Glen Morales

Glen Morales

Challenges Faced in Future Career

Julia Intawiwat

English 111

October 20, 2017

Challenges in Law Enforcement

When it comes to stressful professions, Law enforcement has to be high on that list

because it is a very physically, emotionally and psychologically demanding profession. Law

Enforcement is like no other job, its a unique job, no two days are the same because you

encounter different situations every day. Individuals in the Law Enforcement field are often over

worked and underappreciated, in this essay I will address some of the serious problems police

officers face on and off the job. I will evaluate how officers deal with common problems they

face such as uneasy times when it comes to their relationships with the general public, stress and

suicide. In orders to be able to get a different point of view on something youre not familiar

with you have to step into someone elses shoes and for this essay I did just that, this definitely

changed the way I view Law Enforcement because I got to know the challenges the men and

women in blue face every day.

It is a known fact that public relations with law enforcement has drastically changed in

the past few decades, they have changed for many reasons but the main reason is that police

officers are now more likely to be held accountable for their actions because of technology

advancements. In March of 1991, a famous tape was released of a Los Angeles man being
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beaten, that man was Rodney king. The tape of King being brutally beaten by Los Angeles

Police officers became international news and gained the attention of people from all walks of

life just because there was actual footage of police brutality, if it had not been for that tape those

officers probably would not have gone to trial. This ties back to the idea that relationships

between police officers and the general public has changed due to technological advancements.

As a result of the tape being handed over to the public and the few that had no idea police

brutality was that bad, those officers that brutality beat Mr. King went to trial and were acquitted

of the charges and this is when the Los Angeles riots began. The riots began to protest the

unequal treatment the public, especially minorities, received from law enforcement and it protest

the unjust verdict. The riots caused millions in property damage all across Los Angeles and

resulted in some causalities but most noticeable it affected something that united us even with

our differences, it disturbed the arts throughout the city and the peace of the citizens (Parachini).

Throughout Los Angeles, theatrical institutions, museums, public establishments such as

restaurants and public roads all had to be closed or postpone shows due to the civil unrest. This

all affected the publics peace and they got to experience or see the unfair treatment some

received from law enforcement and in some cases making the problems even worse.

Some problems that plague the relationships between the public and law enforcement

cant be solve but treated with time and different approaches. Just like some problems cant be

fixed some peoples perspective towards law enforcement cant change within a matter of days or

even years but still some police departments strive for better relationships. I had the privilege of

interviewing a Charlotte native and a current Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer, Mr. Wesley

Rightsell, I asked him many questions about law enforcement and the challenges they face on a

daily basis but I have to say that the thing that surprised me the most is how much our local
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police department is doing to build better relationships with the public. Officer Rightsell

informed me that the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department or CMPD, has a variety of

services and activities they provide to build a better relationship with the people of Charlotte.

Charlottes police department has programs such as Coffee with a Cop, Cops and Barbers a

PAL programs just for kids, community meetings and even foot patrols (Rightsell). Its not just

here at home that relationships between the public and the police are uneasy, its happening all

around the country but this problem is trying to being fixed everywhere, nationwide and

internationally.

Problems in Law Enforcement are everywhere and some are more serious than others,

one problem that has been seen more often in the past three decades in police departments is

suicide. Suicide in Law Enforcement is usually tied to the problems that come with the job, its a

variety of problems such as stress, divorce, alcoholism and just what they see on the job that lead

officers to take their own life. When asked about suicide, Officer Rightsell said that it was a

serious problem that was affecting officers throughout the field. He told me that the problem was

growing because of what law enforcement encounters on a daily basis, situations that involve an

extreme amount of stress, cases of violence, abuse and in some cases death. Officers are

supposed to be almost super human, feel no emotions and just do their job (Rightsell), police

officers are supposed to be professional and show no feelings but just like the rest of us they are

human too and can only deal with so much. Another reason some police officers commit suicide

is because they are unable to balance their problems at home and the problems they face while

on the job, many of the cases of police suicides have something to do with divorce or break ups

(Treaster).
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As a result of this being such a serious problem departments are taking many steps to

prevent this type of tragedy and providing those in need with resources, such as a departments

special psychiatric specialist (Treaster). Officer Rightsell also stated that CMPD has two

programs that help officers in need, one is the Employee Assistance Program, or EAP, and Peer

Support. The EAP program provides officers with psychological support and is free to the officer

in need and Peer Support is exactly what it sounds like (Rightsell). There are many ways to

prevent suicide but the first step is admitting you have a problem which in a field where you

have to be tough and show no emotions, admitting that is something not many officers will do

and that has dreadful consequences.

It comes of no surprise when police officers state that their job is among the most

stressful when compared to other professions. Police officers deal with a high level of stress at

all times because of what they encounter while on the job, because of the unknown and

because of their position. When patrolling almost every situation they respond to involves stress

and what makes their job more stressful is that they do not know what they are going to

encounter next. Officer Rightsell stated that going into a unknown situation is what makes my

job so stressful (Rightsell), officers dont know if there next call will be their last making their

job so nerve racking. What makes matter worse for Law Enforcement is that they cannot show

any emotions, they have to be tough and sometimes dont know how to deal with work

problems or talk about them with their spouse creating themselves into a different person and

that can have dire consequences (Dietrich).

Stress in Law Enforcement can have serious consequences on an individuals health

mentally and physically. Officers can experience anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress

disorder as a result of being exposed to stressful situations for a long period of time. Officers also
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experience health problems such as substance abuse addiction, weight gain or weight loss and an

increase in severe mood swings. There are many things to help deal with stress or reduce it in

Law Enforcement, one would be eating healthier, finding a hobby, planning vacations and

downtime and seeing a doctor regularly (Bond). Stress is something you cant cure or solve its

simply something that comes with the job of being a police officer but there are ways of reducing

or dealing with stress.

In conclusions, being a police officer has its rewards and its challenges because its a job

not many can do or want to do, but nevertheless its a job that someone has to do in order for

society to function properly. Officer Rightsell said that being a police officer requires an

individual to treat people with respect or treat them as if they were family (Rightsell), and that

happens to be true in every aspect of life. If there were more individuals like Officer Rightsell on

and off the field the world would be a much better place, there is not a problem that cant be

fixed and any challenges faced can be overcome and learned from. Being a police officer comes

with many challenges but it also comes with rewards and there cant be anything better than

helping out your community on a daily basis.

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Works Cited

Bond, Mark. 24 Feburary 2014. 23 October 2017.

Dietrich, Dr. Joseph. "STRESS behind the badge." The Ottawa Citizen 11 May 1995: B.1.

Parachini, Allen. ARTS&UPRISING. New York : American Theatre , 1992. Print .

Rightsell, Wesley. Challenges Police Officers face Glen Morales. 19 October 2017.

Treaster, Joseph B. "Police Striving To Find Ways Of Combating Rising Suicides." The New

York Times (1994): B1.

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