Running Head: INCOMING OFFICERS IN TRAINING

Incoming Officers in Training

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Introduction

Police include an organized civil force for maintaining law and order. However, Police

have a duty to protect a country and preventing crime. Police are faced with many challenges in

the field that lead to stress cases. In this field line, the stress can be controlled by implementing

essential measures.

Operational stress

Operational stress is a stress that a person experiences due to traumatic events exposure

in the line of duty (Kubiak et al. 2017). However, as police officers, you face a lot of operational

stress. The stress arises depending on the work level, and it affects one’s life.

Causes of operational stress

Operational stress in police work can arise due to operational duties and organizational

duties. Operational duties are duties done while in line of duty (Kubiak et al. 2017). Examples of

these duties include responding to emergencies, law enforcement, and crime prevention.

However, organizational duties include duties offered to person entities within the system

(Kubiak et al. 2017). These duties include offering support services. However, Police face

challenges while performing these services.

How stress manifest in officer lives

The stress can manifest when not addressed effectively. The operational stresses can lead

to physiological, psychological, and behavioral outcomes. However, physiological outcomes

include an increase in hypertension, heart attack, and stroke risks (Nisar et al. 2018). Examples

of physiological outcomes include starvation, noise effects, and cold exposure. Psychological
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outcomes include chronic stress that triggers depression and anxiety issues. It can lead to

depression, irritability, and memory issues (Saxe et al. 2020). However, behavioral outcomes of

stress include appetite change and increasing use of drugs. Stress causes change in one’s mood,

body, and behavior (Nisar et al. 2018).

Negative impacts of stress on officers

Stress might cause the development of maladaptive coping strategies such as anger and

violence. The stress might cause post-traumatic stress disorder development (PTSD). As officers,

you can face PTSD responses such as reactivity changes and mood changes (Saxe et al. 2020).

However, the stress can cause exposure to a traumatic event that becomes repetitive in the

officer’s life. This stress can cause expectation adjustments. An officer with stress can face

challenges in coping with life and addressing life issues. The stress interferes with the mind and

affects one’s performance.

Officer suicide

The cases of officer suicide are rapidly increasing where officers commit suicide due to

stress, mostly when handled effectively. The NYPD officers' suicide rates are higher than other

New York City residents (Law, 2019).

Coping styles for stress

Stresses can be managed through active and escapist coping strategies. Active coping

includes altering a sensor by internally resolving a stressful situation (Singh, 2017). This aspect

is done using effective targeted behavior. However, escapist coping involves avoiding and
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ignoring stressors in one’s life (Singh, 2017). This coping is achieved using substances such as

alcohol or drugs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, in police work, a lot of stresses arise due to the work nature, thus, as

officers; you should be ready for any work situation. Stress is a traumatic aspect that can affect

one’s life and work. Challenges are many, thus, as officers learn how to cope with stress. As

officers, work with integrity and honesty to protect the country.

References

Kubiak, J., Krick, A., & Egloff, B. (2017). Keep your eyes open: dispositional vigilance

moderates the relationship between operational police stress and stress

symptoms. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 30(5), 598-607.

https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2017.1329930

Nisar, S. K., Rasheed, M. I., & Qiang, W. (2018). They can’t safeguard you when they are under

stress: An exploratory study on issues and problems of job stress in police. International

Journal of Police Science & Management, 20(2), 124-133.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1461355718763467

Saxe, G. N., Ma, S., Morales, L. J., Galatzer-Levy, I. R., Aliferis, C., & Marmar, C. R. (2020).

Computational causal discovery for post-traumatic stress in police officers. Translational

psychiatry, 10(1), 1-12. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-020-00910-6

Singh, A. P. (2017). Coping with work stress in police employees. Journal of police and

criminal psychology, 32(3), 225-235. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11896-

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