Crm Jst 271 1st Edition Lecture 19 Current Lecture I The Concept of Stress a Police work entails unique stressors that are non existent or less prevalent in most other occupations b Stress comes in a number of different forms i Physiological stress ii Psychological stress iii Eustress iv Distress v Acute stress vi Chronic stress II Occupational Stress a Contrary to popular belief police do not experience more health and social problems than all other occupations b Importantly levels of stress vary by job assignment for police officers i Narcotics investigators have high burnout rates ii Civilian dispatch personnel have significantly higher levels of stress than former narcotics investigators or patrol officers III Overview of Stressors a According to Loo 2005 there are 5 distinct categories of police stressors i Police work itself ii The police organization iii The criminal justice system iv The public or community v Personal life and family These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute b Police stressors come in numerous forms i Killing someone officer being killed physical attack chases etc 1 What does research suggest officers view as most bothersome c Emerging sources of stress i Community policing ii Negative media coverage iii May vary across gender and racial lines IV Line of Duty and Crisis Situations a What differentiates police work from other occupations is the continual potential for crisis situations b Post traumatic stress disorder PTSD is the stress that is caused by such frequent and prolonged exposure c Addressing PTSD can be done in a number of ways i Critical incident debriefing ii Sensitization training iii Peer counseling program d Stress is the product of a number of the occupational characteristics of policing i Shift work 1 How why does this matter ii Social supports and police stress 1 Stressor outcome model and social supports model V Consequences of Stress a The stress that officers are exposed to is associated with a number of meaningful consequences i Alcohol abuse ii Drug abuse iii Suicide iv Marital and family problems VI Policies and Programs for stress a A number of policies and programs could be implemented in police departments to help control the influence of stressors on officers i Establish quality of life programs ii Address workplace environmental issues iii Develop training programs in stress awareness iv Establish specific stress programs v Establish operational policies that reduce stress b The following are further examples of possibilities i Improve management skills overall ii Utilize peer counseling programs iii Develop support groups iv Establish physical fitness programs v Encourage family activities VII Officer Safety a Between 2002 2011 543 police officers were feloniously killed i Another 695 were killed in duty related accidents 1 Leading cause was automobile accidents b 54 774 assaults on officers in 2011 alone i Western states had highest assault rates VIII Danger and Police Work a The danger of police work can be understood through three different perspectives i Perceived danger ii Potential danger iii Actual danger 1 How do these views on danger differ b Understanding how danger arises is useful as well i Person initiated danger ii Situational danger
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