LAW ENFORCEMENT — TIME FOR A SOLUTION
(Opinion)
This was the toughest subject to study and write optimistically. Law enforcement / officers and the weight they carry.
Reviewing hours and hours of images, video footage of a life as an officer was exhausting and gave me nightmares. It’s nearly impossible to imagine filling those shoes. Additionally, there was a fear, a body numbing fear about writing on this topic.
Disclaimer…
I am a supporter of all human rights and dignity. No one person rights are above another due to race, color, sexual orientation, age, or a host of other things that may not be included in this sentence. This is not a left, right, conservative, progressive issue, or agenda. This is about the right to mental health for law enforcement.
Most people have the absolute liberty of working a job and turning that shit off once they get home. The jobs performed by those wearing a badge seldom self-serving. Most of regular society are just another cog in the wheel that keeps society fluent. Most often, at the end of the day, work has ended. The job is done until the next time you arrive. The partial and minimal privilege has allowed most workers to leave work behind and proceed with the next part of life.
The simplicity of a normal life compared to an officer is relevant because officers do not share the privilege to shut that shit down after work. Here’s a workforce that may have benefits (none listed in this article) but cannot share in the same work and life separation until possibly retirement.
This doesn’t apply to all law enforcement; one side of the coin may have some officers working in slow podunk community’s that see minimal to no actions. Chief Wiggam and officer Barbrady come to mind. (Not real folks but you get my meaning).
Most often, these officers are waiting for an action moment or officers are simply waiting to retire. The other side of the coin are the officers that have actual work and stress and possibly weekly to daily trauma.
Watching the many video clips of officers saving life got me curious.
How could it be, so much to do, so little time and remembering the public is on your side. It’s got to be stressful, and as of late the officers have received more than enough public defeats. Referring to the “bad apples” but let’s keep it a buck. These bad apples didn’t just become bad apples overnight. What the hell is happened that a human working with humans lack “human compassion”? How does is that a job qualifier? Well to start, there is plenty of crime it’s a never-ending job. How can that have an effect on a person that has to complete a mission / task?
It must be remembered that officers are human with weakness, fatigue, and preconceived biases. They are not robots. So why are they perceived as being above human?
This article is zooming in on the individuals that are possibly troubled, need a break or help; and additionally, those possibly suffering in silence together.
Tackling the work life / structure of law enforcement can be viewed as condemnation. But actually, it’s the opposite, there are good bad and worse people. And at the end of the day, all people are worth saving.
As the media portrays the law enforcement, you either public support or condemn law enforcement and it’s the structure. And there’s no middle ground about it. How often as a society do we blame an entire group for the actions of a few? Imagine that! 🤔
Officers do splendid work often. In a typical workday an officer may have crazy encounters that may require a conversation with a buddy or therapy.
Their job is a lifestyle as seen in in advertisement, they eat, sleep repeat the inconsistent work routine. In a perfect world, a career or job (love it or hate it) should not come home at the end of the day.
What We See — the Observer
As an observer, the message law enforcement makes is clear. It’s us against them. And just who are us and them? It could be a method used in military movies, where the enemy is everyone…
By definition of their mantra, regular American citizens are considered the enemy. Don’t believe me, just watch and compare. Law abiding or not, if the slogan “blue lives matter” or “Thin Blue Line” isn’t prominently displayed or vocalized or if you don’t “back the blue;” you are anti-patriotic.
And no, no you are not. It’s not that black and white, as a matter of fact it can be kind of confusing hence the repetitive bad apple talking point. But its entirely okay to not support bad guys doing dreadful things. Knowing the difference between a group and an individual is the solution.
To summarize, we know who officers are because of the badge, gun and that walk. Honestly, you all know the walk.
Anyway, more concerning there are flags and slogans. Typically, things that marginalized groups feel the need to have to be recognized by society.
It’s ugly, heartbreaking and doesn’t reconcile with the positive image or narrative they want the public to believe.
