Why are cops
such angry people? First, let’s look at their role. Police Officers deal with some of the most difficult and dangerous human beings among us. Over a career, these officers see the absolute worst in human behavior.
They do a thankless job that leaves them with the knowledge that to be in law enforcement is to be hated despite the
fact that these officers save lives, apprehend murderers, rapists, child sexual abusers, terrorists, drunk drivers, and drug
dealers, as well as too many others to mention here. That “thin blue line”
that we all have heard about is really a life-line of sorts, one that officers hold onto so that they may be a part of a welcoming
community of those fellow officers and their families who know about the good they do and why they do it.
In talking
with police officers, either inside or outside my office, the public’s “attitude” is not taken lightly,
but is understandable. The responsibility for violations for speeding, overtime
parking, etc., doesn’t seem to fall on the person who owns the car, but with the officer who wrote the ticket. In short, as adults, we all seem to have some difficulty with authority figures –
particularly those that punish us for behaving in ways we know we should not do.
However, when
officers are asked to talk about job stress, there is overwhelming consensus on one factor:
the job itself, that is, what happens between officers themselves or their superiors.
Time after time, I hear complaints of harassment, punishment, retaliation, sexual misconduct, and unfair preferences
given to specific people are curry favor with “bosses.” Unfair practices
in the police officer’s workplace are a major cause of stress, and the anger and bitterness which accumulates likely
plays a role in stress-related medical conditions, such as heart disease. Research
has demonstrated that stress and heart disease are highly correlated, and that anger, in particular, plays an important causative
role in the development of heart disease.
Most police
officers are able to tolerate the anger they feel at the job without having it affect their work and their relationships at
home; these officers believe that if they “[keep their mouths shut and mind their own business, they’ll be alright”]. Other officers are unable to tolerate their anger and begin to internalize these feelings
and are severely affected by them. Not being able to deal with an abusive superior
and/or an environment where the unwritten rule of “chain of command cannot be breached” leads an officer to turn
the anger inward onto himself. The result may be self-medicating via alcohol
or, worse, depression. After awhile, and untreated, some officers’ see
their own existence as “pointless” and, still angry and depressed, their apathy toward themselves, family, and
other officers increases to the point where they become isolated and feel as if they are alone. Too proud to get help – or too under-trained to understand that “help” does not equal
“weakness,” many officers attempt or commit suicide. In fact, police
officer suicide is the number one cause of death among police officers in the United States and other countries as well. It doesn’t help that psychological disorders carry a stigma in nearly every
arena of our society, despite the fact that depression is the number one psychological disorder in the country.
What do we
do? Logically, there seem to be many answers.
Have a more positive, pleasant workplace environment? Teach officers to
handle stress better? Both of these ideas have significant merit, but are difficult
to put into practice when the source of the stress resides in the station house itself.
The answer
is: teach, teach, and teach. Mandatory
academy training of resistance and resilience to stress – the warning signs, the issues, and the treatments must become
a part of police officer training throughout an officer’s career. Similarly,
and despite its paramilitary structure, safeguards for vindictive work practices must be put into place.
Lastly, mental health checks, encouraged
by the department and peer support officers, and conducted by therapists of either the employee assistance service or, should
the officer wish, a private therapist at their own expense (co-pay). You can read more about this process at The Other Half of Suicide Prevention. These checks can
be conducted either when necessary or on an annual basis. “Rubber stamping” as positive an officer’s state of mind doesn’t help that
officer, his fellow officers, or the family he goes home to at the end of a tour.
