Author: philly321

Research Position Paper-Philly321

Blue Lives Matter

Officer Darren Wilson was proud to pin the badge of the Ferguson Police Department to his dress blues, but since he discharged his Sig P229 pistol on August 9, 2014, the badge reminds him that he mortally wounded a teenager in the line of duty. A nationwide study conducted from 2008-2012 by Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years and a member of San Diego’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, found that nearly 150,000 officers have experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the officers who, because of the stigma of appearing weak, have yet to come forward with their symptoms. But when police officers decide to confront their physiological troubles, Kulbarsh found that the men in blue are being deprived of a stable support system to help guide them in the right direction. For years, we have ignored the calls for help from the guardians of our safety who have pledged to protect our nation.

Police whose lives are often at risk may fear for their safety even from suspects whose guns are unloaded or who brandish what looks like a weapon. The fact that they were not in mortal danger in no way diminishes their reasonable fear. Are police officer’s wrong to shoot “an unarmed suspect” or are they within their rights to neutralize a suspect whose intention was to harm? On the night of August 9, 2014, police officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department was on patrol when he received a call about a robbery and physical dispute between an 18 year old male and a Ferguson Market clerk. A nationwide study conducted in 2013 by USA.com found that the average crime rate in Ferguson, Missouri, is 2,6885.38, which trumps the Missouri crime rate of 1,858.24 and the national average crime rate of 1,669.05. Officer Wilson spotted Michael Brown walking down the street wearing a hoodie, a red hat and yellow socks that matched the offenders description. Michael Brown’s hands were in his pockets, which perhaps gave the illusion (from a police officer’s perspective) that he could be holstering a weapon. The high crime rate alone was enough to justify officer Wilson’s feelings of uneasiness. Officer Wilson had to acknowledge that there was already a physical altercation with the Ferguson Market Clerk, so his defensiveness is valid. When officer Darren Wilson confronted Brown, Brown reached through the window of the police car, disrespecting the barrier that separates Brown from officer Wilson. Darren Wilson pleads that Michael Brown reached for his hosteled weapon forcing him to fire through Brown’s hand, which signifies the heightened severity of the situation. Because Brown’s physical gesture posed a direct threat to the safety of Darren Wilson, officer Wilson got out of his car to pursue Brown and shot him six times. While six shots seems inexcusable, we can relate to his heightened sense of perceived danger. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown because Brown appeared to have an apparent intent to cause harm. The fact that he may not have a weapon in no way diminishes officer Wilson’s fear for his life. One of the central questions in the case of Michael Brown that was argued is whether officer Darren Wilson’s response to a situation that calls for instantaneous reactions could hold him accountable. The decision made by officer Wilson reflects an officer’s moral instinct to protect the public at any time and place that the peace is threatened.

As we learn from Chris Mooney in “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men,” we are not “born with racial prejudices. We may never even have been taught them. Rather, prejudice draws on many of the same tools that help our minds figure out what’s good and what’s bad. In evolutionary terms, it’s efficient to quickly classify a grizzly bear as dangerous. The trouble comes when the brain uses similar processes to form negative views about groups of people.” A study conducted by Lewis Loflin, a former U.S. Army and military officer , in 2012 found that of the total 2,029 arrests made in Ferguson, Missouri, 558 were white/hispanic and 1,471 were black. It is entirely possible that officer Wilson reacted to many cues in addition to the race of Michael Brown. It has been argued that the six shots to Michael Brown’s body was both excessive and unnecessary. Perhaps police officers learn to be suspicious of individuals that the general public do not fear. Officer Wilson could have developed reflexes that we don’t have, causing him to react faster or with more force than we would.

Police officers lives are often threatened. They have an obligation to respect the rights of suspects. They also have a (sometimes conflicting) right to defend themselves against mortal danger. Under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, American law enforcement personnel is partially protected from investigation and prosecution arising from conduct during official performance of their duties, and provides them with privileges based on due process additional to those normally provided to other citizens. But police officers are not fully protected. This leaves them vulnerable to due process for a natural instinct. The stress from a shooting is sometimes overwhelming as an officer may feel betrayed by the department he/she serves. In addition, an officer faces administrative and legal proceeding which could result in termination, criminal charges or even being sued. Michael Brown posed a threat to officer Wilson by neglecting to respect the barrier that separates the inside of the car from the outside of the car, while attempting to retrieve officer Wilson’s gun. As we learned from Sunil Dutta, an advocate for police safety and 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, in “Column defending cops in Ferguson sparks online fury,” people should  “not challenge law enforcement — save that for lodging a complaint later. Do what the officer tells you to and it will end safely for both of you.” We need to acknowledge that police officers are well trained to recognize threats and are also experts at defusing them or avoiding confrontations that might turn deadly or dangerous. If people simply cooperated with police officers, there would be fewer arrests and less violence as a result.

