Police officers routinely find themselves amid chaos. They deal with disorderly conduct, fatal car accidents and shootings, and they are constantly exposed to violence, distress and death.
Their schedules can also be grueling. Officers often work mandatory rotating and overtime shifts, preventing them from spending enough time with their families or getting adequate rest.
Negative publicity, budget cuts and layoffs also induce stress. This anxiety can take its toll, physically and mentally, steering some officers toward a life of drug or alcohol addiction.
Police officers today endure more stress than they did 30 years ago. Public scrutiny has increased while team camaraderie has faded. They worry about issues related to political correctness and cultural diversity as well as ever-changing laws.
A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine asked 105 officers aged 50 or older to rate critical incidents based on the amount of distress they cause.
More than 75 percent of officers in the study replied that attending a police funeral was especially upsetting, making it the most stressful work-related incident. Nearly 50 percent replied shooting someone is stressful. Violent arrests, hostage situations and bloody crime scenes were also mentioned.
Numerous factors contribute to stress, which is conducive to substance abuse.
Police officers conduct searches, check parking meters, issue traffic tickets and carry out investigations. The more dangerous aspects of the job occur during arrests, drug busts or hostage situations.
Critical incidents are common in the profession. The FBI reports 51 law enforcement officers died during felonious incidents in 2014, nearly twice as many as the previous year’s total.
officers were feloniously killed in the line of work from 2010 to 2014
Police officers work in rotating shifts. They serve several consecutive 10- to 12-hour shifts with multiple days off afterward. These schedules do not allow for much rest during workdays.
Rotating shifts give way to sleep deprivation. A study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that moderate sleep deprivation can affect performance as much as excessive alcohol consumption. Similar to the effects of alcohol, fatigue can impair speech, hand-eye coordination and reaction times.
Officers with substance use disorders often work side jobs to pay for their addiction, which can worsen sleep schedules and affect their overall health.
Disturbing events, such as investigating a bloody crime scene, can impact an officer’s psyche. This can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition that develops after a traumatic event.
The disorder is widely associated with military personnel. However, it can affect police officers after fatal shootings, car accidents or other traumatic events. Ron Clark, chairman of the Badge of Life Police Mental Health Foundation, estimates one in eight officers has PTSD.
PTSD sufferers often use mind-altering substances to self-medicate. Alcohol in particular numbs the body and emotions, providing temporary relief. Up to one-third of people report drinking problems after a traumatic event or accident, per the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
– CAPT. SARAH CREIGHTON, SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT
Police have been under intense scrutiny by the general public in the wake of an influx of civilian shooting deaths in recent years. These fatal confrontations have led to substantial media attention and public unrest.
Many officers perceive themselves as underappreciated. They hear criticism from citizens, read it in newspapers or see it on the nightly news. This ridicule has contributed to stress.
A report published in The Journal of Law Enforcement found external factors, such as the attitude of the general public, affect officers physically and emotionally. William Westley, a social scientist, said many officers view their relationship with the general public as their most pressing problem.
“[A police officer] regards the public as his enemy, feels his occupational [responsibili