How does management keep Officers from becoming frustrated?

[michaelsteven]

I am looking at this from the eyes of a man who almost took a job with a big city Police Department in the Sixties. I took the test, and was given a date and time for physical. Then I got an offer for something else, and for reasons I won't go into, I took the other job.

This difficult decision turned out to be the most important decision in my life. I would have made a terrible Police Officer. I am sure I would have ended up shooting some idiot. (An idiot who probably deserved it.)

A good friend who took the test with me did hire on. I next saw him ten years later, and the man who wanted to help the downtrodden, had become full of hate for everyone.

He told me that he did not trust anyone who wasn't wearing blue. I told him that if he did not get away from the city, he would not be around much longer.

The next time I heard of him, he was dead. He had quit the Department, but he could not quit drinking. A simple fall did him in.

My question is about how any human could work in the "Bad Side" of town, over an extended peroid of time, and not lose his way.

Does the Department have any effective ways to monitor, and protect the Officer from the frustrations of trying to do a job that we all know can not be done.

Does the Union have any good answers?

Does the top brass, or the politicians have any idea what the poor guy on the street is going through. (I assume the Brass is now made up of people with good educations, but not too much time in the rough part of town.)

My guess would be that if there is an answer, it would come from a person who had actually been there. (Maybe one of you guys?)

I ask this because I can't imagine any way that I could have done your job, and stayed sane. I don't think I could have kept it from messing up any relationship I might have had with a woman.

I just wonder if anything works. My knowledge is from the Sixties and the Seventies. I hope you guys have better ways to cope than my friend did.

[Curt581]

Does the Department have any effective ways to monitor, and protect the Officer from the frustrations of trying to do a job that we all know can not be done.

The department has many effective ways to 'monitor' us. However, none of them were designed or are used to 'protect' line officers. They are there to protect the public from us, to protect the department from liability, protect the upper echelon from adverse press... and to a somewhat lesser extent, provide evidence in prosecuting criminals.

Does the Union have any good answers?

Some, but the union is limited in what they can do. Some agencies have POST teams that counsel members when the member asks for help, others have a more informal arrangement. The problem is, there is a stigma attached to seeking help with stress or mental issues. I'm not talking about looking less manly... there are liability issues, so many agencies seek to rid themselves of officers that exhibit signs of mental health trouble, as quickly as possible. Admit you have a problem, and you could be facing a "fitness for duty" rap.

Does the top brass, or the politicians have any idea what the poor guy on the street is going through. (I assume the Brass is now made up of people with good educations, but not too much time in the rough part of town.)

You're assuming the top brass gives a rip about their officers. I can assure you, many do not. Many have no interest in the well being of their staff. Too focused on their own career goals and public image. They figure, "hey, that's your problem".

I just wonder if anything works. My knowledge is from the Sixties and the Seventies. I hope you guys have better ways to cope than my friend did.

Great strides have been made in the area, but an agency has to want to implement methods to deal with such issues. Many do not want to expend the time, funds, or effort.

[retdetsgt]

Some people aren't equipped for the job. Your friend sounds like one.

Burn out happens to some people and a lot of them are the ones who come on too idealistic about what a police officer does. I can say that during my 28 years, I never, ever had a day that I dreaded coming to work on my normal shift. (Some call ins had me grumbling, but that's a different story).

But I didn't come on at 21 and fresh out of college. I had 6 years in the Army, one of which was in combat and had no illusions about the world or how much effect I could have on it on a daily basis. I also did my best to do as much for people as to them. I wasn't necessarily officer friendly, but I learned early on not to come on like John Wayne on every contact with the public.

I worked around guys like your friend and hated every minute of being around them. At more than a couple, I suggested strongly that they quit and look for a job in the grocery business. They were a disservice to the community and the people around them who were still trying to do the job.

As far as not trusting anyone but cops, I found that ALL cops aren't trustworthy. The vast majority of my friends happened to be cops because I developed the friendships at work. But they were friends because I thought they were good people and we liked each other. I also worked around cops that I had no desire to even talk to off duty.

And not being able to do the job? Bull****. I did my part of the job and pretty well, I thought. If the rest of the system didn't work, why should I take responsibility for that? I have no control over juries or even the prosecutor's office. As long as I do the best I can and give them a good prosecutable case, I did my job. I never saw "clean up the world" anywhere in my job description. But I did see enforce the law and investigate cases and present them for prosecution. I did that everyday.