A study conducted by Police One showing the reaction time of a police officer when faced with different scenarios. The test subjects were 24 male volunteers recruited from an active-shooter training class at a regional SWAT conference. Each officer, equipped with a Glock training pistol, was to progress through 10 rooms in an abandoned school where an officer was to confront a suspect with a similar pistol at a distance of 10 feet. According to prior instruction, one-fifth of the suspects followed the officer’s order to surrender peacefully, whereas the rest, designated as attackers, were told to try to shoot the officer at any time they chose. Analysis showed that the suspects on average were able to fire in just 0.38 second after initial movement of their gun. Officers fired back in an average of 0.39 second after the suspect’s movement began. The officer and suspect effectively shot at similar times. Why should an officer be held responsible for a natural instinct? These numbers validate police officer’s rights to react in the way they do to certain situations. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown’s hand out of pure response to the altercation. While the next six shots seems inexcusable, we can understand officer Wilson’s perceived sense of danger and excessive reaction to a potential violent situation. Effectively, it is either kill or be killed.

Police officers, as a highly scrutinized group, should not be held responsible for a potential threat to their well-being and others around them. The burden we place on police officers, to protect the safety of everyone they encounter, is incompatible with their human instinct to protect themselves from danger. When we scrutinize their actions without considering how often they place themselves in danger on our behalf, we impose an unjust burden on them. The threats they recognize, that we might not, are mitigating circumstances.

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. 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. Officer Balcerzak did not receive the necessary counseling for the guilt he must have felt from handing over a boy to his torturer and executioner. Employee Assistance Programs have been developed to defuse high levels of stress in law enforcement. But the truth is, police officers whose lives are under constant stress do not receive the necessary assistance to help them cope with their physiological complications. A study conducted in 2002 by David Klinger, a professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Senior Fellow at the Police Foundation in Washington, DC., surveyed 80 police officers who’ve dealt with 10 or more murder cases throughout their careers. Of the 80 police officers surveyed, 48% still experience trouble sleeping and an outstanding 83% have recurrent thoughts or feelings. An unhealthy mindset as a police officer has an adverse effect on behavior, emotion and performance.  The lack of counseling in law enforcement has directly impeded efficiency levels in law enforcement.

The pressures of law enforcement have led to high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive stress hormones, heart problems, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and suicide. A study conducted by Badge of Life in 2016 found that there are about 17 suicides per 100,000 officers who graduate from the academy compared to a mere 7.5 per 100,000 suicides among 4-year 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.

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.” To a civilian, it may seem that officers would be more comfortable confessing their anxieties and second-guessing to a civilian, not another uniform. How can bruised officers receive counseling from other officers who were indoctrinated into the same “suck it up” culture? But the truth is, police officers become less macho when they retire. Employee Assistance 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 officers 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 among police officers. There is an imposed willpower in law enforcement that requires officers to restrain from their emotions and feelings of pain. 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. Yet, police officers are expected to make that emotional switch and focus on another case, regardless of what they may be experiencing at the time. 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, who do not come forward because of the stigma of appearing weak, are putting themselves at risk for serious physiological complications. These programs are seemingly noneffective if they are not mandated in police departments.

Cops that suppress their natural instincts during conflict and “deal with the consequences” later only makes sense that there’s a benefit to the suppression in the first place. Law enforcement is both physically and mentally demanding, but sloppy emotions like empathy, understanding, sharing in, and caring about someone’s emotions can get in the way of effective emergency policing. In 2014, officer Joe Winters, a deputy in the King County Sheriff’s Office, was called in response to a woman’s behavior, which residents deemed disruptive, in a city park in western Washington. When he arrived, officer Winters noticed a woman, who appeared to be homeless, laying on a bench shivering in thirty degree weather. The woman claimed that she purchased the bench and refused to leave. Officer Winters did not give into her false claims, but felt an underlying sense of compassion for the woman. Instead of forcibly removing her from the park, he gave her a blanket and sat with her for hours. Officer Winters inability to restrain from his emotions prevented him from performing his duty. Therefore, cops, unlike officer Winters, are rewarded for being able to distance themselves from their feelings.

Police officers are also more at risk for alcohol abuse than the general public, as a result of their stress levels. When police officer’s actually accumulate astronomical amounts of pressure in their field of duty, alcohol seems like a reasonable solution to their problems. The most remote cause for alcohol abuse in law enforcement lies in alcohol’s ability to alter levels of neurotransmitters in the brain that take officers away from their line of duty and into a mindless bliss. Why not drink alcohol as a temporary relief to help cope with a murder case? Vicki Lindsay, a professor of Criminology and Penology at the University of Southern Mississippi, conducted a study of police officer’s in urban communities and found that of the 375 officers surveyed, 11% of male officers and 16% of female officers reported alcohol use levels deemed “at-risk” by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as opposed to a mere 4.7% alcohol use, ages 18-64, in educational services. Alcohol provides an outlet for police officers because they refuse to seek treatment for their anxieties or symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Problems that develop (such as alcohol dependency) are usually the result of a police officer’s, because of the stigma of appearing weak, reluctance to seek help. Mike Violette, an executive director of the Colorado State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police, emphasized that it was “difficult enough to have officer’s come forward who have this problem. There is an ‘I can handle it’ attitude that cops have.” A way to minimize the help police officers are offered, they quickly and completely indulge in a night of binge drinking that allow for them to drown the nagging memories months of talk therapy only dull.

