NCJ Number
122537
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 37 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1989) Pages: 29-31
Date Published
1989
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Responding to a felony in progress is the sixth highest source of job stress for patrol officers when considering both intensity and frequency of occurrence.
Abstract
When individuals encounter an especially stressful situation, their bodies prepare them to meet the demands of the environment. Centuries of conditioning have "programmed" the human body to escape from danger, or to stand and fight. A police officer driving a "code 3" is in a very stressful situation and his "fight-or-flight" mechanism is automatically triggered. There are several factors affecting him physically: his immediate surroundings, apprehension, and his body's fight or flight mechanism. Since thought processes are slowed (due to a reduced supply of oxygen to the brain) reflex action takes over instead of rational thought. The way the officer is trained to react is very important in this situation. Ways of overcoming this stress reaction include holding breath and exhaling slowly, making a conscious effort to slow breathing and heart rate, and relaxing muscles. Considering the complexity of policing in modern society, stress control methods must be learned and practiced in order to mediate the stress response. What once served as a survival instinct could now add to the existing hazards of police work unless managed effectively.