Stress

1. Line of duty death
2. Suicide of colleague
3. Disaster with multiple casualties
4. Significant event involving children
5. Police Action Shooting
6. Prolonged Incidents
7. Personally dangerous situations
8. Major life disruptions
9. Lawsuits
10. Events with major media interest.
11. Shift work

• Suspiciousness
• Emotional detachment from everyday life
• Reduced efficiency
• Absenteeism
• Needless aggression
• Alcohol/drug problems
• Family problems
• Poor health
• Cynicism 
• Hypervigilance

ON DUTY

• Alert
• Energetic
• Excited
• Quick thinking
• Happy
• Sense of purpose

OFF DUTY

• Tired
• Detached
• Isolated
• Angry
• Indifferent
• Doesn’t want to think about anything or make any decisions

All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart. 3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. (Proverbs 21:2-3, NIV)

• Count your blessings
• Practice acts of kindness
• Savor life’s joys
• Learn to forgive
• Invest time in faith, family, and friends
• Take care of your body
• Build resilience
• Pray

• Make connections
• Avoid seeing crises as impossible problems
• Accept that change is a part of living
• Move toward your goals
• Take decisive actions
• Look for opportunities for self-discovery
• Nurture a positive view of yourself
• Maintain a hopeful outlook
• Take care of yourself
• Rely on God

Work-related factors might include: 

• Poor management.
• Inadequate or broken equipment.
• Excessive overtime.
• Frequent rotating shifts (see 10-Hour Shifts Offer Cost Savings and Other Benefits to Law Enforcement Agencies).
• Regular changes in duties — for example, spending one day filling out paperwork and the next intervening in a violent domestic dispute.

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.

A 2012 study on police officer fatigue revealed the following alarming facts (Basińska & Wiciak, 2012). Fatigued officers:

• Use more sick time.
• Have difficulty managing successful personal relationships.
• Have time management issues (reporting for duty on time).
• Make mistakes on departmental and court paperwork.
• Tend to sleep on duty (often due to rotating shiftwork).
• Generate higher rates of citizen complaints for reported misconduct.
• Tend to have problems communicating with supervisors and have stressful relationships with superiors.
• Have problems testifying in court regarding being prepared.
• Experience more accidental injuries on duty.
• Early retirement (often due to burnout).
• Are at a higher risk of being seriously injured or killed because of lack of focus and not recognizing danger signs.

The research tells us that chronic fatigue affects the mental and physical health of police officers (Basińska & Wiciak, 2012; Senjo, 2011). Fatigued officers:

• Have impaired judgment.
• Experience weight gain or unhealthy weight loss.
• Show an increase in and presence of severe mood swings.
• Demonstrate impaired eye-hand coordination.
• Have increased anxiety or depression.
• Have increased change of substance-abuse addiction.
• Show increased gastrointestinal problems (loss of appetite and/or stomach ulcers).
• Have increased reports of back pain and frequent headaches.
• Have increased chance of PTSD.
• Demonstrate inappropriate reactions to a situation (excessive use of force).
• Show increased risk of serious health problems such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

Running a holiday sale or weekly special? Definitely promote it here to get customers excited about getting a sweet deal.Law enforcement officers can:

1. Plan meals and make healthy eating choices, and stop eating high-calorie fast food.
2. Plan vacation and downtime.
3. See your doctor regularly for checkups.
4. Share the workload and reduce the amount of overtime.
5. Live within your means so that “moonlighting” that second job is not necessary.
6. Create a realistic exercise program and form healthy habits.
7. Create a “Patrol Buddy” program and make time to check on each other.
8. Keep your civilian friends and get away from the job (no shop talk on downtime).

Emotional Survival For Law Enforcement - Kevin M. Gilmartin, Ph.D.

The Impact of Stress and Fatigue on Law Enforcement Officers and Steps to Control It - By Mark Bond, Faculty Member, Criminal Justice at American Military University

Officer Work Hours, Stress and Fatigue - National Institute of Justice