Researchers and health professionals have examined the effects of both acute and chronic exposure to traumatic stress on peace officers. Repeated exposure to acute and chronic stressors result in chronic over-activation of the human stress response in peace officers. The term “complex trauma” has been developed to address psychological trauma that “occurs repeatedly and escalates over its duration.” There is compelling evidence that myriad health consequences disproportionately affect peace officers in comparison to persons in many other professions. Psychologically traumatic incidents are inevitable and sometimes frequent occurrences for peace officers. The incidence of peace officers experiencing significant effects of psychological trauma at some point during their career has been demonstrated to be greater than 50 percent.

Law enforcement agencies vary greatly in every aspect from size and resources to cultural norms. An agency employing 15 officers, for example, will presumably have different needs and resources available than an agency of 200 officers. There are also different levels of stress associated with the different assignments within an agency. Additionally, the workload and frequency of stressors is different for those police officers. It is important to note, however, that despite differences in call volumes, suburban officers are not significantly different than their urban counterparts in their exposure to traumatic stress. The literature clearly shows the need for prevention and treatment measures to mitigate the impact of even routine occupational stressors faced by peace officers.