Blue Lives Matter
For my research paper I will prove that police officers do not receive individual attention regarding their mental stability following a life threatening scenario that calls for instantaneous reactions. A study conducted in 2012 by Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years and a member of San Diego’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, found that 150,000 officers have experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the officers who have yet come forward with their symptoms, following a shooting with a criminal. In 2015, 102 law enforcement officers have committed suicide after displaying significant signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a nation that prides themselves on a strong law enforcement system, America has ignored the calls for help from the people who have set out to protect our nation.
In my research I have found that there were 51 deaths by suicide of law enforcement officers in the last six months of 2015. That would indicate that approximately 102 law enforcement suicides occurred last year. The pressures of law enforcement has led to the development of high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive stress hormones, heart problems, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and suicide. How are they to be brought back to their original self? American’s have grown so dependent on law enforcement that they fail to acknowledge an officer’s signs of distress, which is mind boggling considering we live in a country that is so fixated on improving our overall health. It is inexcusable how many lives have been damaged and/or taken from the lack of support for people who sacrifice their lives on a day-to-day basis to keep us safe.
Sources:
The Essential Content of the Article: This article examines the idea that in a predominantly male culture that emphasizes toughness and a suck-it-up mentality, officers are forced to withhold their emotions and resort to detrimental methods of coping with their stress, including alcoholism, drug use, risk-taking behaviors, etc.
What it Proves: An officers health, confined by cultural beliefs, is not being dealt with in a healthy, productive matter.
The Essential Content of the Article: This article focuses on a study conducted by Badge of Life, a national surveillance of police suicide, that lists the amount law enforcement officers who have committed suicide in 2015 as a result of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It also highlights the emotional affects that a distraught officer has on his or her family. The overall well-being of the officers and their family are being put into jeopardy by not offering any assistance to help officers cope with their anxiety.
What it Proves: My thesis says that there is nothing being done for law enforcement that examines their mental health following a distressing situation. Since this article focuses entirely on the death toll of police officers, it provides me with a basis for my argument that officers are not getting the type of support they need to be efficient in their line of duty.
- “Patterns of PTSD among Police Officers”
The Essential Content of the Article: This journal recognizes that shooting incidents are a rare phenomenon in low violence police work. How do we prepare for something of this magnitude? The article focuses in on 37 police officers of the Amsterdam police force, who were involved in serious shootings incidents in the period between 1977 and 1984.
What it Proves: The article provides me specific, concrete examples that allow me to build off my thesis that, even during the early 1980’s, there was little support given to officers that were traumatized by one single incident.
The Essential Content of the Article: This article gives statistical analysis of how an officer’s stress level can put them at risk for several health complications, such as high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. It also shows that suicidal thoughts are three times higher in law enforcement than in other municipal workers.
What it Proves: Health complications and suicidal tendencies among law enforcement officers are becoming more prominent because of high levels of stress.
The Essential Content of the Article: This article focuses on a study conducted by Cleveland State University that says 63% out of the 100 suburban cops surveyed stated that a critical debriefing period would be beneficial following an extremely stressful event related to duty. This study is dedicated to help officers, almost immediately, following an incident such as a mass shooting.
What it Proves: This survey is extremely useful because it supports my claim that officers are not given the proper care needed to maintain a level of stability in a highly stressful job. There is obviously a major flaw with law enforcement and I intend to expose this flaw by using these statistics.
Rowan Counterintuitive 
Impressive topic and thesis, Philly. Terrible title, though. Find a way be both brief and specific. Not “Crazy Cops,” probably, but just as punchy.
LikeLike
Much better.
LikeLike
Your proposal wavers between Before and After propositions, Philly321. Perhaps you deliberately intend to make related points about both, but you first give the impression you’ll be demanding better After-care for police who’ve been traumatized, then offer the alternative impression that trauma could be avoided with better training before officers encounter violent dangers. It’s also unclear whether you mean better training would keep officers out of danger or merely help them better cope with the after-effects of encountering violence.
