Deck 13: Personal Toll of Police Work

Question 1

Officer Brown had a difficult time going back to his job as a police officer after witnessing his partner get shot; he felt intense feelings of fear and helplessness and continuously thought about the shooting. It appears Officer Brown is suffering from

A) high blood pressure.
B) diabetes.
C) the Blue Flu.
D) post-traumatic stress disorder.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Officer Davidson addressed the stressors related to his job through smoking and drinking too much alcohol. Such _______ strategies are harmful means to address stress.

A) avoidance
B) action-oriented
C) smoothing-focused
D) deterrence

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following reflects the research findings regarding police officers and drug abuse and alcohol use disorders?

A) Officers appear to be at a higher risk than the general public for alcohol use disorders, but not drug abuse.
B) Officers appear to be at a higher risk than the general public for drug abuse, but not alcohol use disorders.
C) Officers appear to be at a lower risk than the general public for both.
D) Officers appear to be at a higher risk than the general public for both.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following reflects the research findings regarding police officers and domestic violence?

A) Officers appear to have higher rates of domestic violence compared to the generalpublic.
B) Officers appear to have lower rates of domestic violence compared to the generalpublic.
C) Research has yet to examine officer rates of domestic violence.
D) Officers who were recently promoted have higher rates of domestic violencethan those who were not.

Question 5

Which of the following provides funding to police departments that adopt protocols that address domestic violence cases involving police officers?

A) The Save Our Spouses Domestic Violence Initiative
B) The Support for Supporting Officers and Their Families Plan
C) The Amanda Rhyner Safe Spouses Protocol
D) The Crystal Judson Domestic Violence Protocol Program

Question 6

The Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban, which is often called the _______ Amendment, bans access to firearms by individuals who are convicted of domestic violence.

A) Simpson
B) Lautenberg
C) Prevention
D) Smithsonian

Question 7

Which of the following would be considered a critical warning sign that an officer may be considering suicide?

A) Excessive bragging
B) Giving away personal items
C) Close attachment to family and friends
D) Impeccable hygiene and appearance

Question 8

Stress cannot be beneficial.

Question 9

The harmful effects of policing include stressful situations that can result in psychological and physical harm.

Question 10

Female officers face several unique stressors compared to male officers.

Question 11

Officers who use alcohol and drugs generally do so for the same reasons as civilians: for recreational purposes and to cope with problems.

Question 12

The research literature is very clear in stating that police officers are more likely than those in other occupations to experience health-related problems due to the lifestyle of the officers, and not the stress involved with the position.

Question 13

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that protective services (including police officers) are among the occupations with the lowest levels of suicide.

Question 14

Police officers have increasingly taken advantage of suicide support programs, and departments have encouraged officers to report critical warning signs in other officers.

Question 15

Identify and discuss the various categories of police stress. Now, assume you are a police chief and want to best address stress in your department. What would you do to confront the issues within each of these categories?

Question 16

Discuss how substance abuse, family problems, health problems, and suicide impact policing. Are officers particularly susceptible to these issues? If so, why? If not, why not?