I can only imagine…

The photo is from when I applied to the Houston, Texas police department in 1971. I was 19 years old.

I never heard anything from them after that.

And that’s okay—the career path I ended up with was a better fit for me.  Of that, I am sure.

I can only imagine what things would have been like if I had been hired. At the time, it was a potential job opportunity and career path to a better life.  I didn’t really perceive any downsides.  Today, though, I see plenty.

In 2012, a study of 464 police officers linked the day-to-day stress of police work to “increased levels of sleep disorders, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, brain cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and suicide.” Other studies show that 7 to 19 percent of active-duty officers have PTSD.  MRIs of the brains of police officers have identified a connection “between experiencing trauma and a reduction in areas that play roles in emotional and cognitive decision-making, memory, fear, and stress regulation.”¹

The lives of police officers are impacted in four key ways.²

1. Stress is chronic. The suicide rate for police is one of the highest for any group. From repetitive trauma exposure and socializing with peers who must cope with the same, they are at risk for developing alcohol abuse and dependency. Conflicting expectations between the officer’s professional standards and the need to deal with complex and difficult situations add to the stress.
2. The family is impacted: Long hours, rotating shifts, canceled leaves.  Officers miss birthdays, school activities, and other family milestones. Some officers may be overly controlling at home.
3. Social isolation is not uncommon.  Officers most commonly associate with other officers.  Seeing people at their worst may lead some officers to feel that the world consists mainly of criminals and fools.  With some, this may lead to an “us against them” mentality.
4. Public perception can be debilitating.  This is particularly true over the last year or so.  It’s natural that police officers worry about how what they do will be perceived by others.

I admire and respect people who ethically and responsibly work in law enforcement.

I do not support the calls for defunding or disbanding of police organizations.  If anything, funding should be increased, with higher pay commensurate with the difficulties and stresses of the work.

With cameras of all types—cell phones, CCTV, doorbell cams, body cams, dash cams, etc.—so widespread, it is far easier today to scrutinize the behavior of police.  While, in some respects, it may make the job more difficult, those who ethically and responsibly work the job should embrace the technology.

I don’t think I would have been a good fit for police work—and it certainly would not have been a good fit for me.

1. Hayasaki, E. (2014, March 14). Life of a Police Officer: Medically and Psychologically Ruinous. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/life-of-a-police-officer-medically-and-psychologically-ruinous/284324/. (Accessed July 3, 2021)
2. Heibutzki, R. (2018, August 8). The Effects of Being a Police Officer. Work. https://work.chron.com/effects-being-police-officer-8866.html. (Accessed July 3, 2021)