The book, “Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement,” by Randy Schultz focuses on explaining the challenges faced by police officers as well as offering suggestions for handling such difficulties. Schultz describes the difference in attitudes that officers have towards their jobs immediately after recruitment and a few years into their service. Rookies that have just been inducted into the force are enthusiastic about their jobs, they focus on the mission of becoming the best officers, and most of their attention is directed towards learning the job. However, their perceptions change over time as the policing responsibilities become more demanding and deprive them of the socialization opportunities that they previously enjoyed. As the years elapse and rookies start becoming veterans, they are socially isolated from other individuals apart from their colleagues, and the constant exposure to the hypervigilance biological rollercoaster alters their positive perceptions and replaces them with dark and negative views of the world.
The author establishes that police training applies a one-sided approach, which inclines the education of the officers almost exclusively to street survival tactics. When rookies are inducted into the force, the older cops are tasked with teaching them about the police culture. The veterans guide the new officers on the path to gaining experience and mastering the requirements of the job, but the message that they pass does not address all aspects of the transition that the rookies undergo. The training focuses on matters concerning how to become a trustable and reliable cop but fails to explore the changes that officers may experience in their personal lives resulting from the job strain that is associated with the demanding nature of executing law enforcement duties. Resultantly, they are forced to deal with emotional difficulties that alter their opinions. As the professional responsibilities of law enforcers increase, their personal commitments are disrupted, causing strain and dysfunction in the areas of their lives that are not about the job. Policing becomes a central component of the officers’ lives, a factor that negatively impacts the ability of the cops to manage familial relations. The strain thereof alters officer outlooks, creating dark and negative perceptions of the world around them. Thus, Schultz establishes that there is a need to help police officers shape their emotional responses to facilitate the betterment of their well-being by enhancing their work-life balance.
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Schultz uses different experiences based on the testimonies of the members of police officers ’ families to exemplify the emotional disturbance that characterizes the lives of the law enforcers. The author determines that the lack of knowledge on proper management of the emotional rollercoaster associated with the policing job causes cops to lose the capability to effectively control their feelings, to the extent that some become suicidal and take their lives. In other instances, the officers become incapable of relating with their families, causing strain on both their marital and parental relations. For example, Schultz highlights situations where officers’ family members acknowledge the changing behavior of the cops, primarily highlighting their detachment from ordinary socialization encounters unless they have something to do with policing duties. Thus, the author establishes that despite having to deal with emotionally demanding circumstances while on duty, officers can retain their ability to take charge of their emotions, especially if their training incorporates education on the realities of the emotional effects that a career in law enforcement may have.
Schultz establishes that there are shortcomings associated with managing the well-being of the workforce in law enforcement departments, which increase the rates of emotional issues that officers have to deal with. Police agencies implement reactive rather than preventive measures to address the challenges that the cops face . Usually, law enforcers are asked to seek counseling when emotional issues surface, instead of being required to access professional help to increase their capacity to handle their feelings beforehand. Hence, Schultz suggests that the counseling services offered to law enforcers should focus on preventing the manifestation of emotional difficulties among the cops rather than resolving the issues thereof.
Consequently, the author offers suggestions on the measures that can be taken to mitigate the effects of the emotional challenges that law enforcers experience. He insists on the need to engage in research to identify more solutions to the stated problem, emphasizing the necessity for organizations that offer emotional response services, such as police departments, to adopt precautionary measures that safeguard the emotional well-being of their workforces. Schultz establishes that there is a need for the creation of psychological screening tests that officers must take before receiving guns. The stated evaluations should be conducted after work, to facilitate the detection of emotional issues early enough and establish the possible counseling needs of the affected party. The author also highlights the necessity of enhancing the process of training officers by emphasizing on the positive impact that technological advancements have on task execution. For instance, enhanced ballistic vests minimize the psychological effects that shooting experiences may have on officers. Hence, the information that Schultz presents provides insights into the nature of emotional responses that police officers have to workplace activities, highlighting the need to implement effective intervention strategies that can enhance their capability to manage their feelings.
