Police Stress, Self Destructive Behavior and Officer Misconduct; the Nature of the Job

On April 26, 2003 Police Chief David Brame of Tacoma, Washington fatally shot his wife and then shot and killed himself in front of his children. Brame and his wife had been going through divorce proceedings and there appeared to be accusations of verbal and physical abuse from both parties.  As a 44 years old second generation police officer, Brame was one of the youngest police chiefs Tacoma had ever seen.  In his professional life Brame was well liked police employee who had excelled in his career and quickly risen up the ranks. (New York Times, The, 2003).  However it is clear that off-duty, Brame’s personal life was a different environment containing problems that had gone unaddressed.  This refusal to acknowledge weakness and handle personal problems is an issue which plagues the men and women in the law enforcement profession.

Our society holds police employees to a very high standard; a public trust that comes with wearing a badge and carrying a gun.  Peace officers undergo strict background investigations and adhere to state prescribed training guidelines which elevates them to a status among the populace where they are assumed to always be on the right side of the law.  However this can be a dangerous assumption to always adhere to as law enforcement employees are human beings capable of human mistakes and wrongdoings, and in a stressful job like policing, this is a serious problem for law enforcement agencies.

The Tacoma Police Department’s investigation of the David Brame murder/suicide revealed that, in the days leading up to the shooting, Brame had told people that he had felt his career was coming to an end (Komonews, 2003) illustrating external pressure that Brame was dealing with aside from his impending divorce with his wife; and one can only imagine the stress involved with running a police department.  The case of David Brame, while an extreme example, is illustrative of how the stressful career of law enforcement can seep into an officer’s personal life and cause destruction. 

Incidents of domestic violence are one of the most frequent calls for service that police agencies receive.  Yet according to the Police Dynamic Institute the domestic violence rate for police employees is one of the highest compared collectively to employees of other professions.  Stress, often the fuel for incidents of domestic violence, is an obvious candidate for blame in considering this problem coupled with a feeling, from police officers, that other people (such as their domestic partners) don’t understand their jobs.  Not surprisingly, the divorce rate among law enforcement is 60-70% higher than the national average.  (Police Dynamics Institute, Inc., 2006)  Over the last decade counseling and chaplain services are much more available to police employees, but even if an officer does not take out his/her problems at home, he/she may still look to other illegal self-destructive behaviors for stress-release. 

On June 17, 1971 President Richard Nixon officially declared War on Drugs citing drug abuse as public enemy number one and since that time period our prison population has skyrocketed; many of the inmates being drug offenders.  While one could argue that drug addiction is a medical problem requiring medical treatment, our society has tasked law enforcement with handling the nation’s drug problem through the detection and apprehension of buyers and sellers of illegal drugs.

While drug and alcohol abuse often are closely tied into socioeconomic deprivation and the resulting stress of such a lifestyle, the daily environment of law enforcement employees, especially those working in jails and prisons, creates a similar stressful lifestyle and search for outlets are often self destructive in nature.  The term “drug abuse” is often connotative of hard drugs perpetuated by imaging depicted in the media.  However other drugs such as pain/sleeping pills or even legal drugs such as alcohol may be a temporary stress reliever for police employees looking to find an outlet.  It is not surprising that alcoholism among law enforcement employees is two times the national average. With such stress associated with this occupation depression rates go up and often lead to suicide; law enforcement suicide rates are three times higher than the national average.  (Police Dynamics Institute, Inc., 2006)

There is a great amount of necessity and pressure placed on police officers to maintain good physical conditioning for a variety of reasons; notably safety and departmental image.  Another self destructive stress reliever that persons who are depressed may turn to is over eating or turning to “comfort food” in times of depression.  This practice can lead to obesity, diabetes and depression.  To counter this problem, law enforcement agencies often offer pay incentives to officers who maintain certain physical standards.  However some officers may take this, often obsessive, desire to be physically fit to different type of drug abuse; the use of anabolic steroids.  

There has been a hiring practice throughout the history of law enforcement where traditionally large men, highly capable in a physical altercation, may find their physical attributes favorable in a police department.  The use of steroids accelerates this process and allows for unparalleled muscle growth.  A good example of this type of police officer is Ronnie Colman of the Arlington, Texas police department.  As a competitive professional body builder, Colman denies steroid usage, however his physical appearance is indicative of this type of police deviance.

All of the aforementioned acts of deviance are generally self destructive.  These may come about for a variety of reasons, but one of the most stressful and wearisome elements of police work, is the tendency to become frustrated with the criminal justice system itself.  Officers are often disillusioned by what appears to be a revolving door policy of the system as they see the same offenders sent to jail, bailed out and returned to the street only to re-offend and/or receive a reduced sentence in a criminal court.  While an officer may turn to one of the already discussed behaviors, their frustration may also manifest in other ways; such as the inappropriate use of force.  In the criminal justice system, punishing persons convicted of a crime is left in the hands of the courts, in sentencing, and in the hands of corrections, which carries out the sentencing.  However when an officer is frustrated with the other institutions of criminal justice, “street justice” may result as the officer violently carries out his/her punishment on suspects through police brutality and the excessive use of force under the color of authority.

While there are many more issues that could be examined in this discussion about officer stress and deviance, I want to end with a personal experience.  I had the opportunity of befriending a former sheriff’s deputy who found the stressful nature of law enforcement too overbearing.  As his coworker, I sought mentorship in him in the culture and practices of law enforcement.  Over the next few years of our friendship he shared many of the details of his career and why he was no longer a cop.  For the sake of respecting the confidence in which he told me the following story, I will exclude his name.

During his field training, his training officer (FTO) had cynically told him that every cop acquires three things through police work: a mustache, a divorce and a motorcycle.  By the end of my friend’s career, he had obtained everything but the motorcycle.  As a self described, “classic donut eating cop,” he used to cope with stress and depression, induced by his career in law enforcement and resulting divorce, by eating “comfort” foods.  In time he had put on too much weight and had to retire due to medical reasons; he became obese and ultimately developed diabetes.  After his career in law enforcement he dabbled in private security and private investigations as well as serving as a mentor figure to my coworkers and I.  Last summer he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head finalizing the end result of a stressful lifestyle in law enforcement.

Tremendous pressure is placed on the men and women of the law enforcement profession.  As the guardians of our personal safety, they are the keepers of the gates to the criminal justice system.  It is important to remember that the police are human beings, making human decisions about human problems.  As a society we must remember that their mental well being is at stake and ensure that they have the resources to cope with the stress of their careers and keep their focus as they serve the public and protect our life and property.

References:

1) Frontline. (n.d.). Thirty Years of America's Drug War. Retrieved November 16, 2011, from PBS.org: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/

2) KOMONEWS. (2003, September 30). New Evidence Released In David Brame Murder-Suicide. Retrieved November 16, 2011, from KOMONEWS.com: http://www.komonews.com/news/archive/4106151.html

3) New York Times, The. (2003, April 28). Tacoma Police Chief Shoots Wife Before Killing Himself, Authorities Say. Retrieved November 16, 2011, from New York Times, The: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/28/us/tacoma-police-chief-shoots-wife-before-killing-himself-authorities-say.html

4) Police Dynamics Institute, Inc. (2006). Highest Rates of Divorce, Alcoholism, Domestic Violence, and Suicides . Retrieved November 16, 2011, from Police-Dynamics.com: http://www.wwjdag.com/police-dynamics/divorce.html