Examining the difference between law enforcement wellness programs and operational stress

Constant exposure to situations warranting mental and physical stability, leave some law enforcement officers feeling isolated or causes a displacement of anger with a way to manage the stress load. Research has shown the ongoing problem consists that law enforcement officers placed in stressful situations, both from an operational and organizational standpoint, have limited outlets on how they personally can handle the stress load.;This study applies the Angry Aggression Theory and Lazarus Psychological Theory of Stress as a framework to determine if offering a physical fitness wellness program to law enforcement officers shows a decrease in operational stress as reported by officers. This research utilizes a quantitative analysis to evaluate the research questions and hypotheses. The study employs the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire created by McCreary and Thompson (2006). The sample consists of answers from law enforcement officers from four different law enforcement agencies across a Midwestern State, two participating agencies offering a physical fitness wellness program and two agencies not offering a physical fitness wellness program. The data analysis uses a MANCOVA to analyze the primary research question and an ANOVA to analyze the research subquestions. The score indicates there is no statistical significance among offered wellness programs and operational stress as reported by officers using the four dependent variables and controlling for participation. The findings suggest limitations to the study, yet offers additional research in the area for clarification to determine if the lack of significance is possibly due to the limitations found. Suggestions are made for future research surrounding the topic.