Police Officer Safety and Performance

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By Kendrick Tran


Officers of the law face many different obstacles in their careers as police officer and some of which do not seem obvious when thinking about police safety. Officers face a variety of different situations ranging from stressful to outright dangerous situations and this can produce a toll on not only the physical well-being of an officer, but their mental capabilities too. 

Some of the situations in particular are obvious, gun violence is always a possibility that can lead to permanent injury or even a death of a loved one. However, some dangers are subtle and hidden unless scrutinized closely. These dangers are mental stress, fatigue, and lack of training for a specific situation. In this blog post, I will discuss some of the dangers police officers face in their day to day lives protecting the peace.

Image result for officer safety
Source: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/35/3b/7d/353b7def6d1e34fe8ce3ac77db272d73--motivation-poster-safety-posters.jpg

The most obvious one of the bunch is gun violence. Officers are trained for a reason and deadly force when appropriate is important for surviving in this harsh world that we live in. With that said, proper training on firearms, deescalating situations, and identifying where deadly force is necessary, needs to happen with every officer of the law. Without proper training, these situations can arise in the field and can lead to the death of the officer or the offender. They are here to protect the community, not hurt it. 

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Source: https://irp.nih.gov/catalyst/v22i5/sleep-perchance-to-research

Mental stress and fatigue, the two hidden enemies for any person, but especially officers of the law. According to the National Institute of Justice, law enforcement officers commonly do extended hours on the job. With that said, these officers are extremely susceptible to fatigue which arises from the lack of sleep/disruption of a consistent sleep schedule. Since days vary based on the activity in the community, consistency is hard to come by. Fatigue in of itself can negatively impact mental and physical ability, officer health, and limit their performance. With all of these elements present, police officers can sometimes have a hard time coping. Learning about the hidden dangers to police officers really gave me an appreciation for what they do. They face crime day to day while also dealing with physical/mental ailments that can take a toll. 

References:
https://www.nij.gov/topics/law-enforcement/officer-safety/stress-fatigue/Pages/welcome.aspx

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