91172.pdf

Police Stress 95

more studies are needed that examine the psychological profiles of officers who
deal with domestic violence situations.
Police attitudes toward domestic violence have been examined, albeit rarely, in
the professional literature. However, comprehensive studies examining the relation
between certain police personality characteristics such as cynicism and other pos
sible causal or relational links to domestic violence responses are unstudied. Since
domestic violence calls constitute such a large percentage of police responses, the
dynamics of domestic abuse can also affect the police officer and not just the offender
or victim.
Due to the process of change and controversies in domestic violence, the par-
ticular style of policing used by different officers within a department as well as
between departments varies to a greater extent than before (Buzawa & Buzawa,
1997). Traditionally, police have avoided responding to domestic disputes, but clue
to societal change, police have been forced to deal with domestic disputes at in-
creased frequencies. Because of the controversies associated with police responses to
domestic violence, it is imperative that they receive adequate training to effectively
deal with this issue. When looking at the case illustration of Mrs. Jones, the repeat
nature of her domestic disputes and lack of follow-up may become very frustrating
for the officers who respond. Depending on the departmental policy, the officer
may have certain limitations, which may further frustrate him or her. Training by
psychologists as mediators may help the officer learn effective methods to help re-
duce the frequency of incidents as well as to recommend other options for Mrs.
Jones. By utilizing other agencies within the community, the officer may act as a
liaison for victims of repeated violence.

POLICE STRESS

Introduction

Many different definitions from many different disciplines have attempted to define

the term "stress." However, with such inherent issues as constant danger, severe

intensity of job responsibilities, threat of personal injury, grueling shift changes, and

a myriad of rules and regulations, police work may in some ways typify the very

meaning of stress. Not surprisingly, then, police officers experience a tremendous

amount of stress, often leading to tragic circumstances such as substance abuse,

termination from the police force, or even suicide.

Imagine for a moment that you are a police officer. You have been assigned to work

the graveyard shift this particular night, a shift you have not worked for about 2 weeks.

Your assignment for the night is to patrol a particularly dangerous area of town. You

have had only a tew hours sleep due to the abrupt shift change, and you are certainly

not feeling very alert. As luck would have it, you receive a call over the radio stating that