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Police Subculture- Add on Response
Nathan, I enjoyed reading your perspective and can relate to much of what you have expressed. Your explanation of the life cycle of a police career provided a clear and concise way of explaining this stressful aspects of law enforcement. I agree with your opinion on patience and its importance on keeping a balanced and clear mind while engaged in stressful policing activities. Your summary was informative and precise.
Your emphasis on education in your response aligns very much with my own philosophy on the matter, and is evidenced by this particular educational experience we are progressing through. By understanding life as one giant learning ground allows law enforcement officers to not place too much stress on themselves. Since this type of work is always mired in the unknown, being comfortable with ignorance is a good first step in becoming better educated and eventually a better professional.
I slightly disagree however with your closing statement expressing the need to shield family members from the pain and stresses. In my opinion, this repression could be dangerous in the long run. The plight of a law enforcement officer must be accompanied by friends and family so they can lend support. While some details of the job need to be used with discretion, the truth should never be hidden. Only when people understand...
Your comments on respect were very good and resonated with my own views on the matter. Incorporating respecting each and every individual citizen is at the heart of what law enforcement does. We work for the people, not the other way around. By expressing this notion you touched upon a commonly overlooked aspect of this profession.
I am glad you incorporated the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse in your writing. For me, this is very important and oftentimes ignored. Drinking alcohol is often treated as part of the job and is very prevalent throughout the profession. The risks of drowning sorrow and pain away, that is experienced in many different ways in a law enforcement career, are great and need to be addressed and not dismissed. The machismo associate with this profession may encourage people to take it too far. Courage must be tempered with patience and reason if it is to be of any use to the officer.
I wholeheartedly agree with your conclusion about family being the most important aspect of the personality and it must be successfully incorporated in order to keep all interested parties at an operational level.
Response 3
Carmen, I really appreciated your comments on…
Police Subculture The set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour followed by the members of law enforcement constitutes what is referred to as police subculture. Owing to the nature of their job, most police officers tend to view members of the general public as potential suspects, untrustworthy and even potentially hostile. Police officers expect support from their colleagues. Consequently, the "us versus them" scenario is created; where "us" refers to the police
Communication between individuals on the force varies considerably. There is a strict hierarchy in the force, as most people are aware of, claims Officer Friendly. Thus, a person does not speak to their superiors the same way as to coworkers or subordinates. It is important to maintain this hierarchy because it helps the officers have a chain of command that includes respect for authority. Without authority, there would be too
individuals join the police academy, they undergo rigorous training. This training teaches these individuals about many subjects such as criminal law, defensive tactics, and verbal judo amongst many others that the individuals may be required to apply during the course of the job. However, regardless of these teachings the professional culture influences the behaviors of these individuals separately creating a bias in the learning techniques. The police subculture is
As in many organizations, the common viewpoint among police officers and supervisors that referral to a mental health professional meant the loss of one's job. The perception prevented the victim from taking the proper action. The victim's superiors would attempt to help or protect him by denying the reality of his problem. As a result, the victim was denied the help he needed. These superiors were unduly concerned about
Description Law enforcement has a distinct professional culture that is comprised of both formal and informal elements. Formal elements are ensconced in rules and regulations. For example, training, hours of work, how to fill out paperwork, and wearing a uniform according to an individual’s status in the organization are formal elements of the culture. Informal elements are unspoken, including norms of behavior and the jargon used between officers. For example, informal
Stress Before Referencing What are the primary points of this article or informational link? How could a forensic psychologist contribute to a positive outcome? What type of psychological instrument could be of assistance in resolving the problems noted in this article? Although the physical dangers of policing the community are well-documented on the evening news on almost a daily basis, the psychological difficulties police officers confront are often less publicized. Police officers,