...disease of alcoholism and its progression among members of their forces. While it is common knowledge that the law enforcement profession is not the only occupational group to experience alcoholism among the ranks and the alcoholic officer is not unlike millions of others in the workforce that contend with the disease, how prevalent does the abuse of alcohol among police officers remain? It was 1975 when former law enforcement turned novelist, Joseph Wambaugh, shared The Choirboys with us. Wambaugh’s fictional tale of the shenanigans involving police officers spent a great deal of time discussing the use and abuse of alcohol by the police. Are cops are still turning up the bottle and at an alarming rate? From the Wambaugh’s tales of the after-shift meetings in MacArthur Park to today’s “stress-relief” briefings at various wing houses and sports bars across the country police officers are boozing it up and alcohol abuse among the profession has reached an all-time high. Recent studies indicate that one-quarter of all police officers in the U.S. are afflicted with the disease of alcoholism. Not surprisingly, studies have established a significant correlation between occupational stress and increased alcohol use by police officers today. Occupational stress, if untreated, can lead to negative changes in a law enforcer’s life, especially how they view themselves and the communities that they serve. This puts the officer at risk...
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...Law Enforcement Health and Physical Fitness Being in a career of law enforcement can push a person’s body and health to the limit. It can be due to all the stressful call of service that police officers respond to or just the way they are eating because of the lack of time. By being in this career field, it is very important to stay healthy and physically fit. Police officers can stay healthy and fit by implementing exercise programs, participating in physical activities, and eating healthy. Some of the challenges that police officers face is staying in shape. By working long hard hours and rarely having the time to eat a home cook meal will have major affect on a person’s body. By having some or little time after the work shift just to rest and for family time will make it difficult for a police officer to exercise. There are many things that can be implemented that can help a person’s physical fitness by just taking five minutes or less to perform. By doing some push ups or sit ups can help the body burn some energy and keep the body used to physical activities. It is very important to be in shape and healthy to be able to perform well in a law enforcement profession. It is highly recommended that physical fitness is taken seriously and it will help a person have a long healthy career. Some police officers have been in the career field for some time and became used to the fact that physical fitness doesn’t mean anything to them. Early on a cold, rainy morning, four veteran...
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...7 reasons the police culture is broken (and how to fix it)It is time for the law enforcement profession to think, act, train, prepare, lead, and live differently | The law enforcement profession is an honorable one. The men and women of law enforcement are committed to making their communities safer, and willing to risk their lives to accomplish that mission.However, some elements of the culture are broken, and in order to fix it we need leaders and trainers to think differently.1. Too many agencies still believe that putting someone in a leadership position makes him or her a leader. We fail to provide leadership training, and then wonder why we have a leadership void.The Solution: We need to acknowledge leadership is never about rank, position, or title. Those put you in a leadership position, but they do not make you a leader. Next, we need to understand leadership can be learned and can be developed. We should be providing ongoing leadership training to people in all levels of the organization starting with the patrol officers.2. Law enforcement in North America still operates on the mindset that the only time you get called into the boss’s office is when you are in trouble. We have a culture where we do not celebrate our daily successes and justify it by saying, “I am not going to pat you on the back for doing your job.”The Solution: You can start by celebrating all the things officers do on a daily basis. Celebrate when they solve crimes, work with the community, enhance...
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...Corruption Comes Home: Domestic Violence and Abuse by Law Enforcement Taren A. Lalli IFS2075 Professor Maier-Katkin March 6, 2015 Corruption Comes Home: Domestic Violence and Abuse by Law Enforcement At the beginning of my research and initial framing of this paper, I proposed to write about the drug system within American prisons across the scope of the nation. It wasn’t until a, somewhat recent, article came across my computer screen about a Honolulu officer being investigated after allegedly beating up his girlfriend that changed my mind completely (Blaine, 2014). Many of the qualities valued in on-duty, or even off-duty, police officers can make them dangerous domestic violence offenders. Domestic violence is a multifaceted complex phenomenon. It includes abusive acts towards children, intimate partners regardless of gender, and the elderly. All abusers use similar methods to control and abuse their intimate partners. Officers however, have skills and tactics not generally possessed by civilians. Professional training in combat, intimidation, interrogation, weapons and surveillance become a dangerous and potentially lethal combination in an intimate partner or domestic situation. Victims face the bias of law enforcement agencies and the legal system, psychological fear, and a high lethality risk. This is because victims of domestic violence by police officers are in a very different situation than that of other victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence is...
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...The book, Stress Management for Law Enforcement, written by Dr. Kevin M. Gilmartin, Ph.D. is a must read for all law enforcement personnel. Law enforcement professionals are faced with many challenges in their personal lives and professional careers. These challenges, often predictable and preventable, can become dangerous problems. Consequences such as unemployment, divorce, lost friendships, and even suicide may not be eluded if self-help is avoided. However, the choice of becoming a “survivor” instead of a “victim” is that of each and every police officer who risk their lives every day. In the text, Dr. Gilmartin discusses cynicism and the effect it can have on an individual. Our every day dealings with people can cause law enforcement officers to form a very negative, distrustful mindset. This may very well benefit us in our professional life, but it can be very devastating in our personal affairs. Police officers easily blame cynicism on their experiences at work, but many fail to recognize the longterm effects it has on living a normal social, family, and emotional life. We must take the time to survive emotionally and avoid cynicism-based thinking and decisions. The consequences may be irrevocable, compounding the stressors already caused by the job. Most police officers start their careers with a solid sense of self—they have healthy relationships, high values, solid beliefs, goals, hobbies, and are physically fit to name a few (Gilmartin, p. 74). As officers live their...
