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Abstract
The article discussed in this essay dives into whether or not officers are aware of the
mental health resources available to them, as well as their ability or willingness to participate in
them. It also examines the general attitude towards mental health services and how important it is
to keep departments educated on them. This will also place a large emphasis on shifting the
police subculture surrounding the seeking of mental health resources. It also addresses how this
mental health affects other aspects of their job and life.
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Premise and Supporting Points
Given the current, highly stressful political environment of policing in 2024 this article
has become more relevant as it was just published in 2023. Although a minor detail, the
relevance of research dwindles as more time passes and societal problems shift and change. This
article touches on some of the current sociopolitical problems within police and their subculture.
The article was also comprehensive in that it didn’t simply document how many officers
use mental health treatment. It dove deeper and asked if the officers knew the treatment was
available, whether or not they would even be willing to accept the help, and if something was
preventing them from getting the help that they deeply wanted. They gathered information on
these topics by using pen and paper surveys administered multiple times and then taking the
average of those answers. These answers were also entirely anonymous. They then used an
established scale to educate the participants on the definitions and intentions of the survey. 93%
of those that they educated and spoke to participated in the survey, lending even more credibility
to their research. The higher participation means a greater understanding of what was being
asked of them. (Padilla, 2023)
This article was a great article to pave the way for an update to the policies and
procedures in police departments regarding mental health. A way to make it more accessible, in
some cases more confidential and secret, in some cases allowing on-the-clock time to participate.
There is data to back a systemic change.
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Weaknesses of the Article
The biggest weakness of the article was the fact that all of its data came from a single
police department. Yes, participation was high. Yes, the responses were thorough and consistent.
However, one department cannot possibly speak for the rest of the departments in the United
States. Additionally, because they completed the survey and teaching within such a small time
frame, they may not have gotten consistent thoughts from those they interviewed. Much of how
people respond to personal surveys depends on how they were feeling that day, what was
happening in their personal lives, what the current climate is at their job, and so on. Therefore
they could “catch someone on a bad day.” (Padilla, 2023)
There are also the standard issues that come with self-report surveys; people aren’t
always honest with themselves. People don’t always answer the way they should, but rather the
way that makes them look best to others despite anonymity. On this same token, what the
researchers identified as barriers to getting mental health may not be the same barriers the
officers had in mind. It simply isn’t possible to identify all barriers in someone's life. (Padilla,
2023)
Relation to Harmening and Gamez
The chapter that stands out the most in this text for this module is Chapter 4. This chapter
speaks about relationships, violence, domestic abuse, and so on. Many officers due to the stress
of their jobs experience a life falling apart. They lose the ability to balance, focus, and handle the
stresses and strains that come with a relationship. (Harmening & Gamez, 2015) 28% of police
officers perpetuate violence in their relationships, presumably due to poor coping with job
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stressors. This is an alarming number compared to the 16% of the rest of the population. This
could be solved with a shift of the beliefs of mental health help and more accessibility.
(Blumenstein, 2009)
Relation to Linebach and Kovacsiss
Chapters four and five of the textbook talk about the entire history of police civil liability.
Linebach and Kovacsiss start right after the Civil War and cover every landmark in between.
Since the focus of this article is mental health as it leads to burnout and poor decision-making,
we will cherry-pick the sections of text that speak on that. Page 52 talks about the “failure to
train” (Linebach and Kovacsiss, YEAR) This particular reason for litigation is especially hard for
officers because it's not their fault. They cannot do something they’re never been taught or
trained for, and knowing that one-third of these cases are won by the plaintiffs, is more undue
stress that could be avoided with proper training. Chapter five talks about the use of force, but
that circles back to training again. (Linebach & Kovacsiss, 2022)
Conclusion
Mental health is arguably the most important and prevailing issue in the world of
policing. It is directly tied to every other aspect of their jobs and lives. As burnout, maladaptive
coping, relationships, job stresses and political climates, and civil liability all stay concerns
officers find themselves under more stress than ever. Until there is a subculture shift, and a way
to access these resources more effectively, we will continue to have these problems.
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References
Blumenstein, L. (2009, May). Domestic violence within law enforcement families: The link
ppppppbetween traditional police subculture and domestic violence among police. Digital
ppppppCommons @ University of South Florida.
pppppphttps://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/1862/#:~:text=The%20most%20recent
%20resepppppparch%20in,respectively%20(Sgambelluri%2C%202000).
Harmening, W., & Gamez, A. (2015). Forensic Psychology. Pearson.
Linebach, J. A., & Kovacsiss, L. M. (2022). Psychology in The Justice System . Verisega.
Padilla, K. E. (2023, March 15). A descriptive study of police officer access to Mental
ppppppHealth Services. Journal of police and criminal psychology.
pppppphttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10015532/
