How Stress Affects Law Enforcement Officers - Term Paper Example

How stress affects Law Enforcement officers Abstract Law enforcement officers work in dynamic and challenging environments. They work for long hours and often endure fatigue. Furthermore, the officers are humans just like anyone else and therefore have their private lives. Individual factors such as financial and family problems compound to the predicament of the law enforcers. As such, law enforcement officers face immense stress in their official duty a feature that affects their functionality. Stress has a number of radical ramifications on every human being. The effects of stress are more profound in law enforcement officers given the nature of their job (Noblet, Rodwell & Allisey, 2009). Law enforcement officers must always make fundamental decisions some of which are always a matter of life of death for both the officers and those they interact with in the course of their duty. This report therefore investigates the prevalence and effects of stress on law enforcement officers. The researcher carries out an extensive content analysis and literature review in order to determine the effects of stress on a group of people mandated with the maintenance of law and order in the society. The extensive literature review enables the researcher to develop an in-depth analysis of the issue by borrowing from scholars among other groups of interested individuals who have investigated the topical issue in the past. The report is therefore a systematic discussion of the prevalence and effects of stress comprising of systematic paragraphs that offer extensive discussion of the issue. Introduction Law enforcement officers constitute a special group of individuals in a society. They group consists of various categories of police officers in the country. Their main mandate is to maintain law and order a job that requires rigorous psychological and physical training. Additionally, the law enforcement officers handle serious weapons, which they use appropriately depending on the uniqueness of every situation. This implies that law enforcement officers often make serious decisions that affect both their safety and the safety of the citizens. Stress on the other hand is a psychological concept that refers to the body’s response to challenge. Stress influences the functionality of the brain thereby affecting the decisions an individual makes. The life of a police officer consists of demands, deadlines, hassles and frustrations all of which contribute to the buildup of stress. The stress buildup in the police officers therefore affects the functionality of their brains and bodies thereby influencing the decisions they make as the discussion below portrays. Causes of stress As the discussion above shows, stress is commonplace in the life of law enforcement officers. Key among the causes of stress in law enforcement includes poor management. This arises when officers lack basic equipment that enables them to work effectively. Poor management further encompasses such basic features of work as poor remuneration, lack of facilities and poor labor relations. Such factors stress officers thereby leading to lack of motivation. Police officers have often raised concerns about excessive overtime, regular changes in duties and frequent rotating shifts among many others. Such features contribute to stress thereby affecting the productivity of officers. Such work related factors coupled with the numerous other challenges that the law enforcement officers encounter in the fields compound their exposure to stressors, which contribute to the buildup of stress (Russell, Cole & Jones, 2014). Besides the work related stressors discussed above, law enforcement officers face numerous other challenges in their private lives all of which contribute to the buildup of stress. The individual factors include family problems, which are common with numerous other families. Such common problems as domestic squabbles present major problems to law enforcement officers thereby causing them immense stress (Vicini & James, 2013). The same is the case with financial problems, as the officers must spend their remunerations on a numerous expenses some of which may always strain their wellbeing. Health problems and the allure of taking second jobs are yet some other personal factors that may enhance the buildup of stress in the law enforcement officers. Health effects of stress Among the basic effects of stress is on the health of the officers. Stress causes a number of medical conditions all of which affect the productivity of the law enforcement officers, “stress causes high blood pressure, digestive disorders, ulcers and heart diseases among many others” (Yoo& Franke, 2011). Such are serious medical conditions they often turn fatal while others turn into chronic diseases. As such, stress threatens the lives of the law enforcement officers who risk losing their lives. Additionally, the medical conditions cause a reduction in the productive hours of the officers who must always spend days on leave as they seek treatment. Additionally, treating and managing the diseases require adequate finances a feature that requires effective health insurance. Lack of an effective health cover further complicates the situation for a police officer who undergoes immense stress given the rising financial problems. This discussion shows that without effective management, stress turns into a vicious cycle that causes numerous other challenges that sustain the stress thereby affecting the productivity of the officers and even threaten their lives. Psychological effects and how they affect productivity Law enforcement officers are important people in the society whose mandate extends to giving care and protecting the civilians. In order to do this, they undergo intense and appropriate training that equips them with adequate professional skills to enable them make effective decisions and safeguard the wellbeing of the society. As explained earlier, stress has a number of effects all of which affect the functionality of people. As such, stress often has myriad effects on law enforcers. The nature of their job compounds the effects of stress. Key among the effects of stress in law enforcers is the fact that stressed officers cannot manage personal relationships successfully. Personal relationships thrive on both official and unofficial conversations. Stressed law enforcers find it difficult to follow commands and to maintain profitable friendships. The nature of their job requires them to work in groups, a feature that further makes such a major problem that affects their productivity at work. Inability to maintain successful personal relationships arises from the body’s response to a stressor. Unfortunately, the response to a single stressor often extends to others. This implies that an officer who faces domestic problems is likely to portray antisocial traits with most of such officers withdrawing from social circles. They become erratic and easy to agitate. This affects their judgment thereby affecting their productivity. The nature of their job requires a close relationship with civilians in order to adhere to the law when carrying out an investigation and even when carrying out an arrest. Law enforcement officers must always uphold the laws of the country and