In 2017, there were 128 police officers killed in the line of duty in the United States. Cops can frequently witness crimes like abuse, murder, and car accidents. 6. Of those who said they would not recommend becoming an officer, 88 percent said they were concerned over a lack of support from their department. Police officers get to shape their communities. PTSD is a common issue found in the world of law enforcement. The most common cause of death is assault, followed by automobile incidents. Operational incidents are by their nature dynamic. Police officers are forced to deal with many stereotypes. Many people look up to the police, especially young kids. Among the Researchers compared police officers' health risks with that of other people and found that police officers are at increased risk for obesity, metabolic syndrome and suicide. 7. Many police officers have the option to retire early. 3. Helping students succeed has been her passion while serving in many areas of student affairs and adjunct teaching. Being fit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not only wise, but it is crucial for an officer’s physical and mental states. 1. You can learn more about some of the common training you will receive to handle stress. Everything from victim advocacy to crime prevention is recognized in this profession, which makes it easier to do the hard work that is asked of you each day. Add that to the constant exposure to the negative elements of humanity, and you’ll find many officers dealing with stress every day. Geographical location is another factor affecting wages. These changes often come with company benefits. 8. Officers killed in the line of duty often leave behind a grieving partner and young children. You’re working on your own, with partners, and in a team environment all at the same time in many jurisdictions. When you become a police officer, you are joining a fraternal family that is 800,000 strong in the United States, with millions more around the world. § 1983 are considered to be the most common filed against police officers as they can be filed against any officer who has been accused of violating a person’s statutory or constitutional rights as described by law. Some communities offer home buying assistance for police officers because their presence in a neighborhood helps others feel safe. As a group, police officers have one of the nation's highest suicide rates due to the severe and unrelenting stress of the profession. They see this conflict on an almost daily basis, then are asked to write you a speeding ticket if you break the law. According to information released by the Pew Research Center, over 50% of police officers in the United States describe their job as being “frustrating.” Another term is used there as well: “unfulfilling.” That is almost double the national average in the United States for people who are discontent with their jobs. 3. Another frustration is the expectation that police officers must work harder to compensate for budget cuts and understaffing. The obvious downside of working in law enforcement is the risk of injury or death. After gaining experience as a patrol officer, you may be tapped for positions of increasing responsibility, such as lieutenant, commander, captain, sergeant, detective, police chief or public safety director, depending on the ranks and titles within your department. Many organizations allow workouts on duty and participate in dietetic and nutritional training for their employees. It is a profession that is always under much scrutiny. Indigenous, Victims, Crime costs, Family and domestic violence, Health, Hospitals, Comparisons, Mental health, Violence, Peer-reviewed You never know where dispatch is going to send you or what to expect when you get there. The excitement is one of the practical benefits of being a police officer. Most police officers work for local and state government agencies mired in bureaucracy. In that sense, you cannot single out the job or profession of a cop but the likelihood of being threatened by a criminal and risking one’s life is certainly more on the face. Police officers are often seen as heroes who put their lives on the line. Not getting … The willingness to make decisions in conditions of uncertainty (ie, risk taking) is a core professional requirement of all members of the police service. All of that comes together to create people who are often cynical as their first reaction. You get to go into dark houses and look for the bad guys . Officers are also exposed to extreme temperatures for extended periods of time. Find the people who love the work they do and put in the extra hours that prove it. On the other hand, police are also scrutinized and criticized, especially in cases of officer-involved shootings. The job benefits of being a police officer are quite valuable in many communities – and we’re not talking about the free coffee that local businesses might offer. You can find many appealing reasons for becoming a police officer, including fighting crime, enforcing laws, catching bad guys and the adrenalin rush of a late night shift. Many officers find themselves in a position where they’re asked to work harder and longer because their community is cutting a budget or chronically understaffed. No matter what you’re doing, however, you’re also helping people in some way. Even when an officer breaks the law, most are still compassionate, caring, and smart individuals who want to make a positive impact on their community. He said that since the program has been implemented, their has been a dramatic decrease in the amount of police officer deaths in the county. California, New Jersey and Alaska pay police officers more on average than other states, but the cost of living is higher, too. The Pew Research Center reports that over half of all police officers describe their job as frustrating and unfulfilling, which compares to 29 percent of workers in other occupations who feel that same level of discontent with their profession. Police officers, after all, are public servants, and public service is largely about sacrifice. 1. As a result many officers injure themselves to the point of being unable to work in law enforcement any longer. Stellar performance is acknowledged with awards on the local, national and international level. Anything a police officer does, whether on-duty or not, becomes the subject of community complaints and internal investigations. Their duties included making arrests, handling prisoners, and investigating crimes committed – similar to what a modern police officer is asked to do. Over the life course, about 1 in every 1,000 black men can expect to be killed by police. Shootings, dead bodies, abused children and fatal accidents are among the tragedies they face. Not only will you have to be very physically fit but mentally sharp as well. Awards are conveyed at the local, state, national, and global levels when you do exemplary work. These filings are typically called a “Bivens action” in reference to the case of Bivens v. Six Unknown Agents, 403 U.S. 388 (1971). Often, that sacrifice starts with your wallet. There are extreme stressors present in the position every day. Every police officer faces the risk of injury and death every day. 1. “That training is a national training program that is being set up to keep the deaths of law enforcement officers under 100 for the entire year,” Shutts said. It is a career opportunity which offers growth potential. The International Journal of Emergency Mental Health has published research that shows police officers are more likely to experience sleep disturbances, anxiety, alcohol abuse, and PTSD at rates higher than the general population. 