Rebuttal-Philly321

Ineffective Treatments

On May 30, 1991, John Balcerzak, a police officer of the Milwaukee Police Department, discovered Konerak Sinthasomphone, a 14-year-old, wandering the street naked and bleeding from his rectum. Jeffery Dahmer, an unknown serial killer at the time, told police that Sinthasomphone was his 19-year-old boyfriend, and that they had an argument while drinking. Dahmer acted embarrassed about the situation and insisted that the child return home with him. Officer Balcerzak willingly handed over the child and escorted them back to Dahmer’s apartment, while neglecting to take the child’s wounds into consideration. When they arrived back at the apartment, Dahmer showed the officers two polaroid photos that he had taken of Konerak in his underwear. Once officer Balcerzak saw proof that they were lovers, he told Dahmer to take good care of him. Later that night, Dahmer killed and dismembered Sinthasomphone, keeping his skull as a souvenir. Not only did Officer Balcerzak witness the suffering of a child, he let the criminal walk away. Officer Balcerzak was immediately fired, but took his termination to court where a judge reinstated him. Yet, the fight for his job was only half of his worries. The family of Konerak Sinthasomphone was outraged by the reinstating of officer Balcerzak and made it publicly prevalent of his disgrace to law enforcement. Police officers lives are constantly threatened, but to watch a victim visibly suffer and then watch the criminal get off must have been psychologically unbearable.

The pressures of law enforcement have lead to high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive stress hormones, heart problems, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and suicide. The exposure to this case in particular must have been stressful beyond belief. A study conducted by Badge of Life in 2016 found that there are about 17 suicides per 100,000 officers compared to a mere 7.5 per 100,000 suicides among college students whose lives are impacted by astronomical college tuitions and societal pressures to acquire a degree. Support and therapy could help mitigate the mental health damage caused by this type of trauma. Police officers deserve all the help we can give them to regain their original selves. Officers are constantly exposed to dangerous situations by virtue of their job, but the system to help police officers cope with their stress is woefully inadequate. 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.

In response to growing physiological problems in law enforcement, police programs have been developed to defuse these high levels of stress. These programs have made efforts to help their traumatized officer’s. But the truth is, police whose lives are under constant stress, do not receive the help they need to cope with their physiological complications. The common problem lies in the lack of trust that police officers have in their Employee Assistance Programs. Police officers do not feel a personal connection with their therapists; they would rather talk to someone in their line of duty. The attitude seems to be related to past experience and concern about not being understood by a superior when stress-related behaviors develop. Gary Allmers, a detective in the Bergen County Prosecutors Office, said, “There is a lack of understanding in these programs to help officers cope with their problems. We do not want to sit down and talk to a therapist who cannot relate to our situation. We need to talk to someone, perhaps a retired officer, about the common stressors in law enforcement. There is good intention, but we need someone who has been in our shoes before. I feel alone most of the time, which scares me quite frankly.” Employee Assistant Programs should consist of retired officers who have dealt with similar problems in their line of duty. Police officers, the guardians of our safety, should never feel alone. We need to meet police officer’s half way and stop supplying them with mediocre support systems. If one cop is saying a therapist is not enough, imagine the officer’s who have yet to come forward about their symptoms.

Employee Assistance Programs in law enforcement are also not mandatory. Police officers are given the option to seek help. But the truth is, the largest barrier to effective treatments and support systems is the culture that exists within law enforcement. The profession requires officers to restrain from their emotions and feelings of pain or suffrage. It is presumed by law enforcement that officers can make that emotional switch and focus on another case, regardless of what they may be experiencing. In a predominantly male culture emphasizing toughness and a shrug-it-off, suck-it-up mentality, officers are forced to keep their feelings to themselves and resort to unhealthy methods of coping, which result in negative outcomes (such as alcohol abuse, risk-taking behaviors, etc.). Police officers commonly face internal stressors, such as administrative stress, that include long hours, lack of support, overtime, no room for advancement, and family complications. External stressors are correlated with outside factors such as the attitude of the general public, daily exposure to trauma, negativity, and uneasiness when dealing with challenging and dangerous situations. Police officers, who do not come forward because of the stigma of appearing weak, are putting themselves at risk for the development of serious physiological or physical complications. These programs are seemingly noneffective if they are not mandated in police departments.

(Add in if necessary) Many police departments provide wellness benefits in exchange for a small discount health care costs for employees. The goal of these programs is to ensure employees’ fitness for duty. Law enforcement agencies have spent significant financial resources to address issues of officer safety, with great success. Sadly, only a small fraction of most organizations’ budgets goes toward addressing the psychological needs of their officers and families. (Research funds)

(Add in if necessary) These support systems also fail to identify an officers symptoms of distress until it is too late. Expand on how symptoms such as PTSD are not recognized until it’s to late.

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. (Finish Conclusion)

Works Cited

“https://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/police-stress-fatigue/” The Adrenal Fatigue Solution. 4 Dec. 2014. 11 Nov. 2016.

“https://www.policeone.com/health-fitness/articles/137133-Police-Officer-Suicide-Frequency-and-officer-profiles/” PoliceOne. Michael G. Aamodt, Nicole A. Stalnaker. 20 June 2006. 11 Nov. 2016.

“https://psmag.com/aversion-to-therapy-why-won-t-men-get-help 7998d34f1d4e#.p3fmegm8r” PacificStandard. Betsy Freed, David Freed. 25 Jun 2012. 11 Nov. 2016.

Allmers, Gary. “Employee Assistance Programs.” Personal interview. 11 Nov. 2016.