Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

on work that falls outside their mandate, multiple competing and constantly changing
demands, understaffing, the complexity of navigating the criminal justice system, and
managing the expectations of the public. 2 Moreover, this study does not touch on
another challenge unique to policing: the inherent dangers of police work.
6. According to several studies, mostly from the U.S., officers commonly suffer from
significant psychological issues. One study found that approximately one-third of police
officers who are exposed to work-related traumatic incidents develop significant posttraumatic
symptoms and other complex psychological issues that can interfere with
their duties and responsibilities as a police officer. 3 Another study found that at least 25
percent of police officers meet the standard clinical criteria for alcohol abuse. 4
7. Officers and their domestic partners consistently report that the policing
occupation is a significant source of stress in their relationship, impacting their lives at
home. 5 Post-traumatic stress disorder and elevated rates of alcohol abuse may cause
increased aggression. Police families have been shown to have higher rates of domestic
violence than the wider civilian population. 6
8. Officers can also have difficulty asking for help. Fear of stigmatization, negative
job consequences, and perceptions of personal weakness and failure all impede police
officers from seeking help that they may need. 7 As a result of the police working
environment, there is evidence from a U.S. study that the rate of police suicide is
approximately 1.5 times that of the general population. 8
9. Although these statistics are not drawn from Toronto, they are relevant to a
general understanding of the stresses and pressures that are characteristic of policing
and of the obstacles to supporting and strengthening the psychological wellness of
officers. Police wellness and assistance programs must overcome these obstacles to
ensure that officers are mentally well enough to manage their complex duties and
responsibilities.
2
Linda Duxbury & Christopher Higgins, Caring for and about those who serve: Work-life conflict and employee well being within
Canada’s Police Departments (Ottawa, ON: Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, 2012) at 34, online: Sprott School of
Business .
3
I.V. Carlier, R.D. Lamberts & B.P.R. Gersons, “Risk factors for posttraumatic stress symptomatology in police officers: a
prospective analysis” (1997) 185:8 J Nerv Ment Dis 498 at 498-506.
4
Robyn Gershon, National Institutes of Justice Final Report: "Project Shields" (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, 2000)
at 16, online: National Criminal Justice Reference Service .
5
Ellen Kirschman, I Love a Cop: What Police Families Need to Know (New York: Guilford, 1997) at 3-16; Peter Finn & Julie
Esselman Tomz, Developing a Law Enforcement Stress Program for Officers and Their Families (Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, 1996) at xiv, 6-7, 14-16, online: National Criminal Justice
Reference Service .
6
P.H. Neidig, H.E. Russell & A.F. Seng, “Interspousal aggression in law enforcement personnel attending the FOP biennial
conference” (Fall/Winter 1992) National Fraternal Order of Police Journal at 25-28.
7
Eugene R. D. Deisinger, Final Grant Report of the Law Enforcement Assistance and Development Program: Reduction of
Familial and Organizational Stress in Law Enforcement (Rockville, MD: National Institute of Justice, National Criminal Justice
Reference Service, 2002), online: National Criminal Justice Reference Service ; Laurence Miller, “Tough guys: psychotherapeutic strategies with law enforcement and emergency services
personnel” (1995) 32:4 Psychotherapy Theory Research & Practice 592.
8
Dell P. Hacket, “Suicide and the Police” in Dell P. Hackett & John M. Violanti, eds., Police Suicide: Tactics for Prevention
(Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishing Limited, 2003) 7 at 7-15.
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