Stress and Police Personnel Chapter 13 Charles R. Swanson, Leonard Territo, and Robert W. Taylor...

Stress and Police PersonnelStress and Police Personnel

Chapter 13

Charles R. Swanson, Leonard Territo,and Robert W. Taylor

Police Administration:Police Administration:Structures, Processes, and BehaviorStructures, Processes, and Behavior

(Eighth Edition)(Eighth Edition)

© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved

Police Administration (8th Edition)Swanson, Territo, and Taylor

What is Stress?

• Biological stress and General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)– Way of describing stress through progressive

stages

Exhaustion

Exhaustion

Resistance

ResistanceAlarmAlarm



Stress and Personality Type



Type A Personality

• Qualities underlying Type A characteristics– Constant state of being “on guard”– Hyper masculinity– Constantly working against time– Ignorance of one’s own psychological needs

• Physiological implications– Seven times as likely to develop heart disease– Higher cholesterol– Clotting elements have greater tendency to form– Excess accumulation of insulin in blood



Type B Personality

• Less competitive and less rushed

• More easygoing

• More able to separate work from play

• Relatively free of a sense of time urgency

• Ambitions kept in perspective

• Generally philosophical about life



Workaholic

• Typical workaholics– Readily buck the system; often bucked by the

bureaucracy– Display well-organized hostility toward the system’s

imperfections– Obsessed with perfection in their work– Fear of failure; will “play to win” at all games– Prefer labor to leisure– Constantly juggle two or more tasks

• May result in:– Gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular disease,

divorce



Stress In Law Enforcement

• Police work is very stressful– Constant exposure to violence, cruelty, and

aggression

• Many stressors– Most potent: Killing someone in the line of duty– Empathy for victims also a higher stressor– Two categories of police stress

• Organizational/administrative• Inherent to the job



Post-Shooting Reaction

Rationalize &

Accept

Rationalize &

Accept

Recoil, Remorse, Nausea

Recoil, Remorse, Nausea

Exhilaration

Exhilaration

Actual Experienc

e

Actual Experienc

e

Concern over

PullingTrigger

Concern over

PullingTrigger

Five Basic Phases



Suicide By Cop



Alcoholism and Police Officers

• Absenteeism

• Insubordination

• Misconduct

• Intoxication

• Traffic accidents

• Overall performance



Issues faced by administrators

Drug Use by Police Officers



Anabolic Steroids



Police Suicide

• Access to firearms

• Interpersonal problems

• Alcohol abuse

• Fear of separation from police subculture



Sources of Work Satisfaction as a Stress Reducer

Providing assistance to citizensProviding assistance to citizens

Exercising interpersonal skillsExercising interpersonal skills

Getting feedbackGetting feedback

Receiving peer-group supportReceiving peer-group support



Police and Domestic Violence

• Number of acts committed by officers is unknown– Given the nature of the work, it is not surprising that

sometimes some officers have trouble keeping work separate from their home lives

• Early warning and intervention– Pre-employment screening and investigation– Post conditional offer of employment– Zero tolerance policy



Responsibilities

Police Domestic Violence



Incident Response Protocols

• A department must take the following critical steps– Communications officer/dispatcher documentation– Patrol response– On-scene supervisor response– Crime scene documentation– Arrest decisions– Weapon removal– Department follow up



Responding to Stress

• Exercise for 20-30 minutes at least three times per week

• Maintain a proper diet

• Get adequate rest

• Develop leisure interests and hobbies

• Meditate and pray

• Avoid maladaptive responses

• Establish support groups

• Develop a network of friends

• Use relaxation techniques

• Make sure career and other expectations are consistent with actual situation



Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

• Employee benefits– Help in response to

one’s “cry for help”– Stigma reduction– Feeling cared for as a

person– Affordable access to

help

Stress and Police Personnel Chapter 13 Charles R. Swanson, Leonard Territo, and Robert W. Taylor...

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