97Of particular interest is the number of officers who abuse alcohol as a means of
dealing with their stressful lives. J. M, Violanti, Marshall, and Howe (1985) claim
that reported alcohol abuse is underrated due to fear of retribution or demotion
within the police department. Further, the authors state that known alcohol abusers
are "hidden" in positions where they cannot detrimentally influence the department
or the public's interaction with the department.
j. M. Violanti et al. (1985) describe a model of how a police officer may be
driven to drink as a result of job-related stress. Job demands can lead to a number of
possibilities for the police officer. These demands can be dealt with using various
coping techniques, some of which may lead to feelings of stress or alcohol/drug use.
Probably most common, rather than a direct route, is a combination of pathways
eventually leading to alcohol/drug use.
With proper psychological coping mechanisms, the abuse of alcohol and
other substances can be avoided. Indeed, it is the destruction or breakdown of
the coping mechanisms available to the officer that most often leads to the abuse
of: alcohol/drugs. Consequently, alcohol/drug abuse may lead to unsatisfactory job
performance, resulting in reprimand, which may then lead to increased use of al-
cohol/drugs, thus forming a maladaptive cycle of dysfunctional behavior.The Impact of Using a Firearm
At this point, it is likely that one will ask themselves what the single most con-
tributing factor leading to the abuse of substances within police work might be.
As mentioned earlier, there are numerous factors which contribute to police stress.
These factors can be broken down into finite categories of stressors. Not surpris-
ingly, research reveals that the use of a firearm by a police officer to kill someone is
often the single most stressful event experienced by a police officer (J. M. Violanti
& Aron, 1995).
The use of a firearm by a police officer often leads to a number of detrimental
psychological states. Much like a soldier using a firearm to defend oneself or oth-
ers, the police officer may experience flashbacks, perceptual distortions, isolation.
emotional numbing, sleep difficulties, depression, or a heightened sense of danger
following the event. In fact, it is often after the use of a firearm that many officers
decide to leave their profession, due to the traumatic psychological nature of the
event (R. Solomon & Horn, 1986). When combining these factors with the hours
of paperwork dealing with the rationale for the use of the firearm, the entire impact
of such an ordeal burdens the officer with a great deal of stress.
Police as Targets of Violence
Perhaps no other single event is more stressful than the threat of personal bodily
harm. Immersing yourself in the imagined scenario described at the beginning of
this section may have induced feelings of stress. Considering this, one can certainly