Caring for the Guardians—Exploring Needed Directions and Best Practices for Police Resilience Practice and Research
Date
2020
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Publisher
Frontiers in psychology
Abstract
Occupational groups that experience heightened levels of stress and trauma, such as law enforcement can be at increased risk for long-term health care issues, mental health concerns, psychological disorders, and behavioral issues (Berg et al., 2003; Waters and Ussery, 2007; Griffin et al., 2010; IACP, 2014; Korre et al., 2014; Tucker, 2015). Law enforcement officers are often exposed to death, violence, and other forms of human misery. However, it is often not a single incident or event that can lead to catastrophic issues.
Often, it is the cumulative effects of such exposures, coupled with the lack of appropriate professional assistance that can lead to negative outcomes (Berg et al., 2003; Griffin et al., 2010; IACP, 2014).
Research notes that law enforcement as a profession is also at increased risk for completed suicide (Kelly and Martin, 2006; Violanti, 2007; The Badge of Life, 2008–2012; Violanti et al., 2013, 2016). In fact, officers are at greater risk of dying by suicide, then by being killed in the commission of their duties (Heyman et al., 2018). Nevertheless, it should be noted that suicide among this occupational group is not a new phenomenon within the general population, where 13 out of 100,000 die by suicide. However, for police it is now at a rate of 17 per 100,000 (Heyman et al., 2018). In fact, suicide has been a leading killer of law enforcement officers for years (Kelly and Martin, 2006; Violanti, 2007). Indeed, the recent President's Task Force on twenty-first Century Policing (2015) already anchored concern for officer wellness as one of its six pillars.
Unfortunately, 2019 also brought a surge in the numbers of police suicides in the United States, provoking heightened media attention that lead administrators and experts to even consider the possibility of contagion within the larger mental health concerns facing police. Suicide clusters within single agencies, such as the New York City Police Department (NYPD) contributed to an almost frenzied response by administrators and experts to try and find a solution. Regrettably, to date, there has been insufficient research available on the causes of police suicide and evidence- based responses been developments within the field of positive psychology that can be turned to search for practical and meaningful applications for the law enforcement field. Additionally, the military has successfully implemented various approaches to resiliency training that should be transferable to law enforcement environments. However, although the military culture and organization has obvious similarities to policing, such interventions still need to be rigorously tested with law enforcement (Chopko and Schwartz, 2013).
Importantly, police officers themselves have long recognized the need for some intervention and help related to wellness. Heyman et al. (2018) found that over 35% of police characterize themselves experiencing a form of post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to 6.8% of the general population. Over 12% officers indicated that they believe they experience depression, vs. 7% of the mass population. This is concerning but most likely under-reported figures due to the nature of the field (Heyman et al., 2018; LET Staff, 2018). The organizational culture of most law enforcement agencies makes many officers afraid to report their psychological stress or issues out of fear of being relegated to administrative work as a response.
The public is aware of the inherent dangers of the field of law enforcement. In addition to imminent physical injury or death, police officers are the gate keepers of public safety—they are on the front lines of our communities and must deal with a myriad of stressful and continuous issues. Law enforcement officers are the first to speak with victims, to respond to crime scenes, and in pursuing suspects. They are constantly exposed to and witness disturbing circumstances ranging from murder, sexual assault, intimate partner violence and child abuse. On average, law enforcement witness approximately 188 critical incidents during their tenure (Heyman et al., 2018). Exposure to such events may lead to significant multiple psychological, mental and emotional traumas. Most officers have been conditioned thorough their subculture to remain quiet of their feelings of mental and emotional stress. This has been proven to create on-going symptoms of emotional withdrawal, burnout, and excessive fatigue, neglect of self-care which in turn, has an enormous impact on their intimate, social, work and community relationships.
It should also be stressed that officers are more likely to receive assistance immediately following critical incidents, but that the long-term effects of both primary and secondary trauma (as in the case of compassion fatigue discussed below) can emerge either suddenly or after a significant period of time.
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Keywords
compassion fatigue, traumatic stress, law enforcement, self-care, Evidence-Based Interventions, intervention,
Citation
Carlson-Johnson, O., Grant, H., & Lavery, C. F. (2020). Caring for the guardians—exploring needed directions and best practices for police resilience practice and research. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 1874.