Unhealthy coping mechanisms pave the way for additional stressors such as murderous hours, rank stagnation and managerial apathy. Lethargy is dangerous in law enforcement because it eats away at the productivity, ethics and effectiveness of an officer. Police officers become no longer willing to uphold the duties entrusted to them when they took the oath. Mark Bond, professor of Criminal Justice at American Military University, said,” What many officers might not be aware of is the long-term effects of chronic fatigue and the relationship between stress and fatigue. Not getting enough rest and not eating properly in order to fuel the body can increase the effects of fatigue. Being fatigued on-duty causes many issues, such as poor decision making and other cognitive task difficulties.” The lack of counseling in law enforcement directly impacts a police officer’s performance and effectiveness in their field of duty. Police officers need and deserve our help to regain their mental health.

Law enforcement needs to eliminate the stigma surrounding the culture of law enforcement regarding the harsh judgment of police officers who seek professional help for mental health concerns. The problem is completely internal to the department. It is critical that officers learn healthy coping strategies to minimize stress on a regular basis, rather than attempt to mask stress with alcohol or other unhealthy behaviors. We cannot limit our efforts to educate the protectors of our well-being. We must provide contemporaneous trauma support.

Works Cited

Aamodt, Michael G., and Nicole A. Stalnaker. “Police Officer Suicide: Frequency and officer profiles.” PoliceOne. 20 June 2006. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

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

Bond, Mark. “The Impact of Stress and Fatigue on Law Enforcement Officers and Ways to Control It.” In Public Safety. American Military University, 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Cassell, Paul. “Officer Wilson under Missouri law.” The Washington Post. 26 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.

Gustafson, Timi. “Keeping Your Emotions Bottled Up Could Kill You.” Huffpost Living. 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

Klinger, David. “Police Responses to Officer-Involved Shootings.” National Institute of Justice. National Institute of Justice, 1 Feb. 2002. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Levs, Josh. “Column defending cops in Ferguson sparks online fury.” CNN. Josh Levs. 20 Aug 2014. 28 Oct. 2016.

Lewinski, Bill. “New reaction-time study.” Police one. 26 May. 2011. 28 Oct. 2016.

McGhee, Tom. “Police Officers Struggle with PTSD.” The Denver Post. 18 Jun. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

Mooney, Chris. “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men.” Mother Jones. 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.

Willman, Elizabeth A. “Alcohol Use Among Law Enforcement.” The Journal of Law Enforcement. 2.3 (2008) 1-4. Print.

“Ferguson, MO Crime Rate.” USA.com. 1 Jan. 2016. 9 Nov. 2016.

Reflective-Philly321

Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

As I previously learned through my years of writing, Professor Hodges restated that writing requires more than one draft and that there is always room for improvement. The best example of this is my Stone Money Rewrite. While this was not a portfolio assignment, this essay opened my eyes to the expectations that Professor Hodges held for his students. The line of communication between Professor Hodges and I allowed me to see the clear lack of explanation regarding the island of Yap in my essay. Professor Hodges explained that I was assuming to much in my essay and rightfully so. I’ll admit that I was making generalizing statements about the transfer of limestones on Yap and then presuming that my audience would understand. There were various scholarly sources to help support my claim that it was counterintuitive that the transfer of limestone rocks (some of which are never seen) could be physically exchanged in return for tangible goods and services. This feedback strengthened my argument by instilling the right work ethic in my writing.

Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

Gathering and analyzing information helped me tremendously. I gained astronomical amounts of knowledge by reading various sources (via online, books, journals, etc.) on my topic. The best example of this is my Rebuttal Rewrite. In the beginning, I’ll admit that I was convinced that police officers received zero support regarding their mental health. I received constructive criticism from Professor Hodges on my rough draft which allowed me to see that Employee Assistance Programs provided some effective ways to help police officers cope with their stressors. Once I investigated the money that has been poured into Employee Assistance Programs over the recent years, it was obvious that these systems weren’t as bad as I thought. There were various scholarly sources to support both my original thesis and some alternatives. I nonetheless concluded that the system to help police officers cope with their stress was woefully inadequate, but understanding their support systems strengthened my argument by helping me anticipate objections and refute them.

Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

Throughout this course I found that my audience played an important role in a well written paper. The best example of this is my Visual Rhetoric. I had to take into consideration that my audience was not able to see the 30 second video that I was assigned.  I had to help my readers understand by using vivid descriptions to paint a picture in their heads of what each frame looked like. Professor Hodges pointed out various points in my paper that may have been unclear or could have been explained more in depth, which allowed me to see certain details such as the kitchen or furniture in the background. I was able to clarify my paper by depicting the kitchen as a representation of family and togetherness. The blend of visual detail and analysis made it easier for my audience to get an idea of what was happening in the 30 second clip.

Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

I found it rather frustrating to incorporate evidence to support my claims. I felt confined to limited resources such as google or yahoo. Once I realized that there were different places to find my information, I took full advantage of the library resources including ProfSearch, Gale Virtual Reference Library and Academic Search Premier. These resources made it substantially easier to synthesize my own thoughts with the evidence provided. Acquiring sources of information sparked many ideas in my writing and gave me ideas to feed off of as I wrote. This is best shown in my Causal Rewrite. When I first started my paper it mainly consisted of information regarding the negative consequences of stress on police officers. The criticism I received from Professor Hodges allowed me to see that I needed to add additional stressors on top of the ones I had already mentioned to the audience. I was then able to show the importance of synthesizing my own ideas with scholarly evidence to support them.

Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

This course has reiterated the importance of being honest when it comes to analyzing other sources that involve our arguments. Plagiarizing is not only dishonest, but it takes away from a writer’s ability to develop new ideas. This is best shown in my Definition Rewrite. For this assignment I had to look outside of a dictionary definition to define fear in law enforcement. For the sources I chose to incorporate into my writing, I made sure that they were analyzed in an honest and logical way. I did this by citing the author in my work. Chris Mooney in particular helped me develop the idea that police officers may have developed reflexes that we don’t have, causing them to react faster or with more force than we would in addition to the race of a suspect. Any lazy writer could have easily copy and pasted pieces of different articles into their writing. I chose the more difficult path that required more thoughtful and honest material.

Bibliography-Philly321

Annotated Bibliography

  1. Levenson, Richard L. “Why Departments Need to Develop Mental Health Programs for Cops” PoliceOne. PoliceOne.com, 27 June 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Background: 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.

How I used it: This article helped me discover that a police officer’s health, confined by cultural beliefs, is not being dealt with in a healthy, productive matter. I used this article to demonstrate the impact of cultural influence in law enforcement, which has a negative impact intellectually and physically on a police officer’s performance.

  1. Patton, Mary Claire. “Suicide leading cause of death among police officers.” KSAT. Graham Media Group, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Background: 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 effects that a distraught officer has on his or her family. The overall well-being (of police officers and their families) is put in jeopardy by offering little assistance to help officers cope with their anxieties.

How I used it: Since this article focuses entirely on the death toll of police officers, I used it as a basis for my argument that officers are not getting the type of support they need to be efficient in their line of duty.

  1. University at Buffalo. “Impact of Stress On Police Officers’ Physical and Mental Health.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 September 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article gives statistical analysis of how an officer’s stress level can put him or her 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.

How I used it: I used the evidence of this source to demonstrate that health complications and suicidal tendencies among law enforcement officers are becoming more prominent because of high levels of stress.

  1. Robinson, Holly M. “Psychological Reports.” Duty-Related Stressors and PTSD Symptoms in Suburban Police Officers81 (1997): 835-45. ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1997. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article focuses on a study conducted by Cleveland State University that says 63% out of the 100 suburban cops surveyed stated that critical debriefing periods following a life threatening scenario fail to help them cop with their stress or emotional trauma. The article states that police officers often feel alone and isolated despite the exponential funding that Assistant Employee Programs have received in 1997.

How I used it: 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. I used this to expose the flaws in Assistant Employee programs by using this survey. The evidence is clear that these programs don’t do their job and there is clearly room for improvement.

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

Background: This personal interview explains the lack of support that police officers receive from Employee Assistance Programs. This interview specifically examines the disconnect between a therapist and a police officer. It uses first hand incite to examine the lack of understanding that therapists, who fail to relate to a mass shooting or a murder, have for police officers.

How I used it: Quite often, police officers feel lonesome in their line of duty from the lack of understanding between a therapist and an officer. Gary Allmers felt that he was not getting the support he need from a therapist. He needed to talk to someone who could relate to the position he was in, such as a retired police officer. This obviously is a major flaw in law enforcement, which I exposed with the help of this interview as it uses first hand insight into the emotional uneasiness among police officers.

  1. Freed, Betsy B. “Aversion to Therapy: Why Won’t Men Get Help?” Pacific Standard. Pacific Standard, 25 June 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article discusses the shame that police officers feel when they reach out for help from a therapist, family members, other police officers, etc. It focuses on the negative stigma surrounding therapeutic facilities in police departments and on police officers who neglect to receive help due to the ignominy that comes along with it.

How I used it: I used concrete examples of police officers that refused to seek out help because of the stigma of appearing weak. The evidence is clear that police officers whose lives are being damaged from their incapability to seek out help are at a detriment to themselves and others around them.

  1. Mooney, Chris, Indre Viskontas and Chris Mooney, Erika Eichelberger, Jaeah Lee, Inae Oh, Russ Choma, AJ Vicens, and Andy Kroll. “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men.”Mother Jones. Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article examines the origin of racial prejudices. Prejudice draws on many of the same tools that help our minds figure out what’s good and what’s bad. In evolutionary terms, it’s efficient to quickly classify a grizzly bear as dangerous. The trouble comes when the brain uses similar processes to form negative views about groups of people.

How I used it: It is entirely possible that police officers learn to be suspicious of individuals that the general public do not fear. I used this evidence to show that police officers react to certain cues on account of the race of the suspect. Police officer have developed reflexes that we don’t have, causing them to react faster or with more force than we would.

  1. Levs, Josh. “Column Defending Cops in Ferguson Sparks Online Fury.”CNN. Cable News Network, 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article from CNN covers the fatal shooting of Michael Brown and puts into question whether officer Darren Wilson was within his rights to shoot Michael Brown. It provides specific examples of police officers who defend officer Darren Wilson by stressing that law enforcement is constantly under heightened scrutiny even when they are acting in self defense.

How I used it: I used concrete examples of police officers that have been in similar situations as officer Darren Wilson and support his decision. The evidence is clear that victims who show signs of aggression should be dealt with in a forceful manner. The fact that Michael Brown may not have had a weapon in no way diminishes officer Wilson’s fear for his life. I also used officer Darren Wilson as a strong anecdote to help the reader understand the point I am trying to make.