When law enforcement provides a service to the community as the protectors, they are held to a higher standard. Not robots, but someone responsible enough to carry the weight of heavy artillery and deescalate situations if possible before engaging. Ultimately, officers possess weapons of mass destruction and it’s the weapons that make officer friendly non approachable.
Side note: Growing up, it was taught to respect the people that will fight for you. That’s the American way. With family that served in the military and recalling the pride they felt to be a part of securing the nation made me proud as well. Even though I’m proud, there is a harsh reality; fear is used to control.
What happens when an individual or particular group isolates themselves from the general public?
That is to say, they work, socialize and create worlds for themselves. A bubble where you sleep eat and breathe a mantra. Some of us may instantly refer to this as a cult or gang group mentality. This negative connotation may corrupt the publics mindset to address the mental decline of some law enforcement officers. In a cult gang there’s always a leader and devote followers. What is / could be absolutely terrifying are the ideology and the collective solidarity in political and personal beliefs.
Keep in mind, this is the meager opinion of an observer as well as a collection of videos to gain perspective. There are plenty of examples from officers in the links. This may just be the silent opinion of many.
It’s simple, just get counseling, right? Nope!
There isn’t outside help, officers have to rely on a “self-made” support system. Self-made help, meaning that all help is internal. Surely there are reasons therapy remains monitored. Additionally, admitting help is needed may not improve the career or standing with fellow officers. Weakness are not allowed. Remember they are not robots here to perform tasks daily that a normal person could not imagine. Emphasis on daily.
Again, alarming to the extent that we end up with some many bad apples that the tree is dying and the soil is poisonous.
Who Supports the Unsupported?
What is it like, to get off work only to witness a drug deal, shooting or an abduction?
What’s it like being at a family function and recalling a serious act of violence?
What’s it like always being on high alert, never capable of relaxing?
How would the criminal actions of one or some, change their perception of the community or people outside of the force?
Why should we care? We all have jobs; this was a choice.
Well, it’s a tough choice. Some kids want to grow up playing as police officers, and as the children became adults the mentality shifts. These adults want to save people and defend the constitution. We should all be proud; like staring the first job feeling really ambitious. And later becoming lethargic and possibly jaded to the never changing criminal scene. Crime never stops. This is a job that will be around as long as we create criminals.
Officers getting bullied
Can’t please them all, they were supposed to be on our side? 🤔 pro police folks are feeling like they are under attack. What changed? Possibly the politics. Doing a public service should not have political standards. Personal and unpopular opinion, if politics were removed from criminal justice there wouldn’t be a side to choose. The obvious would be in plain sight, capitalism. The ability to vote should not be allowed to those in higher political realms, it may remove the chance of biases and increase the chances of elected officials and officers work for ALL THE PEOPLE. I know, I know but what are YOUR solutions to create a better government?
Why should an officer pick a side, that is not the job of law enforcement? Officers are often directed by an upper-class employer to fulfil duties. Increase body cameras and install the chip in every law enforcement officer. Accountability, done and done!
Why should we care about schedules dedicated to work? How does this affect the ability to do the job? Three words — loaded public servant. As an individual, being sleep deprived or fatigued and carrying a loaded weapon should instill fear in the hearts of many. It is unclear the “type” of individual that may approach you during a routine traffic stop or just to ask questions. Did he have a difficult day, is his spouse leaving him again, did he just stub his big toe?
Not knowing is what could make a dire situation worse.
To remedy the “what if’s,” there are PSA’s on how to speak softly while slowly putting your hands where their eyes can see. This is to put officer at ease, as if you were dealing with a caged animal. Unacceptable! Again, we are all human, and everyone should be calm. But… That would be a perfect world. Example, one day i watched too much police officer kills again news media and i get pulled over, the cop may have to deescalate before there is even an encounter. Legitimately, yes! Let us make the person with the weapon feel comfortable. By all means, this could be life or death for all involved. It’s tough for all parties involved most cases.
