This has increased the awareness and the formalization of the disorder. "…as a formal disorder, critical issues such as predictors of failure to recover from a trauma and the development and evaluation of effective treatments have just begun to be addressed in research using rigorous methodology" (Foa & Meadows, 1997, p
Another area of concern that emerges from the literature is that there is a relative paucity of research and data on this serious issue. As one study notes, "Studies of police officers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are relatively rare" (Green, 2004, p
449). A basic definition of PTSD is a "… mental health issue among many different cross-sections of society" (Martz, Birks & Blackwell, 2005, p
She emphasizes that all officers experience at least a few crucial traumatic incidents in the course of their careers. However, while for some these incidents have a minimal effect on their daily routine, for others "…the stress of these events becomes debilitating and intervention is necessary" (Sanford, 2003, p
.the "existence of a series of mutually reinforcing excitatory states beginning with multiple combat experiences and the recurring exciting recall of such experiences" (Solursh, 1989, p
It is argued here that police officers with long-term exposure to trauma may, like the soldier, experience the after-effects of trauma long after separation from the war. For some, symptomatology may be full-blown, for others, a residual condition may exist (Violanti, 1997, para
Background: Overview of PTSD In order to provide a comprehensive response to the central thesis of the present study it is essential to firstly establish the definition and meaning of post traumatic stress disorder in both a diagnostic as well as experiential sense. PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder has become an accepted medical condition since its inclusion as a diagnostic category in the third edition (1980) of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (Williams and Sommer, 1994, p
For example, as one study states; Some occupational groups are at increased risk of developing mental health problems due to the nature of their work, which can sometimes be extremely traumatic. Studies have shown that there is a high prevalence of PTSD and other psychiatric impairments in firefighters and police officers & #8230; (Ziegenbein and Kropp, 2012, para
Some of the major organizational theories associated with policing include the sociological, educational, psychological, and organizational theories. Organizational theory is associated with policing because of its link in the establishment of professional structures, administration, and control based administration of the police agencies ("Administration of Police Agencies," n
However, these police agencies and departments are organized similarly with their main difference being their jurisdiction. The various types of police agencies at the local, state, and federal level and their organization are explained below: Local Police Agencies: The local police agencies are the common and most visible departments since the municipal police officers are common as they represent villages, townships, and cities (Harkins, 2011)
The federal police agencies don't implement the local or state laws though they tip off the appropriate local or state authorities in the case of a suspicious activity. Principal Roles and Functions of Police Organizations: Similar to teaching and medicine, policing is one of the few professions that have a direct and intimate link with social change, social life, and social progress (Stevens, 2005)
Pepper spray is typically the weapon of choice when there are no suspects present who are armed or capable of physically overpowering the officer. (Hess 98)
Constitution, Tenth Amendment) This is interpreted to mean that the states have implied powers in addition to the powers explicitly enumerated to them in the Constitution. (Gardbaum 1996, 1252) Certain states are not happy with the federal government's progress on crime problems such as drug trafficking or illegal immigrants
Arizona had an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants in April 2010, a fivefold increase since 1990. (Broder, 2007)
The research questions in this study include those which ask the following questions: (1) What is being done to ethically address wrongful police use-of-force in their line of duty? (2) What more should be done to ethically address wrongful police use-of-force in their line of duty? Literature Review It is reported that ethical misconduct "taints the public perception of police" and that this is extremely "detrimental.to the profession." (Beech, nd, p
This meant new legislations had to be drafted and put in place and implemented there after by the police force. It is worth noting the crack cocaine has also cost many police officers their lives in the attempt to fight it more that other conventional crimes that had bee inexistence there before (Carter W.H., 2003)
Changes and how the police departments were affected 1940s and 1950s: The automobile becomes widely used in America. This meant that there was quicker access to far flung areas that may raise an alarm hence reduction in the crime as the criminals were either apprehended or feared committing crimes due to the fear of quick response (Division of State Police, 2014)
The recessions and depressions directly affect the police force as well since there is no extra cash within the government coffers to hire sufficient officers hence the few who are within the stations and posts have been working under stress and constrain at times with bare minimum supplies. It would be noted also that the depressions when they hit hard, they come with higher rates of unemployment hence higher crime rates and consequently more work stress on the police officers (Jackman T., 2010)
It has called for massive investment in the police force and extra training in order to be prepared to tackle terrorism before it happens and whenever it happens. The event itself caught the police departments on the wrong footing hence possible reason to believe lives that could have been saved were lost and these were bitter lessons for the American police force to act to turn proactive rather than reactive when it comes to terrorism (Kirsch S., 2014)
There was also an increase in trust of the police force among citizens as it was seen to be catering for the needs of all people. The civil rights movements also sneered higher responsibility among the police (Sagepub, 2006: Pp14)