  1. Willman, Elizabeth A. “Alcohol Use Among Law Enforcement.”The Journal of Law Enforcement. 2.3 (2008) 1-4. Print.

Background: This journal discusses the prevalence of alcohol in law enforcement. While this journal does not fixate on Employee Assistance Programs, there is a large portion of it that suggests that alcoholism in law enforcement is the result of police officers not receiving the necessary support they need to help cope with their trauma.

How I used it: I used this journal to stress the growing problem of alcohol abuse in law enforcement. This journal helped me discover the most common reasons of why alcoholism is so prominent among police officers. The journal highlights exactly how large of a problem alcohol is in law enforcement by using statistical data to prove how many officers have used alcohol as a method to cope with their problems rather than seek out help, something I proved in my essay on a larger scale.

  1. Gustafson, R.D. Timi. “Keeping Your Emotions Bottled Up Could Kill You.”The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article from The Blog focuses on a study by the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Rochester found that suppressing emotions may increase the risk of dying from heart disease and certain forms of cancer. This evidence confirms earlier studies conducted by these Universities that have linked negative emotions like anger, anxiety, and depression to the suppression of emotions.

How I used it: I used this to show the emotional and physical effects that occur as a result of Employee Assistance Programs failing to accomplish their goal to help police officers deal with their stress. This obviously is a major flaw in law enforcement itself, which I exposed with the help of this article as it offers incite on the damaging effects of a failing support system.

Rebuttal Rewrite-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. 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. Officer Balcerzak did not receive the necessary counseling for the guilt he must have felt from handing over a boy to his torturer and executioner. Employee Assistance Programs have been developed to defuse high levels of stress in law enforcement. But the truth is, police officers whose lives are under constant stress do not receive the necessary assistance to help them 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 officers 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.

The pressures of law enforcement have led 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.

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 among police officers. There is an imposed willpower in law enforcement that requires officers to restrain from their emotions and feelings of pain or suffrage. 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. Yet, police officers are expected to make that emotional switch and focus on another case, regardless of what they may be experiencing at the time. 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, who do not come forward because of the stigma of appearing weak, are putting themselves at risk for serious physiological complications. These programs are seemingly noneffective if they are not mandated in police departments.

 

(Finish Conclusion)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.

Works Cited

Aamodt, Michael G., and Nicole A. Stalnaker. “Police Officer Suicide: Frequency and officer profiles.” PoliceOne. 20 June 2006. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

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

“https://psmag.com/aversion-to-therapy-why-won-t-men-get-help-7998d34f1d4e#.cxixu9hn6” PacificStandard. Betsy Freed, David Freed. 25 Jun 2012. 11 Nov. 2016.

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

Causal Rewrite-Philly321

Calming the Storm

Officer James R. Burns was proud to represent the Atlanta Police Department on his dress blues, but since he discharged his revolver on June 22, 2016, the Atlanta police department reminds him that he mortally wounded a 22-year-old in the line of duty. Officer Burns responded to reports of a suspicious man lurking in an Atlanta apartment complex. When officer Burns arrived, he attempted to block a 2011 silver Ford Fusion that was leaving the complex. Deravis Caine Rogers did not try to hit the officer, while Burns stood at the rear of his patrol vehicle. Officer Burns had no information describing Rogers as a threat and had no way to identify that Rogers as the man reported. Regardless, officer Burns fired a single shot through Rogers’ vehicle, hitting Rodgers in the back of the head. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard charged officer James R. Burns with felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and violation of his oath of office. To this day, officer Burns is currently part of an ongoing court case. He has been charged with multiple felonies and has been relieved of his duties at the Atlanta Police Department. The stress from a shooting is sometimes overwhelming as the officer may feel betrayed by the department he/she serves. In addition, an officer faces administrative and legal proceeding which could result in termination, criminal charges or even being sued. A study conducted in 2002 by David Klinger, a professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Senior Fellow at the Police Foundation in Washington, DC., surveyed 80 police officers who’ve all shot suspects in their careers. Of the 80 police officers surveyed, 48% still experience trouble sleeping and an outstanding 83% have recurrent thoughts or feelings. An unhealthy mindset as a police officer has an adverse effect on behavior, emotion and performance.  The lack of counseling in law enforcement has directly impeded efficiency levels in law enforcement.

Perhaps the largest barrier to finding effective treatments and support systems is the culture that exists within law enforcement. The profession requires officers to restrain from their emotions and rein their 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. Cops that suppress their natural instincts during conflict and “deal with the consequences” later only makes sense that there’s a benefit to the suppression in the first place. Law enforcement is both physically and mentally demanding, but sloppy emotions like empathy, understanding, sharing in, and caring about another’s emotions can get in the way of effective emergency policing. In 2014, officer Joe Winters, a deputy in the King County Sheriff’s Office, was called in response to a woman’s behavior, which residents deemed disruptive, in a city park in western Washington. When he arrived, officer Winters noticed a woman, who appeared to be homeless, laying on a bench shivering in thirty degree weather. The woman claimed that she purchased the bench and refused to leave. Officer Winters did not give into her false claims, but felt an underlying sense of compassion for the woman. Instead of forcibly removing her from the park, he gave her a blanket and sat with her for hours. Officer Winters inability to restrain from his emotions prevented him from performing his duty. Therefore, cops, unlike officer Winters, are rewarded for being able to distance themselves from their feelings.