If you are human (most likely) small daily annoyances, no real break and plenty of stressful encounters may increase anxiety and rage.
Always working Always on time!
Work hours -
Personal example: many low-income workers have two employers, or one job and a gig. The possibility to work one 9–5 and get by paying a mortgage/rent and other bill would be great, more sleep and scheduled meals and life routines that establishes balance.
Constant work and no play can lead to harm and decline in health.
Law enforcement may not have the privilege of shutting that shit down after a 40-hr. Work week, but something has to be done.
When closely examining the typical workday, it varies from town to state and so on.
There are three typical shifts: 8, 10, 12 hr. Shifts
A) [2 on 3 off] [2 on 2 off] [3 on 2 off] — 12 hours
B) [4 on 3 off] — 10 hours
C) [4 on 3 off] [ 3 on 4 off] and [3 on 3 off] [ 4 on 4 off] — 12 hours
Hopefully equating to 40 hours a week, but that seems doubtful. Most agencies are available 24/7 and any one of the shifts listed doesn’t include last minute calls or paperwork. Including but not limited to overtime and covering the regular shift.
Rotating on again off again shifts can be hard on the body’s ability to regulate timely sleep, vacations, doctor appointments and home life.
“rotating shifts are, for the most part, unpopular. Although there is not an abundance of information on law enforcement agencies, there has been studies on rotating shifts for full-time healthcare workers. Only 3.3% of healthcare workers work rotating shifts.”
These non 9–5 shifts interrupt sleep cycles, family, and life planning. It’s easy to tell how an officer can eat sleep breathe work, because the schedules are created so it’s their whole life. During covid most of us had horrid sleep schedules; Monday was Sunday and Friday could be Monday. Imagine that as a permanent work life and managing that life during “regular” business hours. Grocery shopping, banking, doctor visits and a host of other errands would have to possibly wait.
“for most people, naturally occurring periods of wakefulness occur between 7:00 a.m. And 11:00 p.m.”
“as one author noted, professionals such as pilots, commercial truck drivers, and emergency room physicians are required to follow standardized work hour regulations and guidelines; however, law enforcement personnel — people with the power to seize life and liberty — are expected to endure extended work periods while maintaining strict professional standards.”
Take Some Time to Relax — Vacations
Vacation is an option for all law enforcement employees. But if shift is hard to cover, how is vacation time used? Every local, state, and federal office may operate differently, there was an officer willing to provide the details of earned vacation.
One former officer answered “my agency provided four hours of vacation time for every two-week pay period for the first five years of service. We could also earn compensatory time in lieu of paid overtime, 1.5 hours for every extra hour worked, with a max “bank” of 80 hours. I seldom had any difficulty with not having enough vacation time available.”
That former officer is correct, he earned a lot of time. But was that time use or did he buy it back? For people that may be unfamiliar with the term “buy back.” Instead of using the vacation time, a payout of the time unused is given to the employee (officer).
The absence of “normal” American life and lifestyles, exclude officers as members of society.
Ah Sleep
For most people, naturally occurring periods of wakefulness occur between 7:00 a.m. And 11:00 p.m.
“sleep disorders affect an average of 50–70 million people in the united states, and many law enforcement officials commonly experience disruptions in rest cycles that adversely impact individual health, wellness, and productivity.”
Unfortunately, the adverse impacts commonly associated with rotating shifts across a 24/7 operational spectrum take their toll on officers.
The distinctive challenges of the job coupled with underlying aspects of fatigue may contribute to a shorter lifespan among these professionals.
“fatigue is a leading cause of impairment on the job — it is four times more likely to cause impairment in the workplace than alcohol and drugs.” Making mistakes at work is common, but I’d argue that making a mistake while carrying weapons can be lethal. “a 2000 study of fatigue among police officers found that 41 percent suffered from clinical levels of sleep deprivation, and 19 percent showed some level of actual impairment due to fatigue.” The national institute of justice noted that sleep deprivation “dangerously hinders officers’ ability to analyze situations and assess risk correctly, make proper decisions, and proceed towards safe outcomes.”
