Stress Control Program for Police Officers of the City of Miami Police Department (From Stress and Police Personnel, P 279-286, Leonard Territo and Harold J Vetter, ed. - See NCJ-76602)

• NCJ Number: 76608
• Author(s): M Axelberd; J Valle
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: Allyn and Bacon, Inc
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

The Miami Police Department's Stress Control Program teaches officers psychological, physiological, and nutritional methods to cope with pressures resulting from police work.

Abstract

Anticipated effects from the Stress Control Program include decreased absenteeism and reduced accidents among police officers, along with improved physical and mental health. The program contains 10 training sessions of 40 hours each, with 15 officers attending per session. Participation is voluntary and is open to all ranks from police departments in Dade and Monroe Counties, Fla. Individualized plans are developed for each participant, which consist of exercise and physical fitness regimes, nutritional guidelines, and techniques to reduce the psychological correlates of stress. Morning lectures and exercises are followed by individualized assessment, training, and practice in the afternoons. Officers are taught to recognize stress-related disorders, and a holistic approach to health is emphasized. Techniques for stress management are presented, including stress inoculation, assertion training, relaxation skills, a hypnosis demonstration, communications training, and transactional analysis. Each officer is provided with an individual biofeedback unit to measure progress in managing stress. Participants are subjected to a medical exam and tests to determine their physical fitness profiles and then follow a personal aerobic exercise plan. Police officers are vulnerable to poor eating habits and obesity. Nutritional experts discuss what constitutes a well-balanced diet, fad diets, and then make specific suggestions concerning eating habits based on a food diary and questionnaires completed by the officers. Participants' evaluations of the program have been highly encouraging, and research projects will assess performance differences between officers who completed the program and those who did not participate. Graduates of the Stress Control Program have recommended that families be involved and that all police personnel have some role in decisionmaking processes. No references are provided.