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...Lifetime Fitness Law Enforcement Health and Physical Fitness Being in a career of law enforcement can push a person’s body and health to the limit. It can be due to all the stressful call of service that police officers respond to or just the way they are eating because of the lack of time. By being in this career field, it is very important to stay healthy and physically fit. Police officers can stay healthy and fit by implementing exercise programs, participating in physical activities, and eating healthy. Some of the challenges that police officers face is staying in shape. By working long hard hours and rarely having the time to eat a home cook meal will have major affect on a person’s body. By having some or little time after the work shift just to rest and for family time will make it difficult for a police officer to exercise. There are many things that can be implemented that can help a person’s physical fitness by just taking five minutes or less to perform. By doing some push ups or sit ups can help the body burn some energy and keep the body used to physical activities. It is very important to be in shape and healthy to be able to perform well in a law enforcement profession. It is highly recommended that physical fitness is taken seriously and it will help a person have a long healthy career. Some police officers have been in the career field for some time and became used to the fact that physical fitness doesn’t mean anything to them. Early on a cold, rainy morning...
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...“Women in Law Enforcement” Introduction For the last twenty years it has been proven that women in law enforcement bring a unique perspective to policing. Women in law enforcement have struggled to become accepted and respected at federal, state and local levels. Women that enter law enforcement need to prove their emotional and physical strength. There are many reasons why women want to be part of law enforcement, from financial and job security, to prestige and reward. The truth is that a woman that knowingly steps into a world where she is expected to fail will have to work harder as she seeks equality. History In the early 1820s Quaker women were paid to provide religious and secular training to women and juvenile inmates. The importance that women had in these positions was crucial. In cities of over twenty-thousand, such as New York and Massachusetts, legislature was passed requiring to hire paid police matrons. However, the police matrons had no police powers. In 1845 the first “matrons” were appointed by the New York Police Department, but it was not until 1878 that they became police department employees. (Vila & Morris, 1999) In the late 1800s some women were unofficially appointed to complete the positions of their late sheriff husbands, such as Ms. Latty , the wife of Sheriff James Latty, from Iowa. In 1918 Ms. Banister, from Coleman County, Texas, was officially known as the first woman Sheriff in the country. She performed...
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...more stress within the family as well as within the work environment? There is the fact that they will not be able to go out with friends as much who work a normal work schedule as well as the fact that the husband or wife will not be around for many holidays as well as working on some of the birthdays of their child. The goal of this research is to determine if working these longer hours in conjunction with working in a hazards and stressful work environment has cause for a higher rate of divorce for police officers in comparison to those who work a regular 9 to 5 pm job and don’t have to deal with hazardous and stressful work environment. The type of interview structure I would use is the depth interview structure. As this is a more intensive and detailed interview, and is particularly useful in life histories or case studies. It is also beneficial in that I would have a general list of topics to be explored, but have the ability to exercise whatever discretion and flexibility when it comes to the direction of questioning I would want to take. Some of the questions I would ask would definitely focus on would be: How does your family feel about your career choice in law enforcement? This question is important as many family’s are either afraid that their son or daughter is going to be hurt possibly killed. Also they may feel that their child does not have what it may take to be a police officer. I would then ask them how has the stress of working in Law Enforcement affected...
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...can have a profound impact on the psychological health of an individual. Few occupations, outside of the medical field, entail as intense and frequent exposure to death than does those in the law enforcement field. The effect of such exposure on individual law enforcement officers, and upon the subculture as a whole, is both damaging and functional. “Themes, images, and symbols of death pervade the folklore of the police subculture” (Henry). This is something that all the members of the law enforcement community have to deal with on a daily basis, but at what cost? A subculture is defined as, “a cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture” (Merriam Webster). These beliefs and interests can include things like language, ideological values, gender roles, social conventions, religion, or artistic expression through things like paintings, books or films. Any group that shares interests can be a subculture such as school groups, church groups, civic organizations, sports teams, or people in a particular profession. The police subculture is a feeling of brotherhood, or tremendous group loyalty that exists among law enforcement officers. An unwritten creed, it can lead officers to support their law enforcement brethren at the expense of all else. Responding immediately, and in strength to an ‘officer in distress’ call would be a positive result of this belonging. However, the strong emotions involved...
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...The San Diego Field Interrogation study in 1975 revealed that the practice of field interrogations assisted in curbing crimes committed by youths(The Early Years, n.d). When it came to community policing, teams of officers who were assigned to a specific neighborhood showed to beneficial in confronting over concentrated and bureaucratic agencies that had alienated citizens in the past. These community projects were designed for officers to exercise discretion and establish initiatives based on the knowledge police officers gained while working in the communities. The goals of criminal justice system during this era was to provide a socially equal environment for all while attempting to reestablish trust in the government and law enforcement. The law enforcement community had to reevaluate their approach towards society as the focus was heading in the direction of public service and client-based...
