Emotions and Policing How to Manage Them

Debilitative Emotions and Policing: A Bad Combination

Debilitative emotions are defined as emotions which can inhibit otherwise rational thought. Good examples of debilitative emotions include depression, anxiety, and anger (Davis, 2019). Although police officers are not robots, they are expected to put professionalism ahead of their emotions and not be swayed by gut reactions. Unfortunately, once, when a colleague of mine and I were notified about a crime in progress, the two of us showed up at the same time, began pursuing the criminal in different directions, yet ultimately ended up colliding into one another rather than apprehending the suspect.

We prioritized speed over logic, and did not use our time or our knowledge effectively in the situation. We were both overcome with a flood of emotions, and neither of us was able to keep a cool head at the time. Keeping negative emotions in check is absolutely critical (Davis, 2019). One common fallacy is the red herring fallacy, or the distracting fallacy that diverts attention away from the real issue. The two of us were so focused upon making sure we had the entire area covered (hence, going in two different directions) that we did not keep our eye and central attention upon the criminal himself. We were more focused upon planning than upon assessing the actual environment, and distracted by thinking about what might happen, or what had happened in the past.

Another fallacy was that of a false dilemma (Thompson, 2021). Likewise, we were convinced that there were only two options, namely the idea that either myself or my colleague could apprehend the suspect and we could not do this together. As a result, we constructed the plan to try to head in two different directions so only one of us was apt to catch him. In the end, neither of us did. However, if we had effectively pursued him together, speedily, without losing track of him, this would have been better than attempting to cover all available bases. Ultimately, we made ineffective use of our resources and our knowledge of the specific situation.

Part of being a good policeman is knowing how to make good decisions under pressure. In a situation such as the one we experienced, when our emotions went from zero to a hundred in matter of minutes, it is easy to lose sight of this fact. Part of the problem is that some emotions which can be debilitating such as the sense of adrenaline coursing through your veins, excitement, even a touch of anxiety, can be necessary to protect one’s self against a dangerous suspect, and to be able to engage in an effective high-speed chase. The downside is that too much in the way of negative emotions can be so overwhelming that all such positive benefits are quickly lost.