Police officers are also more at risk for alcohol abuse than the general public, as a result of their stress levels. When police officer’s actually accumulate astronomical amounts of pressure in their field of duty, alcohol seems like a reasonable solution to their problems. The most remote cause for alcohol abuse in law enforcement lies in alcohol’s ability to alter levels of neurotransmitters in the brain that take officers away from their line of duty and into a mindless bliss. Why not drink alcohol as a temporary relief to help cope with a murder case? Vicki Lindsay, a professor of Criminology and Penology at the University of Southern Mississippi, conducted a study of police officer’s in urban communities and found that of the 375 officers surveyed, 11% of male officers and 16% of female officers reported alcohol use levels deemed “at-risk” by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as opposed to a mere 4.7% alcohol use, ages 18-64, in educational services. Alcohol provides an outlet for police officers because they refuse to seek treatment for their anxieties or symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Problems that develop (such as alcohol dependency) are usually the result of a police officer’s, because of the stigma of appearing weak, reluctance to seek help. Mike Violette, an executive director of the Colorado State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police, emphasized that it was “difficult enough to have officer’s come forward who have this problem. There is an ‘I can handle it’ attitude that cops have.” A way to minimize the help police officers are offered, they quickly and completely indulge in a night of binge drinking that allow for them to drown the nagging memories months of talk therapy only dull.

Unhealthy coping mechanisms pave the way for additional stressors such as murderous hours, rank stagnation and managerial apathy. Lethargy is dangerous in law enforcement because it eats away at the productivity, ethics and effectiveness of an officer. Police officers become no longer willing to uphold the duties entrusted to them when they took the oath. Mark Bond, professor of Criminal Justice at American Military University, said,” What many officers might not be aware of is the long-term effects of chronic fatigue and the relationship between stress and fatigue. Not getting enough rest and not eating properly in order to fuel the body can increase the effects of fatigue. Being fatigued on-duty causes many issues, such as poor decision making and other cognitive task difficulties.” The lack of counseling in law enforcement directly impacts a police officer’s performance and effectiveness in their field of duty. Police officers need and deserve our help to regain their mental health.

Law enforcement needs to eliminate the stigma surrounding the culture of law enforcement regarding the harsh judgment of police officers who seek professional help for mental health concerns. The problem is completely internal to the department. It is critical that officers learn healthy coping strategies to minimize stress on a regular basis, rather than attempt to mask stress with alcohol or other unhealthy behaviors. We cannot limit our efforts to educate the protectors of our well-being. We must provide contemporaneous trauma support.

Works Cited

Bond, Mark. “The Impact of Stress and Fatigue on Law Enforcement Officers and Ways to Control It.” In Public Safety. American Military University, 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Gustafson, Timi. “Keeping Your Emotions Bottled Up Could Kill You.” Huffpost Living. 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

Klinger, David. “Police Responses to Officer-Involved Shootings.” National Institute of Justice. National Institute of Justice, 1 Feb. 2002. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

McGhee, Tom. “Police Officers Struggle with PTSD.” The Denver Post. 18 Jun. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

Willman, Elizabeth A. “Alcohol Use Among Law Enforcement.” The Journal of Law Enforcement. 2.3 (2008) 1-4. Print.

Definition Rewrite-Philly321

What is fear?

Police whose lives are often at risk may fear for their safety even from suspects whose guns are unloaded or who brandish what looks like a weapon. The fact that they were not in mortal danger in no way diminishes their reasonable fear. Are police officer’s wrong to shoot “an unarmed suspect” or are they within their rights to neutralize a suspect whose intention was to harm? On the night of August 9, 2014, police officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department was on patrol when he received a call about a robbery and physical dispute between an 18 year old male and a Ferguson Market clerk. A nationwide study conducted in 2013 by USA.com found that the average crime rate in Ferguson, Missouri, is 2,6885.38, which trumps the Missouri crime rate of 1,858.24 and the national average crime rate of 1,669.05. Officer Wilson spotted Michael Brown walking down the street wearing a hoodie, a red hat and yellow socks that matched the offenders description. Michael Brown’s hands were in his pockets, which perhaps gave the illusion (from a police officer’s perspective) that he could be holstering a weapon. The high crime rate alone was enough to justify officer Wilson’s feelings of uneasiness. Officer Wilson had to acknowledge that there was already a physical altercation with the Ferguson Market Clerk, so his defensiveness is valid. When officer Darren Wilson confronted Brown, Brown reached through the window of the police car, disrespecting the barrier that separates Brown from officer Wilson. Darren Wilson pleads that Michael Brown reached for his hosteled weapon forcing him to fire through Brown’s hand, which signifies the heightened severity of the situation. Because Brown’s physical gesture posed a direct threat to the safety of Darren Wilson, officer Wilson got out of his car to pursue Brown and shot him six times. While six shots seems inexcusable, we can relate to his heightened sense of perceived danger. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown because Brown appeared to have an apparent intent to cause harm. The fact that he may not have a weapon in no way diminishes officer Wilson’s fear for his life. One of the central questions in the case of Michael Brown that was argued is whether officer Darren Wilson’s response to a situation that calls for instantaneous reactions could hold him accountable. The decision made by officer Wilson reflects an officer’s moral instinct to protect the public at any time and place that the peace is threatened.

