Police Work and Family Stress 107law enforcement relationship at greater risk for domestic violence (White & Honig,
1995).
The various stressors presented in this entry are inherent to the police profession.
An officer may be regarded as a success on the job, yet not very successful within the
family structure. "The traits and dispositions that: make exceptional police officers
unfortunately make very poor spouses, parents, and friends" (Southworth, 1990,
p. 20).
Forensic Psychology and Policy Implications
Stress is common and inevitable among police families. How they cope with the
stress will determine the quality of their marriage (Canada, 1993). This determina-
tion is contingent upon the coping mechanisms that they choose to employ. Coping
mechanisms must be utilized to successfully combat the stressors of police work as
well as to learn to become resistant to them.
It is the responsibility of the law enforcement agency to provide the families
of peace officers with the resources necessary to successfully cope with ongoing
stressors. The first and most important intervention must be at the management
and organizational levels (White &: Honig, 1995). Education must start within the
organizational structure to address occupational stressors and the adverse effects they
have on the family structure.
Spouse orientations, training, and workshops must be provided to address issues
related to occupational demands and stressors. Orientations provide spouses the
opportunity to acclimate themselves with their spouses'job requirements. Ongoing
workshops and seminars act as support groups for spouses as new problems surface
with the progression of peace officers' careers.
With regard to the stress encountered by family members when an officer is
involved in a critical incident, the family members need to be educated in terms of
knowing the normal responses to such an abnormal event. If family members are
fully informed of the responses they may expect to encounter as a result of such
trauma, the disabling impact of the event may be ameliorated significantly (Blak,
1995).
In the tragic event of an officer fatality, law enforcement agencies must go
beyond departmental boundaries to assist the families of all deceased officers, in-
cluding those who take their own lives (J. Violanti, 1995). The department can
facilitate the grieving process by offering assistance to the families in terms of
financial matters, pension rights, counseling, and maintaining contact with the
survivors.
Employers are now slowly beginning to recognize the need to provide more
m-depth assistance to the families of law enforcement personnel (White &
Honig, 1995). It is imperative for law enforcement organizations to take an active