data supporting the notion that drug abuse is also common among policemen although there are incidents which lead researchers to believe that this can be considered as an increasing problem.

Suicide among police officers shows to be a result of consistently being under stressful conditions. This is alarming since this information is backed up with statistical data which stated in the book that policemen “were eight times more likely to commit suicide than to be killed in a homicide and three times more likely to commit suicide than to die in job-related accidents.” (Roberg, 2004) Problems at home as well as with their married lives also affect the police officers and increase their stress.

This chapter also mentioned the three perspectives when it comes to police officer’s safety. It is also strongly advised in the book that people should be properly educated how to interact and communicate with policemen. There were scenarios given as well as instructions as to how citizens should act properly with the given situation.Chapter 14 Does educational attainment of police officers affect their job performance? This is the question that is being tackled in Chapter 14. There are studies conducted to verify if it is necessary for police officers to be graduates of college-level courses instead of high school education or vocational courses.

The interest in this aspect of policing rose during the early 1960s due to the increasing crime rate at that time. In line with these researches, the government responded by submitting a legislation promoting police officers to continue in college education with the combined support of the government by providing them tuition fee reimbursements or waivers. Researchers stated clear differences between the performance of college graduates as police officers since they are able to think of strategies and techniques as well as solve problems in an analytical manner and their communication skills are great that they are able to interact with citizens from all walks of life.

Chapter 15 The future of policing is discussed in this last chapter of the book. The factors that will probably affect the future of the profession are examined. The increasing diversity in the American populations is named as one of the factors as well as the increasing life expectancy of the Americans could produce to higher elderly population in the near future. The police officers will continue to faces challenges posed by the diverse American population challenging them to be able to accept ethnic differences, overcome cultural barriers and also understanding cultural norms.

The migration of urban citizens to the rural areas could lead to possible occurrence of crimes which are not previously found in the rural areas and serve as a challenge for the small town policemen. Changes in technology improved the way of life of policemen when it comes to documentation, easier investigations and communication dissemination. There will be more advancement to come and police officers should be able to adapt to these developments and be prepared for more types of crimes related to the internet and information gateways.Roberg, R., & Novak, K. (2004). Police & Society.

Roxbury Publishing Company.