英语论文网

s training that subconsciously teaches them to fight their natural instincts to flee. There are many causes of police stress but through examination, programs can be created to help alleviate the strain through healthy methods.

Most strain is created from the individuals pressure put on by themselves. Even before an individual is hired by a department, they have to pass both a mental and physical test. Because of budget cuts and the scarce job market, an individual has to compete with hundreds of others for only a few available positions. After completing the physical portion, the individual has to take an exam comprised of hundreds of questions that basically ask the same question but in a different wording. Having to take time off from their current job to train and take these tests, along with waiting for the results, which can take months, puts a lot of pressure on some people. Besides the pressure to perform, their discrepancy adds a lot of pressure. An officer has to decide whether or not to enforce the law in certain situations. If they decide to exercise their power, they have to worry about their reputation with the city and fellow officers. For example, if they pull over more blacks than whites, they might be considered racist, even if it is not true. Also, most people who get into the career of law enforcement are very competitive so there is the constant, sometimes hostile, unsaid feelings involved with competition. Pride is another major issue because the officer may be too proud to ask for help. Officers endure rigorous training and are forced to memorize various codes, policies, and procedures. If an officer makes a mistake, pride can get in the way. This puts the individual, fellow officers, and the general public at risk for harm.

Some of the negative stress is from influences outside of the officers control. 'Some experts argue that police stress usually can be found in external stressors creating frustration with a lenient criminal justice system, internal stressors created by the police organization itself, task-related stressors including role-conflicts, and other cumulative stressors' (Stevens, 1999, p. 2). It would be very disappointing to catch a criminal after months of hard work, only to have them leniently sentenced by the criminal justice system. It would decrease feelings of self worth and ultimately ruin confidence in their beliefs. If they do not believe in themselves or their job, the officer would have to deal with burnout, highly decreasing their performance which also puts others at risk.

Another aggravating factor could be from the department itself. Administrative policy constantly has to deal with budget cuts and a higher demand to perform. Officers are forced to do a better job with less or lower grade equipment. After completing a job, they have a ton of paperwork to fill out, with the additional stress of needing to make sure the paperwork will hold up in a court of law. It doesn't help that there are constant shift changes, long hours, and little pay for those hours. There is a higher demand to perform while in a sleepy, less attentive state of mind. 'The source of their dissatisfaction was largely due to a distrust of the management who lead them and the public who bleed them, discretionary powers dwarfed by mountains of redundant reform and training programs incompatible with realities of the 21st century' (Stevens, 1999, p. 2). Role conflict also p