Sleep deprivation has a litany of unintended consequences, which include
· Increased irritability and lacking levels of tolerance
· Reduced levels of alertness and increased propensity for accidents
· Memory impairment, lack of concentration, and overall inattention
· Stress-related illnesses, obesity, hypertension, and changes in both metabolic and hormonal functions
· Comprehend complex situations
· Perform risk assessment and accurately predict consequences
· Control mood or behavior, monitor personal performance, recollect timing of events
“In a 2011 study of police officers, the author notes that 70 percent of respondent officers claimed the necessity for seven to nine hours of sleep; however, two-thirds admitted they obtain only three to six hours of sleep in a typical 24-hour period while working day shifts.”
There should be no feasible way to except more out of an officer than we would a person with a scalpel, or behind the wheel of a truck plane.
Proper rest would probably lessen the amount of rage caught on phones and lessen the impact to the officer’s health and wellness.
Mental health fact for regular “9–5er’s”
Fact: mental health problems are actually quite common. In 2020, about:
•one in five American adults experienced a mental health issue
•one in 6 young people experienced a major depressive episode
•one in 20 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression
Depression actually interferes with a person’s ability to complete physical jobs. It would be difficult to assume that high level stress jobs and stress hours, would not significantly impact a person’s mental health.
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the united states. In fact, it was the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10–24.
It accounted for the loss of more than 45,979 American lives in 2020, nearly double the number of lives lost to homicide.
“from a law enforcement perspective, the impacts of sleep deprivation are detrimental to overall officer survival and organizational liability, since those effects also equate to a reduction in vigilance, reaction time, memory recall, psychomotor coordination, information processing, and decision-making.” (“human fatigue in 24/7 operations: law … — police chief magazine”)
The former national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) administrator, dr. Mark Rosekind, indicated “prolonged periods of nighttime sleep deprivation impair the performance of tasks that require attention and memory, in addition to slowing reaction time and enhancing overall levels of subjective sleepiness”
“one study of 400 shift work operations noted that over half of the shift workers involved (53 percent) made several errors due to inattention in the workplace.” (“human fatigue in 24/7 operations: law … — police chief magazine”)
In this context of the 24/7 operations, many notable and catastrophic incidents occurred during nighttime hours and are largely attributed to some type of fatigue.
Exposure to trauma
The study named as the ***frequent exposure to traumatic and/or violent events or images (FETVEI).
What’s going on mentally, after the constant exposure to traumatizing situations? There was research completed about the stressors and traumatic exposure.
Specifically, “the research is to study how frequent exposure to traumatic stressors contributes to mental health difficulties among police officers.”
One concept chosen to be measured is how the routine of frequent exposure to violence/trauma can change cognitive empathy/human compassion in police officers.
“it is not stress-free to combine empathy and understanding with authority and control, and then have cognitive awareness remain unbiased, restrained, and professional with citizens they encounter.”
The conclusion was not hopeful, the findings were increased lack of cognitive empathy and compassion, depression physical aggression insomnia and worse suicide.
Your in Shape but… Health Concerns
“one international cancer research organization classified the harmful effects of fatigue as carcinogenic, due to problems associated with shift work”
Below are the list of common correlations non-shift work ailments:
· Cardiovascular disease
· Diabetes
· Gastrointestinal problems
· Cancer
· High cholesterol levels
· Hypertension
Vulnerability & seeking help:
“Are they allowed to keep their condition private?
Absolutely not!! There has to be something in the workplace to address mental health. But what if the environment that one works does not allow for such “weakness”? What if it’s frowned upon? It was explained to me once that if you are a public employee, it means your information is public as well. Where is the line drawn? The employers personnel file may redact some health information, address, and other personal information. However, the employer may know and exploit all. Leaving a person who may need help in a “trust cult” operation. No one wants that hovering over their heads. So the solution should be help outside of the employer. Researching the websites for private assistance for officers seemed impossible.
