Police officers have a dangerous career, and much of society does not know everything that can go on in an 8 hour shift. “Law Enforcement are to protect the citizens of the communities, and catch the criminals who offend” . It takes a special kind of person to be able to handle such a job as law enforcement. The job can be deadly, and very harmful with each situation that arises. IT is one profession that you cannot guarantee your coming home each night to your family.
Individuals who would like to become a police officer should know what all it entails. Not just catching the bad buys, but to know the different situations that happen, and the violence that goes on. There are several stressors that police officers experience from that type of position.
A person should do their research and homework before jumping into that type of profession.
Police officers are likely to suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the violence, horror they see each shift. That kind of mental stressor would take a toll on anybody when working in that type of career. This type of mental impact can cause sleep problems, and insomnia. “Officers may deal with a hostage situation, murder victim, violent confrontation, drug addicts, and a chase all in one shift”. There day to day is dealing with situations to protect us from those type of issues.
Another issue police officers have to deal with in their position, and that is shooting or killing someone. That would be a hard thing to overcome, and not think about. Especially if it is that officers first time pulling the trigger on another human being. No one can say how they would react to any type of situation unless they have done so themselves. Some people cannot handle that part of the job, and not everyone can do what offices are required to do every day. Officers do not know from one minute to the next what kind of situation they are going to be involved in. When the officers are called to get involved it is rarely a positive reason for their services. It would be a good idea to get a first-hand perspective of what the day and life of a police officer is like before making a decision.
Reference
Violotte, J. (2016). Variation and Perception among officers. Police Stressors, 1-6.
