Browsing by Subject "Police -- mental health"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Requiring Mandatory Personal Mental Health and Stress Survival Training and Awareness for Peace Officers(Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), 2017) Thompson, WayneLaw enforcement officers are placed in critical incident situations on a daily basis throughout the entirety of their careers. These situations expose the officer to a wide variety of negativity and may have a critical impact on the lives of the officer, their co-workers, family members, and friends. Some of the issues that may arise from the negative effects that the officers are exposed to can include suicide, suicidal ideations, depression, anxiety, insomnia, relationship issues, weight gain or weight loss, behavioral issues, and many others. These negative effects can often go untreated, unnoticed, and ignored. Ultimately, when these issues and symptoms are left unresolved and unrecognized, the officer can be left in a desperate situation. This paper and research is aimed at encouraging law enforcement administrators and TCOLE to mandate both initial mental health awareness training in the police academy setting and to mandate ongoing continuing education on mental health awareness throughout the entirety of a peace officers career. Law enforcement places a great deal of training in the recognition of mental health issues in others but focuses very little on saving their own from the same perils of critical mental health issues.Item Sabbatical: A Human Capital Strategy(Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), 2017) Yi, JamesLaw enforcement agencies should consider sabbatical as a part of their human capital strategy. The total national turnover rate of full time sworn police officers is too high (Wareham, Smith, & Lambert, 2013). Recruiting, screening, selecting, and training are difficult and cost time, effort, and money (Evans, Christopher, & Stsoffel, 2000; and Weisberg & Kirschenbaum, 1991 as cited in Wareham, Smith, & Lambert, 2013). The lessons learned from academic institutions as well as private and public organizations demonstrate that well designed and implemented sabbatical program lowers turnover rate by improving retention and mitigating burnout (Yardley, Thie, Brancato, & Abbott, 2004; and Davidson et al., 2010). Being creative about eligibility, application, selection, support, and follow-up is important when law enforcement agencies develop a sabbatical program as a part of their overall human capital strategy because everyone is competing for scarce resources in the current era of doing more with less.Item Surviving a Career in Law Enforcement through Wellness(Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), 2017) Roemer, BraxtonThroughout their career in law enforcement, law enforcement officers will face a number of challenges and difficulties. Many are addressed in the law enforcement academy and during field training in the form of tactics; however, there is one key issue that has largely been ignored. Law enforcement as a whole is failing to prepare officers for the long term mental and emotional effects that the profession can have on the individual (Gilmartin, 2002). Job stress, trauma, shift work, and many other adversities can deteriorate the officer’s emotional and mental wellbeing, which can affect the officer’s work performance, cause misconduct issues, alcohol abuse, home life problems, health related concerns and/or suicide (Gilmartin, 2002). If this issue is left unaddressed, the profession will be doing a disservice to the officers and the communities the officers are sworn to protect. Training and mental/emotional wellness programs must be implemented to help law enforcement officers endure the long term effects of a career in law enforcement. Training should begin in the earliest stages of officer development as well as throughout the officer’s career to prepare the officer for the mental and emotional challenges they will face. Training and education will also help mitigate treatment barriers to include: stigma, mistrust, and confidentiality (Allen, Jones, Douglas, & Clark, 2014). Additionally, many law enforcement agencies have procedures to assist the officer when critical incidents occur, and more agencies are beginning to address the needs for continued physical fitness. However, complete wellness and employee assistance programs are still lacking.Item The Importance of Stress Management Programs in Law Enforcement(Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), 2017) Riddle, CarolLaw enforcement officers (LEOs) are in a profession that is inherently stressful by nature. LEO’s encounter stress in a variety of situations - on calls, with peers and supervisors, and at home. Over time, as stress is left unchecked, unintended consequences occur. LEO’s begin to suffer from heath related and personal issues. Burnout sets in, resulting in poor job performance, and citizen complaints and use of force incidents can begin to increase. These are not new ideas. Law enforcement agencies have long known about stress related issues yet failed to properly prepare LEO’s for them. The solution is simple. Law enforcement agencies should have programs in place to assist LEO’s in recognizing and managing stress. Some believe these types of programs are not needed. The most common reason cited is the police culture itself. A stigma of weakness is attached to stress management programs. LEO’s are cynical and have privacy concerns. Law enforcement leaders and cities believe that these types of programs are too expensive to fund and that there is not a return on investment with these programs. However, LEO’s need to remember there are federal privacy laws in place under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that makes information confidential. Furthermore, leaders need to see the bigger picture. Programs may be expensive up front, but the long term picture is lower health care costs and a healthier workforce, mentally and physically. Stress management programs are critical for LEO’s to be healthy and successful, not only at work but at home as well. The time is now for agencies to begin investing more in the overall health of their employees, and reap the benefits.