There are a few examples of situations that may allow the officers condition to remain private. An employer is only allowed to ask medical questions (including questions about mental health) in four situations:
· When the officer asks for a reasonable accommodation
· After a job offer, but before employment begins
· When it is engaging in affirmative action for people with disabilities
· On the job, when there is objective evidence that you may be unable to do your job or that you may pose a safety risk because of your condition.
Nevertheless, the health the physical and mental state of an officer should be private. Unless there’s an investigation regarding duties. Or there’s some annual mental physical testing requirement to keep the position.
“Dependence on self-reports outcomes may be a concern, as the participating police officers could have a propensity to base their answers on what they perceive the researcher will be looking to discover.
If the officer has doubts that a condition exists, the other limitations may include:
• there is the potential for resistance to respond openly to questions which may indicate identity (i.e., gender, race, & rank).
• may believe that the traumatic events they have endured have had little to no effect on them when independent data might show differently.
• the effect that the code of silence would present when gathering data to complete the research.”
“measurement based on government studies
The selection of measures to employ in the study were from Detroit Michigan and Arlington Texas. Based on a number of factors including past reliability and/or validity, fidelity, ease of administration, and, to a lesser extent, cost. The study focused on a few primary constructs:
· Work performance and safety.
· Health and stress.
· Quality of life.
· Sleep, fatigue, and alertness.
The government completed a study on two communities. One in Michigan and the other in Texas. Choosing a town from each where one community was highly violent and the other had high nonviolent crime. The study was extensive and difficult to track due to officers’ shifts, disinterest, and exit from their departments. The government findings concluded, that “in policing, quantification of objective performance is made more difficult due to the lack of agreement regarding what constitutes satisfactory performance, especially when considering individual performance. Nevertheless, when objective measures have been identified for research, most studies have not demonstrated an impact of shift length on performance. As such, we selected primarily objective, police-specific measures of work performance and found no effect of shift length.
Its not surprising that the boss (producing the study) doesn’t see anything wrong with extensive work hours and mental decline. The government did note, “while this study has provided considerable information about the impacts on performance, health, quality of life, sleep, fatigue, and extra-duty employment, it also suggests the need for additional research. Continued, “considering prior research indicating that fatigue and long work hours can have serious safety consequences extra caution should be exercised when adopting 12-hour shifts due to increased risks at the end of those shifts.”
“Stress hurts the law enforcement families
“research shows that police officers are at an increased risk of divorce due to stress from the job (galatzer-levy et al., 2013). Officers also have higher rates of divorce than other occupations (russell, 2014).”
• conflict between work and family roles. While on duty, officers must always be prepared to defend themselves and respond quickly to a situation. It can be hard for officers to change this mindset when they’re off duty. Officers must make a concerted effort to step out of that role at the end of their shift when they’re with their families.
• perceived changes in an officer’s personality between work and home (karaffa et al., 2015). On the job, officers tend to be analytical and assertive in order to remain safe, which may result in conflict once at home. (“managing police stress to strengthen relationships at home”)
How to improve life outside of work
There were a few suggestions listed on a website providing suggestions.
There are a few things to help the personal life of an officer:
• peer support and communication. Spousal support. Support from family and friends. Spending time with other police couples or friends.
hobbies and activities & friendships outside the force
In conclusion, the police profession is inherently stressful and can have an adverse effect on police marriages and family relationships. Officers must be deliberate about taking steps to address their stress, so it doesn’t impact their relationship at work or with loved ones.”
Conclusion:
Let us begin inspiring one another. Lets get some better dirt plant a healthy tree and start growing juicy healthy Apples.
“You can’t fix someone by breaking someone else” — Some TV series called outlaws.
Be well & stay healthy