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Lawsuits filed under 42 U.S.C. 1. Police officers are often working long shifts after not getting a chance to rest properly the night before. Mary Dowd holds a doctorate in educational leadership and a master’s in counseling and student affairs from Minnesota State Mankato. In 2017, 127 police officers died doing their job. Police officers of some type may have been around since the very beginning of modern human cultures. The Disadvantages of Being a Police Officer. However, it is important to keep both professional and personal enjoyment at hand to have a rewarding outcome. It is a career where you are always active in some way. If you’ve seen movies about police officers produced by Hollywood, then you might be familiar with the term “putting in 20.” Many jurisdictions allow police officers to retire early, after 20 years of service, with a full pension. Most fatalities occur on Fridays, so working weekends is potentially more dangerous. We all know about the dangers of getting shot or losing your life in a serious fire. According to the International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, police are at a much greater risk than the general population for developing PTSD symptoms, including sleep disturbances, anxiety and hyperarousal, and alcohol abuse. Police officers are not the most highly paid individuals, so the stress of making a living on a cop's salary is another addition to the stress meter. https://www.wisegeek.com/how-dangerous-is-being-a-police-officer.htm Law enforcement officials often see the divisiveness of communities at a personal level every day. Korea and Japan adopted this structure as their societies developed as well. Even if you get into police work as a person who isn’t competitive, the environments of law enforcement will often change that perspective. 5. Danger Is Everywhere The biggest issue with being a police officer is the simple fact that it is extremely dangerous. Being a cop pushes the stress level into the stratosphere. More often, long dull hours are spent patrolling bucolic neighborhoods and ticketing stop sign violators. Police officers are forced to deal with many stereotypes. Many police departments thrive on the competition of officers pushing on another to become better at what they do. 5. Cops work long, erratic hours, which wreaks havoc on the body and relationships. It’s rare to hear an officer complain about his job, as police officers have an intimate understanding of what it means to track suspects, guard perimeters, and venture into dangerous crime scenes. It’s challenging. Police officers must maintain a healthy lifestyle to be effective at what they do. 44 of those officers were shot and killed. So a light bulb went off in my head. Just 7.5 percent of police officers said they would recommend the job. The fact is, not everyone can—or should—be a police officer. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious mental health condition that may occur after exposure to a violent, shocking, frightening or disturbing event. By definition, decisions involve uncertainty, ie, the likelihood and impact of possible outcomes cannot be totally predicted, and no particular outcome can be guaranteed. Even police officers without a college degree earn an average annual salary of $62,760, or $30.17 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These advantages and disadvantages of being a police officer shed insight into what it takes to serve a community every day. List of Cons of Being a Police Officer. Even in tiny towns and gated communities, violent crime happens. Police violence is a leading cause of death for young men in the United States. 2. The point is, for cops, the things we complain about most are things that drew us to the job in the first place. 1. The BLS projects that 46,038 new police officer jobs will be added between 2016 and 2026, representing a 7 percent increase in the force. Morale can suffer when officers are exhausted from overtime. In Ancient China, for example, the enforcement of laws was carried out by people who were called “prefects.” This structure was maintained in the region for thousands of years, with “sub-prefects” helping to enforce laws at the local level. These stereotypes influence how many people see the police officers in their community, which can lead to misunderstandings about who … Police officers have the good fortune of being able to retire early due to the stress and physicality of the job. Communities regularly hold events to celebrate and honor the law enforcement. Salaries, benefits and retirement packages are attractive, too. What is unique about this profession is that the advantages and disadvantages of being a police officer haven’t changed much in all that time. 6. 9. In California, if you have a minimum of 5 years of service on the job, then you are eligible to retire to collect a partial pension at age 50. Even if you don’t have a college degree, the average pay for a police officer in the U.S. is over $62,000. Another 83 percent cited an overall lack of respect for the profession as the reason they would not recommend joining law enforcement. 6. 2. Alcoholism is considered another aberrant statistic for police officers. You’re going to be tapped for positions which have increased responsibilities if you’re good at what you do, ranging from sergeant to police chief. Being a police officer is hard to begin with. Psychological stress or trauma. Police actions can influence attitudes about the entire government system. POLICE RISK REGISTER ANALYSIS Managing risks effectively, efficiently and proportionately November 2016 . For what we consider “modern” policing, efforts were started in the late 17th century in Paris to create a police force that would ensure people had access to the “peace and quiet” they deserved. Police officers by the nature of their job are being treated like a separate class of citizen. You get to work in an environment that is highly competitive. Whether they are conducting traffic control at an accident scene in 100 degree heat or providing crime scene security in freezing temperatures, they are at the mercy of the elements. Many police officers are frustrated with their job. Those figures were about 10% lower than the year before, and the second-lowest total in 50 years, but it is still far too many lives lost to protect communities from violence and crime. Free gym memberships are also sometimes a perk of the job. That might be through performance standards, talent application, or skill-based activities. In Ancient Greece, the magistrates used slaves who were publicly owned as police officers. At the same time, they are also tasked with providing safety and security to their jurisdiction. Although times are changing in TV shows and movies, police officers are often portrayed as people who eat a lot of doughnuts, like to thump heads, and tend to have the intelligence comparable to a rhesus monkey. By 1709, 44 police commissioners had been hired, with the city divided into 16 districts to make it easier to manage neighborhoods. They also are threatened, which can lead to stress and depression. Such horrendous incidents go far beyond what the average person could handle. Many police / law enforcement officers are involved in work-related accidents - vehicle crashes, falls during chase, rescue and similar operations, etc. Being a police officer can be the most fascinating and satisfying career you could ever choose. Currently she is a dean of students at a large, public university. 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