| This essay shows that there are number of risk factors as well as traits related to the culture of policing that lead many officers to suffer stress related emotional problems. The most serious of these problems is suicide. A number of studies have shown that there is a high incidence of suicide within the law enforcement profession. The essay reviews the literature of previous studies to present a number of physical, emotional, cultural, environmental, situational, and organizational factors that affect the emotional well being of members of the law enforcement community. The essay examined stress related emotional problems as they pertained to members of the New York City Police Department. The essay also shows the service delivery used by the NYPD in addressing stress related emotional problems. A number of policy proposals are made for further amelioration of this problem. |