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...University of Orangeburg Abstract Police brutalities have left many victims in a state of emotional and physical stress, and in some cases, the victims did not survive. Most police brutality occurs during the course of arrest and within the dispute of other incidents in the street or public places. Some of these events even occur while the arrest suspect is already in handcuffs and in police custody, on the way to the station, or while at the station. The Criminal Justice System is an organized body of men and women that have accepted the task of enforcing the law and maintaining public order. A system of this sort exists in every country. Police are employed with the duty of protecting lives and property against criminals and preserving domestic peace. These people are active in a perilous and strenuous occupation that can involve violent circumstances that must be controlled. In many of these disorders with the public, it may become necessary for the police to use force to take control of a situation. In some cases, applying force to a situation requires hand-to-hand combat with a suspect that is not willing to comply with the will of the authorities. The officers have a strict guidelines to follow when using force in any given situation. Along with these guidelines come tools that these officers have at their disposal to aid them in law enforcement. These tools include batons, mace, tasers, handcuffs, police dogs, and firearms. Between the tools given and the guidelines...
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...recruitment of more professional correctional staff to help in curbing this issue. With this in mind, the position that the State Director of Corrections will hold shall entail a number of responsibilities. One among the greatest ones will be coming up with a plan for recruiting and training correctional officers. Correctional officers are part of the criminal justice system where their work deals with overseeing arrested individuals who are awaiting trial or overseeing inmates. Planned recruitment and training will ensure continuity and professionalism in the practice leading to enhanced public safety, respect for all humans and upholding of their rights and more sound correctional practices in communities enhancing the community’s faith in the law. Effective management of policies will result in saving of finances, since trained officers will know how to deal with situations better hence lowering the level of injuries incurred at work. Good management policies will result in improvement of correctional officers’ performance, since better terms of work will be adapted thus increasing the officers’ morale to work. Good management policies will lead to overall improved institutional safety, as less stressed out officers will be less likely to get agitated hence, are able to manage inmates better. In regards to pay the rate of pay that a casual officer would make would be twenty-seven dollars an hour. The remanding staff would have a pay rate as followed (correctional salary, pg. 1,...
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...citizens and the law enforcement in regards to the balancing concern. The concerns are from prosecuting the guilty and respecting the right of the accused, protecting the victims, and creating a safe community. This paper will give analysis of the critical thinking concerning the relationship between ethics and professional behavior role of the law enforcement officers, and the five areas of ethical conduct that should be communicate in a seminar. Professional Code of Ethic for Law Enforcement According to the City of Detroit (2012), their code of ethic is stated as follows; “As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty; equality and justice. I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all and will behave in a manner that does not bring discredit to my agency or me. Honest in thought and deed in both my personal and professional life, I will be exemplary in obeying the laws and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret, unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty (City of Detroit, 2012)”. These codes of ethic are the City of Detroit Law Enforcement Officers is supposed...
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...The main form of punishment for breaking the law in the United States is incarceration. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports that at the end of 2010, there were 2,266,800 adults incarcerated in the U.S. federal and state prisons, and county jails (Prisoner Statistics, 2012). When one adds the reported 493,100 corrections staff working inside the prison or jail, the total number of people interacting on a daily basis in this closed society creates conditions where corruption at some level is likely to occur (Bureau, 2012). Research suggests corruption of correction officers, also known as detention officers, or guards is a serious issue that should be continually addressed by facility management because it occurs for many reasons and takes on many forms that can pervert the justice system. This paper will explain some main forms of corruption, give outrageous examples of documented corruption, and spell out why, given the ethics expected of the profession, corruption must be continually addressed and prevented. The first step for criminals is finding the officer with a mindset that can be corrupted. Low to median pay scales for these officers and an increase in offenders affiliated with the gang element of society has increased the potential for corruption related manipulation of prison staff (Diaz, 2009). “Corrections and law enforcement work by its very nature involves the...potential for gradual deterioration of social-moral inhibitions and perceived sense of...
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...sides of the case. The gathering of information or data is vital to the case and perhaps even more so to the individual/s that are on trial as their lives can and often do hang in the balance. No matter what profession one may have within the judicial system, researching information is something that at one time or another must be done. The ineffective of data gathering, research and analysis in often one of the primary factors behind an innocent man/woman going to jail and the guilty going free, therefore, the emphases placed on the gathering of information cannot and must not be understated. The goal of this paper The goal of this paper and my research is to define an officer’s duty, to discuss the importance of research and to address the kind of interview/s structures I would choose to use, the particular questioning style to use during the interview process and why I chose those certain questions. Additional I will attempt to provide some advantages of a qualitative data-gathering strategy over quantitative methods of obtaining information. According to "Duties & Responsibilities of Police Officers" (n.d.), “police duties are to protect life and property through the enforcement of laws and ordinances. Work involves the...
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