Causes and Impact of Stress on Police Officers

Causes and Impact of Stress on Police Officers
Stress plays a critical role in the lives of humans. It is not possible to avoid stress in some situations. For instance, the pressure causes students to study harder for an exam, improving their grades. However, stress can have negative implications if it is prolonged. There is a growing preoccupation with the problem of stress in the workplace. For police officers, police stress implies the negative pressures related to their work. Police officers are not superhuman. While they are in positions of authority, they are forced to make life and death decisions regularly, making stress significantly negatively impacting them. One of the major issues for police officers is that stress can go unnoticed. Some officers could be under constant stress but unable to seek medical attention. Sometimes, police officers may deny stress because they fear being considered weak and unable to execute their duties. Stress has negative implications, hence the need to explain its major causes and impact on officers' professional and personal lives.
Major Causes of Stress
Police officers work under strenuous administrative policies and procedures. In most cases, officers are less involved in formulating those policies and procedures, yet they must follow them to the letter. The superiors do not care how some have negative implications on the mental health of the police officers (Richards, Suarez & Arocha, 2021). One-officer patrol cars create anxiety for the officer involved. Such an arrangement makes a reduced sense of safety. When operating in an environment that has a high crime rate, one officer patrol car subjects the officer involved to danger. The officer will be more anxious because of the possibility of being attacked and harmed. Additionally, internal investigations practice sent a message of being watched. Police officers feel that their superiors do not trust them. Even when off duty, police officers feel they do not have the freedom to mingle freely with the rest of society. Such an arrangement creates a sense of loneliness and subjects them to stress. When officers have challenges, they cannot navigate the complex policies and procedures to air their grievances. Unlike employees in other sectors, officers have to follow instructions, otherwise, they risk being terminated. Consequently, stress continues to build up when they can do little because of the laid down policies and procedures.
Additionally, police officers operate in a demanding environment. When in areas that have a high rate of crime, their lives are constantly in danger. In some instances, police officers witness criminals killing their colleagues. Being in a crossfire with criminals presents a danger to police officers (Buker & Wiecko, 2007). Even on the streets, officers are in constant danger of being targeted by criminals who are revenging because of the arrest of their counterparts. Further, police are exposed to dead individuals. When homicides occur, police officers are called in to address the situation. Seeing dead bodies is traumatizing. It becomes more complicated when the victims are children. Moreover, some situations require officers to use force. When dealing with violent individuals, police officers are required to use force. Exposure to situations requiring the use of force can be traumatizing to some of the officers. While the environment remains challenging, the public sometimes does not appreciate police officers' work. Officers encounter a distorted or negative press about what they do. Operating in a challenging environment where the public has a negative attitude towards them creates more stress.
Moreover, police officers have less time to sleep, which subjects them to stress. Good sleep quality and adequate sleep duration of between seven and eight hours in a 24-hour period are critical for good health. Short sleep duration is associated with adverse effects like obesity, impaired immunity, and impaired concentration. The environment under which police officers operate makes it challenging for them to have an adequate sleep. For instance, exposure to stressful or violent conditions disrupts the sleeping patterns of officers (Charles et al., 2011). Such disruptions diminish the quality of life and the ability to operate optimally during the time of their jobs. The disruptions make it challenging for officers to achieve seven to eight hours of sleep in 24 hours. The lack of adequate sleep comes about because of the tight schedules of officers (Rajaratnam et al., 2011). Police departments are underfunded. As a result, they cannot employ the required number of police officers. The inadequate personnel forces the few officers to operate under tight schedules. It makes it challenging for them to have a normal 8-hour working schedule. Police officers can be called to respond even outside their duty and late into the night. The disruption of sleep makes them more vulnerable to stress.
Furthermore, the criminal justice system subjects police officers to stress. When dealing with criminal issues, police officers are forced to make court appearances. For instance, where police officers apprehend drug dealers, they are expected to present evidence before a court of law. Numerous court appearances interfere with the officers’ work assignments, personal time and sleeping patterns (Pearsall, 2012). Some court battles are brutal, forcing the officers to bear with the challenging process. Sometimes, courts are lenient with offenders and release them on bail, parole or probation. The same officers have to deal with the same suspects in their daily activities, leading to stress. The system exposes police officers to fragmented work. For instance, they have a rare opportunity to follow major cases to conclusions. The criminal justice system does not support police officers well. For instance, police officers are required to control their emotions even when provoked. When police officers discharge their guns and lead to the loss of lives, the law is tough on them. When police officers witness their colleagues being prosecuted, it reminds them that the same thing can happen. The difficulties the criminal justice system presents to officers make them become stressed. To make it worse, the system does not have proper avenues for the same officers to get help when they are stressed.
Impact of Stress on Professional and Personal Life of Officers
Stress is a major issue that impairs excellence among law enforcement officers. Professionally, stress has several impacts that necessitate action-oriented interventions. For the police, the first casualty of stress is their declined efficiency and productivity. According to Ajayi (2018), stress is a major contributor to decreased performance and poor quality of work. In law enforcement, a reduction in performance levels and quality of work could mean increased crime rates or increased risk of harm to the public. Rabbing et al. (2022) note that the impact of stress on one’s motor and cognitive skills poses a threat to police officers with an inability to correctly deal with stress. The efficiency and quality of police work is highly dependent on one’s motor and cognitive skills. Therefore, when these are impaired or affected, the overall performance of a police officer reduces.
Stress also impacts law enforcement officers by impairing their judgment. Judgment is a key ingredient to excellent police work. Police officers are individuals who often have to make split-second decisions that have a direct impact on their lives, their friends, their families, and the general public. During training, police officers are taken through exercises that dictate and guide their decision-making regardless of the situation at hand. Further, it is crucial to note that the decision...