As we learn from Chris Mooney in “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men,” we are not “born with racial prejudices. We may never even have been taught them. Rather, prejudice draws on many of the same tools that help our minds figure out what’s good and what’s bad. In evolutionary terms, it’s efficient to quickly classify a grizzly bear as dangerous. The trouble comes when the brain uses similar processes to form negative views about groups of people.” A study conducted by Lewis Loflin, a former U.S. Army and military officer , in 2012 found that of the total 2,029 arrests made in Ferguson, Missouri, 558 were white/hispanic and 1,471 were black. It is entirely possible that officer Wilson reacted to many cues in addition to the race of Michael Brown. It has been argued that the six shots to Michael Brown’s body was both excessive and unnecessary. Perhaps police officers learn to be suspicious of individuals that the general public do not fear. Officer Wilson could have developed reflexes that we don’t have, causing him to react faster or with more force than we would.

Police officers lives are often threatened. They have an obligation to respect the rights of suspects. They also have a (sometimes conflicting) right to defend themselves against mortal danger. Under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, American law enforcement personnel is partially protected from investigation and prosecution arising from conduct during official performance of their duties, and provides them with privileges based on due process additional to those normally provided to other citizens. But police officers are not fully protected. This leaves them vulnerable to due process for a natural instinct. Michael Brown posed a threat to officer Wilson by neglecting to respect the barrier that separates the inside of the car from the outside of the car, while attempting to retrieve officer Wilson’s gun. As we learned from Sunil Dutta, an advocate for police safety and 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, in “Column defending cops in Ferguson sparks online fury,” people should  “not challenge law enforcement — save that for lodging a complaint later. Do what the officer tells you to and it will end safely for both of you.” We need to acknowledge that police officers are well trained to recognize threats and are also experts at defusing them or avoiding confrontations that might turn deadly or dangerous. If people simply cooperated with police officers, there would be fewer arrests and less violence as a result.

A study conducted by Police One showing the reaction time of a police officer when faced with different scenarios. The test subjects were 24 male volunteers recruited from an active-shooter training class at a regional SWAT conference. Each officer, equipped with a Glock training pistol, was to progress through 10 rooms in an abandoned school where an officer was to confront a suspect with a similar pistol at a distance of 10 feet. According to prior instruction, one-fifth of the suspects followed the officer’s order to surrender peacefully, whereas the rest, designated as attackers, were told to try to shoot the officer at any time they chose. Analysis showed that the suspects on average were able to fire in just 0.38 second after initial movement of their gun. Officers fired back in an average of 0.39 second after the suspect’s movement began. The officer and suspect effectively shot at similar times. Why should an officer be held responsible for a natural instinct? These numbers validate police officer’s rights to react in the way they do to certain situations. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown’s hand out of pure response to the altercation. While the next six shots seems inexcusable, we can understand officer Wilson’s perceived sense of danger and excessive reaction to a potential violent situation. Effectively, it is either kill or be killed.

Neil Bruntrager, a lawyer for Officer McMellon, said, “According to State v. Anthony, once a defendant injects self-defense into a case, the prosecution bears the burden of disproving the defense beyond a reasonable doubt.” Self-defense is an extremely difficult burden to carry in a court of law. The fear of imminent danger in law enforcement is a reasonable defense and may outbalance the burden of proof.

Finally, police officers, as a highly scrutinized group, should not be held responsible for a potential threat to their well-being and others around them. The burden we place on police officers, to protect the safety of everyone they encounter, is incompatible with their human instinct to protect themselves from danger. When we scrutinize their actions without considering how often they place themselves in danger on our behalf, we impose an unjust burden on them. The threats they recognize, that we might not, are mitigating circumstances.

Works Cited

Cassell, Paul. “Officer Wilson under Missouri law.” The Washington Post. 26 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.

Levs, Josh. “Column defending cops in Ferguson sparks online fury.” CNN. Josh Levs. 20 Aug 2014. 28 Oct. 2016.

Lewinski, Bill. “New reaction-time study.” Police one. 26 May. 2011. 28 Oct. 2016.

Mooney, Chris. “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men.” Mother Jones. 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.

“Ferguson, MO Crime Rate.” USA.com. 1 Jan. 2016. 9 Nov. 2016.

Robust Verbs-Philly321

Drug addicts don’t willingly put themselves in dangerous situations for no apparent reason. The addiction to drugs disrupts the brain chemistry in a person, causing him or her to commit unreasonable felonies for personal stability. The “free heroin for addicts” program supplies these addicts with drugs to help diminish crime rates in Vancouver. Do we really feel that supplying this drug will be a permanent relief to a rising crime rate? Effectively, a drug addict, who feeds his or her addiction through this program, could be at risk for committing a crime, abusing the system or overdosing. The “free heroin for addicts” program doesn’t intend to hurt their sick patients. But the truth is, drug addicts will suffer worse outcomes and ultimately receive less mental health care. The program offers an unorthodox method that eliminates one problem while simultaneously creating a new one. The ability to see human beings for their actions, while neglecting to see their mental health issues, is the real crime.

