Police officers carry the brunt of responsibility and dedication towards welfare. They are responsible in restoring peace and order around town by apprehending criminals. Police fieldwork can take too much toll on a police officer, as the most gruesome scenarios and blood-shedding crime scenes presented can be an intimidating experience. Civilians rely on police officers during perilous scenarios for protection. Since police officers are the first line of defense, they have to live by and endure different kinds of beating. When police officers constantly take that kind of beating and too much exposure, they could show some eventual signs of stress. Police officers are trained to be emotionally impenetrable, so showing vulnerability and leaving room for errors can bring fear and shame, which eventually causes suicidal tendencies (Violanti, 2007). Encouraging police officers to be more committed in their fieldwork without thinking of such suicide tendencies will be difficult. Not just police officers, others who are too committed to work without results would only become more vulnerable to stress and depression.
Many factors such as decreased productivity, poor results, and impaired cognition are attributed towards depression (Lépine and Briley, 2011). Shift work may not be a direct reason for depression as humans have their body clocks. One’s body clock determines when he/she is mentally/physically awake or asleep, which may vary depending on conditions. Therefore, shift work may only cause signs of depression if a police officer is working as if he is deprived of sleep. Shift works may be strongly correlated with circadian sleep disorders as different studies suggest, and such could eventually lead to lack of sleep. Having inadequate sleep could exacerbate diseases, unhealthy addictions, and lower work quality – which are products of depression (Caruso, Ph.D., RN, 2012). Shift work is not discouraged amongst individuals. However, one can set healthy habits such as determining the best times he is suitable for work to perform better, so that energy will be restored when there is a need.
Police work may cause agitation and cynicism in different ways. Frequent exposure to violent scenarios and socio-economic conditions that initiate instances of crime and despair may affect the concerned police officer’s perception of his work and personal life (Chandler and Jones, 1969). Cynicism is not just rampant in the field of police work and is widespread in every organization. Cynicism can lead to misinterpretation of culture ideologies, which can cause tendencies of elitism, clashing of ideas, and other behavioral tendencies (Dean, Brandes and Dharwadkhar, 1969).
In the case study presented, Howard Long had a good teenage life. Everything was good until he suffered from burnout due to consequent police work. Shift work and cynicism took a toll on his job, and he would even have an alcohol addiction just to escape from reality – even for a moment. Based from the phone calls Howard made to his wife; he is visibly depressed because of his job responsibilities taking its toll on him. He would even show signs of cynicism by rambling about the meaning of life and being lonely at work. One day, Howard was assigned on a case at his former high school, where he was popular as a football player and a highly achieving person in his class. When he called that the kid with guns committed suicide, Howard had a flashback of his high school memories, and that suicide reminded himself of his present life. Howard’s aggressive behavior should have been recognized before he could even begin his responsibilities as a police officer. Police officers may be trained not to feel any remorse when doing their job, but at least there must be some sense of knowing what is right or wrong. The Sergeant handled the incident appropriately, because it is his job to instill proper discipline. Some consider drinking alcohol as a pastime activity. However, it could have complications to human behavior when not handled properly. If Howard could have regulated drinking, then things may be very different. He and his wife may be still living as happy couples.
References
Chandler, E., & Jones, C. (1979). Cynicism - An Inevitability of Police Work?,4-4. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=56169
Dean Jr., J., Brandes, P., & Dharwadkar, R. (1998). Organizational Cynicism.
Lépine, J., & Briley, M. (2011). The Increasing Burden of Depression, 3-7. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3131101/
Violanti, J. (2007). Police suicide epidemic in blue. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas.