Drinking..... I'm a recovering alcoholic. I can tell you that my drinking had nothing to do with being a cop although I used it as an excuse many times. Along with my wife is a b!tch, my dog hates me, my car wouldn't start this morning, on down the line.

Frankly, the hardest part of my job was putting up with my administration. They always tended to judge what I did today on what appears in the paper tomorrow. But doing the job itself was a kick.

[Curt581]

You've always got the best perspective on stuff like this, RDS.

LOL... I'm probably the wrong person to be answering this one.

[pac201]

Curt and RDS, you both have nailed it to a T. I've been "at it" a while, been in the position of the brass worrying about what it's going to look like in the paper tomorrow... Am in the position now of looking out for the line officers, I love my job. I've been married for nearly 40 years to the same woman, been a cop for 34+ years; we still have good days and bad days, but it's what we make of them.

I have a lot of cop friends and I have people that I know who are cops that are not on my friend list. I make it a point to have friends outside of law enforcement; it is necessary to balance things out.

Since I get to make the rules, we do have a policy that allows an officer to seek counseling without the stigma (at department expense) when the officer (or management) deems it necessary.

Back to the OP, some are just not cut out for the job. People will burn out typically within about 5-8 years and become very cynical and dread the job. They either need to get away for a while, or get out altogether. BTW, did I mention I love my job?

[retdetsgt]

Thanks for the kind words, Curt.

The bottom line is, you have to find happiness within yourself. If you expect to get it from a job, other people or things, you will always be disappointed at some point because none will ever live up to your expectations.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "People are generally about as happy as they want to be". And I found that to be so true. At some point in my life, I decided that I wanted to be happy and I am. Rather than spend time worrying about what I don't have, I started being grateful for what I do have. And looking at a lot of the people I met at work, both co-workers and the public, I realized how blessed I am.

Some people just love being pissed, I guess. They seem to be constantly irate about things they have no control over. Whether it's their job, the government, their spouse, their neighbor, it's always something.

To me, it's all about attitude. If I don't control my attitude, it will control me. And if I let it control me, I'm going to be pretty unhappy with life. Today I am literally dying from emphysema. I have a hip that I'm afraid is going to have to be replaced in the near future. In reality, I have more serious problems that I have ever had in my life. But I enjoy the hell out of every day and nearly cry when I look around at all the wonderful people I have in my life. Sounds kind of sappy, I know, but at the end of the day, it's the relationships I have and the happiness I find in my life that's important. I don't have time to be pissed off. And you don't need to be as old as I am to develop a good attitude.

[fatboyjim154]

You've always got the best perspective on stuff like this, RDS.

'Tis the older wiser one!

[mcsap]

Being exposed to the underbelly of humanity day after day does tend to wear on you. This is one reason why I can retire in 8 months ( 25 yrs and age 50 ) at half pay and medical bennies. I may stay a little longer but

If you let this job get to you , you will have a VERY difficult time not only with the job but at home too. Alcohol , other women and poor work ethic / performance can start to rear their ugly heads.

Think of it as a long time to acquire PTSD issue. In the military , it can happen in a short amount of time. Although we are not engaged in combat ( that can be argued to a point ) , we nonetheless deal with the worst of society on a regular basis and the rules of engagement alone can drive you nuts.

We are strongly encouraged to speak to a free counselor at any time over any issues and it is mandatory after certain situations like an officer involved shooting. We can also be made to go. Some people need a good push in the right direction.

[cntryboy0531]

Thanks for the kind words, Curt.

The bottom line is, you have to find happiness within yourself. If you expect to get it from a job, other people or things, you will always be disappointed at some point because none will ever live up to your expectations.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "People are generally about as happy as they want to be". And I found that to be so true. At some point in my life, I decided that I wanted to be happy and I am. Rather than spend time worrying about what I don't have, I started being grateful for what I do have. And looking at a lot of the people I met at work, both co-workers and the public, I realized how blessed I am.

Some people just love being pissed, I guess. They seem to be constantly irate about things they have no control over. Whether it's their job, the government, their spouse, their neighbor, it's always something.

