NCJ Number
68304
Journal
Police Stress Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: (SPRING 1980) Pages: 7-11
Date Published
1980
Length
5 pages
Annotation
IN-SERVICE TRAINING FOR POLICE OFFICERS IS NEEDED TO HELP THEM DEAL WITH MANY STRESSFUL JOB-RELATED FACTORS AND THUS IMPROVE THE POOR SELF-IMAGE OF THE POLICE.
Abstract
INADEQUATE BUDGETS, ANTIQUATED POLICE TRAINING, NONOPERATING PROCEDURES, POLITICAL MANIPULATION, AND PUBLIC HYPOCRISY MAKE THE JOB OF A U.S. POLICE OFFICER DIFFICULT TO PERFORM. THE PUBLIC DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE POLICE OFFICERS' JOB, AND SEES THEM AS THE DEFENDERS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT RATHER THAN THE PUBLIC SERVANTS. ANOTHER, AND PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANT REASON FOR THE POOR PUBLIC IMAGE OF THE POLICE LIES IN THE POOR SELF-IMAGE HELD BY THE OFFICERS THEMSELVES. CONFUSING CHANGES IN THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE LAW, COMBINED WITH THE REALIZATION THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ENFORCE EVERY LAW, RESULTS IN A CYNICAL ATTITUDE OF POLICE OFFICERS TOWARDS THEIR JOBS, AND AN ATTITUDE OF SUSPICION TOWARDS THE PUBLIC. THE POOR SELF AND PUBLIC IMAGE OF THE POLICE MAY THEREFORE RESULT IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF INEFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PHYSICAL DANGER TO BOTH THE PUBLIC AND THE POLICE. FOR THIS REASON, POLICE OFFICERS, AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY, MUST BE EDUCATED AS TO THE ROLE OF THE POLICE IN TODAY'S SOCIETY, IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND IN POLICE ACADEMIES.