NCJ Number
79806
Journal
Australian Police Journal Volume: 35 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1981) Pages: 112-117
Date Published
1981
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This Australian article discusses the consequences of stress in police work.
Abstract
Officers too often remain in a state of exhaustion, unaware that they are affected by it. Both physical and mental exhaustion cause lapses in coordination, errors in judgment, and loss of response in reflexes and muscles. Thus with time, officers in such a state become less effective to themselves, their departments, and to society. The amount of training given today at the local, State, and Federal police training academies cannot adequately equip officers to handle today's diverse public needs, let alone the routine calls of police work. Society demands that officers be 'super cops,' but they are not. Stress is caused by the psychological need to not admit that officers can have problems, by the natural tendency of officers to develop attitudes of suspicion and cynicism, and the experience of dealing with death in brutal and emotional situations. Moreover, officers themselves are constantly targets for death, since they run great risk of getting shot, stabbed, or murdered. Working under such conditions, it is no wonder that as an occupation, police work ranks high in rates of alcoholism, divorce, suicide, heart attacks, etc. The article recommends more stress training in all areas of law enforcement, starting with new recruits and their spouses, followed by inservice training, physical fitness programs, relaxation programs, and confidential counseling programs for officers and their families. Two footnotes are included.