Stress and Police Personnel

Download or read book Stress and Police Personnel written by Leonard Territo and published by Allyn & Bacon. This book was released on 1981-01-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This compilation of articles on job-related stress in policing addresses the complexities of the stress syndrome among police officers and advocates the incorporation of a stress intervention and management component into police officer training programs. The volume is designed for practical use by police officers and administrators. Articles are arranged in topical sections and begin with an orientation and introduction to the general subject, providing terminology and background to some of the principle psychological, physiological, and social consequences of stress. Job stress and some of its more destructive manifestations in police officers, such as alcoholism, divorce, other family problems, and suicide are examined. In addition, specific and unique stress experienced by women and minorities in law enforcement is also discussed. Recommendations are given concerning the most effective ways that both the officer and the law enforcement agency can deal with these problems. Articles on stress and the police administrator concern factors in the managerial task and function that contribute to stress. Among them are upward mobility with accompanying loss of supportive relationships among colleagues, family, and friends; the risks of decisionmaking with consequences affecting the lives of many people; and political pressures in balancing resources against goals and objectives. Under the topic of stress and the family, articles look at the toll exacted on wives, children and relatives of police personnel by the stressful aspects of police work, of which the high divorce rate is but the most visible consequence. The concluding section presents organizational and individual programs for coping with stress, illustrated by stress control and counseling programs available to officers, administrators, and families in the police departments of Miami, Dallas, and Chicago. A retirement counseling program for police officers is also discussed because of the unique nature of police retirement, which occurs early and isolates former officers from agency friends and informal peer groups that have served as a source of personal support. Tabular data and endnotes accompany individual articles. The appendix contains a listing of police stress training films. An index is also supplied.