Enough About You-Philly321

Money seems to have a big role in our society; we can’t do much or get far if we don’t have any. Money is valuable in different ways, even when we don’t see it physically. The transfer of money (some of which is never seen) can be physically exchanged in return for tangible goods and services. In today’s society we must have faith in the government and in the banking system that our money is being handled with in the proper manner, if not then we would have to hide all of our money under our mattresses or around our houses. I have no clue what happens in the banks, or how they take care of our money. I always thought money was simple; we either have some or we don’t—that’s it. However, being introduced to this assignment, the Yap Fei, US gold, French francs, Brazilian cruzeros, and debit accounts now seem similar. No one actually sees their money being transferred. When we get paid, we are not handed something palpable, we receive a number on a screen that reflects our income. We simply need to trust that the screen is right. Effectively, our banking system [via online banking, direct deposit and paperless bank statements] makes our economy run smooth and effectively.

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.

Causal Argument-Philly321

Calming the Storm

Officer Darren Wilson was proud to pin the badge of the Ferguson Police Department to his dress blues, but since he discharged his Sig P229 pistol on August 9, 2014, the badge reminds him that he mortally wounded a teenager in the line of duty. A nationwide study conducted from 2008-2012 by Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years and a member of San Diego’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, found that nearly 150,000 officers have experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the officers who, because of the stigma of appearing weak, have yet to come forward with their symptoms. For years, we have ignored the calls for help from the guardians of our safety who have pledged to protect our nation.

It has been argued that officers are in no way affected by cultural influences in their field of duty. If an officer is in distress, he or she will seek out help. On the contrary, John Seifert, a Boulder County Sherriff’s Deputy, who earned a medal of valor for his actions in a 2008, a gun battle that saw dozens of rounds fired, struggled for years with post-traumatic stress disorder. He left the police force two years later and began heavily drinking. In 2015, Seifert was found at his home outside Nederland with a single shotgun blast to his neck. Why did Seifert choose not to seek help? Mike Violette, an executive director of the Colorado State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police, emphasized that it was “difficult enough to have officer’s come forward who have this problem. There is an ‘I can handle it’ attitude that cops have.” Seifert is one of hundreds of officers nationally who have taken their lives in the past 4 years, many of them suffering from PTSD. It is a condition long ignored by law enforcement, where confessing emotional trauma is looked down upon.

Perhaps the largest barrier to finding effective treatments and support systems is the culture that exists within law enforcement. The profession requires officers to restrain from their emotions and rein their 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.).

When a traumatic incident occurs, officers are left with the images, the smells, and the sounds. It lingers around them. A study conducted by psychologists from Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Rochester found that suppressing emotions can lead to negative emotions like anger, anxiety and depression. We know that stress can build up and become chronic when our “natural” fight-or-flight responses meant to help us survive in conflict situations are frustrated. Similarly, detrimental effects may occur when negative emotions remain unexpressed. When stress starts to interfere with an officer’s ability to live a normal life for an extended period, it can wear and tear on their bodies creating new problems or make existing problems worse. An officer, who does not come forward because of the stigma of appearing weak, will drive themselves crazy under the constant reminder of a horrific incident.

Law enforcement personnel receive training on the warning signs of alcohol use, abuse, and dependency. Informing police officer’s about the negative effects of alcohol abuse can only help them to a certain extent. But when police officer’s actually accumulate astronomical amounts of pressure in their field of duty, alcohol seems like a reasonable solution to their problems. Why not drink alcohol as a temporary relief to help cope with a murder case? Law enforcement is both a mentally and physically demanding job.  Alcohol provides an outlet for police officers because they refuse to seek treatment for their anxieties or symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The most remote cause for alcohol abuse in law enforcement lies in alcohol’s ability to alter levels of neurotransmitters in the brain that takes officer’s away from their line of duty and into a mindless bliss.

Police officers are more at risk alcohol abuse than the general public, as a result of their stress levels. Internal stressors, such as administrative stress, include lack of support, long hours, 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. Vicki Lindsay, a professor of Criminology and Penology at the University of Southern Mississippi, conducted a study of police officer’s in urban communities and found that of those officers surveyed, 11% of male officers and 16% of female officers reported alcohol use levels deemed “at-risk” by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Problems that develop (such as alcohol dependency) are usually the result of officer’s, because of the stigma of appearing weak, reluctance to seek help.

We need to eliminate the stigma surrounding the culture of law enforcement regarding the harsh judgment of police officers who seek professional help for mental health concerns.  It is critical that officers learn healthy coping strategies to minimize stress on a regular basis, rather than attempt to mask stress with alcohol or other unhealthy behaviors. We cannot simply teach them about the negative effects of alcohol. We need to be there when it matters most.

Works Cited

New Source

“Police and PTSD” The Law Enforcement Magazine. 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

http://www.policemag.com/channel/careers-training/articles/2013/02/police-and-ptsd.aspx

New Source

“Police Officers struggle with PTSD” The Denver Post. 18 Jun. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

http://www.denverpost.com/2014/06/18/police-officers-struggle-with-ptsd-but-treatment-can-bring-stigma/

New Source

“Keeping Your Emotions Bottled Up Could Kill You” Huffpost Living. 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/timi-gustafson/bottling-up-negative-emotions_b_5056433.html

New Source

Willman, Elizabeth A. “Alcohol Use Among Law Enforcement.” The Journal of Law Enforcement. 2.3 (2008) 1-4. Print.