Preparing Families for the Hazards of Police Work

That stress is endemic in police work and a hazard of the job is well known to police chiefs and law enforcement administrators. This aspect of policing has major implications for police chiefs because police officer stress may manifest in ways that can hurt officers, their loved ones, their department, and the public: burnout, lower tolerance levels, poor judgment, substance abuse, health problems, deteriorating relationships with family and friends, low productivity, high turnover, use of excessive force, citizen complaints, and increased rates of workers’ compensation claims, to name just a few.