safeguard the various privileges and rights of the citizens while carrying out their official duties. Stressed officers are easily agitated and are always erratic a feature that makes some violent both to their colleagues and to the civilians. Discussion Stressed officers have problems communicating supervisors and may create stressful relationships with superiors. Law enforcement is one of the most extensively bureaucratic systems in the country. The system comprises of a series of superiors and requires professional disciplines and alertness of communication. The officers account for both their actions and the resources in their disposal. As such, they must always maintain official communication and adhere to the command. Police officers follow instructions and must carry out commands even if they do not want to. The profession demands immense professional discipline that may always compound the stress an officer feels. Stressed officers find such commands retrogressive and tiresome. In their erratic approach to duty, they may talk carelessly or even complain. This causes stress in the profession thereby affecting the efficiency of the entire service. The negative attitudes often show itself in their duties a feature that may result in expulsion from the service or even to court cases in cases of gross misconduct. Stressed law enforcement officers stand higher risks of either losing their lives or killing civilians given their impaired judgments. As explained earlier, law enforcement officers work in risks environments as they chase after different kinds of criminals. The criminals in a society often range from petty shoplifters to seasoned murderers and even terrorists. As such, the work of a law enforcement officer requires immense alertness and ability to assess a situation appropriately thereby respond effectively (Bradway, 2009). A police officer must for example analyze the danger he or she faces when interacting with every type of criminal and therefore respond appropriately. Stressed officers are likely to misjudge cases and therefore position themselves in danger. Others may even use immense force and even kill civilians during an arrest process. The rising number of police cases in the country for example attests to such unique yet probable phenomenon. Another equally life-threatening effect of stress on the law enforcer is the fact that stressed officers are likely to suffer from accidental injuries. Police officers handle firearms, handle buttons and drive police cars. Such facilities are dangerous and may cause personal injuries if not handled appropriately. Additionally, police officers traverse various regions including suburbs and inner city ghettos as they search for offenders. This requires a degree of alertness in order to follow the procedures required in operating a gun, driving a car or even handling the other resources they use in their official capacities. Stressed individuals lose their concentrations and are therefore unlikely to follow procedures. As such, stressed police officers are likely to incur injuries some of which are always fatal by handling their firearms or even driving carelessly. Such officers are also likely to cause accidents thereby risk the lives of either their colleagues or the civilians. As explained earlier, the work of law enforcement officers is always bureaucratic and detailed. The effectiveness of the services relies on the quality of an officer’s paper work, which begins when they sign their contract. Police officers sign numerous papers and maintained detailed paperwork. The paperwork helps account for such basic resources as their official uniforms, firearms and ammunitions. The paperwork extends to handling of suspects. Police officers must book suspects appropriately, prepare appropriate paperwork for court cases, and manage evidence. Such detailed paperwork requires extreme alertness since the life and freedom of civilians often depend on such. Stressed law enforcement officers cannot always maintain such a degree of agility and alertness a feature that causes mistakes in their paperwork. Brodie & Eppler, (2012) explain that stressed officers are likely to cause confusion both in their respective departments and in courts since their paperwork are likely to consist of confusion and incoherent statements. Confusions in these contexts have profound effects since they vary in implications. Some of such may cause loss of vital police equipment while others may affect the ability in proving the guilt of a suspects in courts of law. Both ramifications in the productivity of an officer affect the effectiveness and the reputation of the entire police service in the country. The mistakes of individual officers often affect the reputation of the service since the officers works cohesively for the good of the society. Furthermore, the bureaucratic nature of the service should always protect the cohesive nature of the service. Such basic occurrences as oversight in book keeping therefore have profound effects on the functionality of the entire law enforcement agency. Stressed officers are further likely to present such undesirable features in their work as poor grooming, lateness and even sleeping in their stations of work. All of such features affect both the image and the effectiveness of the law enforcement agency. Conclusion In retrospect, stress is a fundamental psychological factor that affects every human being. The effects of stress are more conspicuous in law enforcement given the unique yet special position of such agencies. Law enforcement officers interact with the society and should always maintain law and order. Such is a complex undertaking that requires a degree of alertness. Stress causes destructions thereby making it difficult for the law enforcement officers to maintain due diligence in their operations. Stress is a major risk to the lives of officers. Stress causes a number of medical complications some of which often result in early deaths, early retirements and huge medical bills. Furthermore, stressed officers have impaired judgments, act erratically, and are therefore a danger to themselves, their colleagues and the society. References Bradway, J. H. (2009). Psychological effects of extreme situations in law enforcement officers and civilians. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences. Vol. 4 Issue 1, p1-12. Brodie, P. J. & Eppler, C. (2012). Exploration of Perceived Stressors, Communication, and Resilience in Law-Enforcement Couples. Journal of Family Psychotherapy.Vol. 23 Issue 1, p20-41. Noblet, A., Rodwell, J. & Allisey, A. (2009). Job stress in the law enforcement sector: comparing the linear, non-linear and interaction effects of working conditions. Stress & Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress. Vol. 25 Issue 1, p111-120. Russell, L., Cole, B. M.& Jones, R. J. ( 2014). High-risk Occupations: How Leadership, Stress, and Ability to Cope Influence Burnout inLaw Enforcement. Journal of Leadership, Accountability & Ethics. Vol. 11 Issue 3, p49-69. Vicini, J. & James, M. (2013). Officer Stress. Federal Probation. Vol. 77 Issue 1, p1-4. 4p. Yoo, H. & Franke, W. (2011). Stress and cardiovascular disease risk in female law enforcement officers. International Archives of Occupational & Environmental Health. Vol. 84 Issue 3, p279-286. Read More