You’ve tried to explain, but I don’t see the value of Source 4. Source 1 is a bit iffy too, unless you think we need to be told that police work is dangerous. (Couldn’t hurt. But say so in your explanation.)
CODED GRADE SO FAR: Z
LikeLike
Feedback provided.
—DSH
I made a few corrections based on your response. I understand how my proposal was a little misleading.
In my research I have found that 23% of male and 25% of female officers reported more suicidal thoughts than the general population(13.5%). The pressures of law enforcement have put officers at a risk for high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive stress hormones, heart problems, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and suicide. How are they to be brought back to their original self? American’s have grown so dependent on law enforcement that they fail to acknowledge an officer’s signs of distress, which is mind boggling considering we live in a country that is so fixated on improving our overall health. It is inexcusable how many lives have been affected and/or taken from the lack of support for people who sacrifice their lives on a day to day basis to keep us safe.
1.“Why Departments Need to Develop Mental Health Programs for Cops“
The Essential Content of the Article: This article examines the idea that in a predominantly male culture that emphasizes toughness and a suck-it-up mentality, officers are forced to withhold their emotions and resort to detrimental methods of coping with their stress, including alcoholism, drug use, risk-taking behaviors, etc.
What it Proves: An officers health, confined by cultural beliefs, is not being dealt with in a healthy, productive matter.
4.“Impact of Stress On Police Officers’ Physical and Mental Health“
The Essential Content of the Article: This article gives statistical analysis of how an officer’s stress levels could put them at risk for several health complications, such as high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. It also provides statistics on suicidal tendencies in law enforcement, showing that suicidal thoughts are three times higher in law enforcement than in other municipal workers.
What it Proves: Health complications and suicidal tendencies among law enforcement officers are becoming more prominent because of high levels of stress.
LikeLike
I happened to see this comment, Philly321, but in future, if you want to be sure to get my attention, use the well-known two-word code asking for feedback. Even if you don’t really need feedback, you can be sure to get my attention AND you can tell me how to respond, if at all.
LikeLike
feedback provided
—DSH
LikeLike
OK, Philly, let’s rock.
Your new Introduction is an improvement over your first version, but could still use help (naturally; that’s the nature of the course):
Your first statistic is a little confusing. What’s 13.5%? Is that the “suicidal thoughts” number for the police, or for the general population? If it’s for the cops, what is the corresponding percentage for the genpop? If it’s 13.3%, then the statistic is not significant. Without knowing it, we can’t judge.
You say pressure “puts officers at risk for . . . ” a variety of conditions, but not THAT THEY DEVELOP THOSE CONDITIONS. Do they? Probably, but you haven’t said so.
What is the logic of your sentence: Americans depend on their cops THEREFORE(?) they ignore signs of distress? That’s what you appear to say. If you mean that, OK, but does it seem reasonable? Explain?
“Lives have been affected” is a meaningless phrase. If you mean “lives have been destroyed,” or “lives have been damaged,” be sure to say so.
—The hyphenated adjective is: day-to-day
This is well said, Philly. You very concisely identify the essence of the article without wasting words.
Again, nicely done, except that you’re again quoting numbers for the “risk” of conditions instead of the development of conditions. Pilot jobs put them “at risk of” dying in air crashes more often than the general population, but do they?
—an officer’s stress levels could put them [FFG. Pronoun number disagreement]
—It also provides statistics on suicidal tendencies in law enforcement, showing that suicidal thoughts are three times higher in law enforcement than in other municipal workers. [Wordy. Lose the duplication]:
Better: It also shows that suicidal thoughts are three times higher in law enforcement than in other municipal workers.
TECHNICAL NOTE:
Instead of putting revised material in the Reply field, Philly, please just revise your original post. You can direct my attention to sections you’ve changed, but you don’t need to duplicate the material in the comments.
Good Essence and Proves statements.
Coded Grade: X
LikeLike