To me, it's all about attitude. If I don't control my attitude, it will control me. And if I let it control me, I'm going to be pretty unhappy with life. Today I am literally dying from emphysema. I have a hip that I'm afraid is going to have to be replaced in the near future. In reality, I have more serious problems that I have ever had in my life. But I enjoy the hell out of every day and nearly cry when I look around at all the wonderful people I have in my life. Sounds kind of sappy, I know, but at the end of the day, it's the relationships I have and the happiness I find in my life that's important. I don't have time to be pissed off. And you don't need to be as old as I am to develop a good attitude.

I am very tempted to print this out, remove names, and post it in the briefing room.

Also give a copy to the wife.

[retdetsgt]

Think of it as a long time to acquire PTSD issue. In the military , it can happen in a short amount of time. Although we are not engaged in combat ( that can be argued to a point ) , we nonetheless deal with the worst of society on a regular basis and the rules of engagement alone can drive you nuts.

We are strongly encouraged to speak to a free counselor at any time over any issues and it is mandatory after certain situations like an officer involved shooting. We can also be made to go. Some people need a good push in the right direction.

You are absolutely correct in that you can acquire PTSD over time by the experiences you have. And you don't have to be in shootings or other situations. Trauma comes in a lot of forms, dealing with fatal accidents time and again can bring it on. Not to mention dealing with a command structure that's not terribly stable. And the problem comes when we stuff it down and not deal with it. I found that it accumulates like a water glass. If you keep putting water in it, it will eventually overflow and that can get ugly.

And counseling from a professional can certainly release some of it. We require everyone involved in a shooting to attend a minimum of 4 sessions before coming back to work. If more is needed, it's provided. That is something that's come about only the last 25 years or so in my department. When I was in my first shooting, I was expected (and did) come back to work the next night as if nothing had happened.

I know lots of cops who went through their entire careers working in some of the ugliest assignments (fatal wrecks, child abuse, homicide, etc.) who never became cynical, never seemed to experience PTSD and were pretty happy people. And everyone of them had interests outside of police work and being a cop wasn't their primary self identity. I left with PTSD and although police work contributed to it, it wasn't the core of it.

The basis of the psychological exam isn't just to weed out crazies. It's to find personalities that the psychologist thinks will be able to adapt to police work and survive it. Unfortunately, it's probably as much of an art as it is a science. But people can do things to help themselves mentally as well as physically. To me striving to maintain a good attitude is near the top of the list.

[cntryboy0531]

I am looking at this from the eyes of a man who almost took a job with a big city Police Department in the Sixties. I took the test, and was given a date and time for physical. Then I got an offer for something else, and for reasons I won't go into, I took the other job.

This difficult decision turned out to be the most important decision in my life. I would have made a terrible Police Officer. I am sure I would have ended up shooting some idiot. (An idiot who probably deserved it.)

A good friend who took the test with me did hire on. I next saw him ten years later, and the man who wanted to help the downtrodden, had become full of hate for everyone.

He told me that he did not trust anyone who wasn't wearing blue. I told him that if he did not get away from the city, he would not be around much longer.

The next time I heard of him, he was dead. He had quit the Department, but he could not quit drinking. A simple fall did him in.

My question is about how any human could work in the "Bad Side" of town, over an extended peroid of time, and not lose his way.

Does the Department have any effective ways to monitor, and protect the Officer from the frustrations of trying to do a job that we all know can not be done.

Does the Union have any good answers?

Does the top brass, or the politicians have any idea what the poor guy on the street is going through. (I assume the Brass is now made up of people with good educations, but not too much time in the rough part of town.)

My guess would be that if there is an answer, it would come from a person who had actually been there. (Maybe one of you guys?)

I ask this because I can't imagine any way that I could have done your job, and stayed sane. I don't think I could have kept it from messing up any relationship I might have had with a woman.

I just wonder if anything works. My knowledge is from the Sixties and the Seventies. I hope you guys have better ways to cope than my friend did.

"Beatings will continue until Morale improves"

In all seriousness, my department has a counseling program, and other things when work puts too much of a load on you. But as for things the administration does to prevent us from being frustrated? Not much. I do get frustrated with them from time to time.

All in how you approach work IMO. As RDS has said, I think it's your mentality. You can choose to be angry, or you can choose to roll with it. I do my absolute best not to stress about things that are beyond my control. I remind people at work (and myself at times) that my job in the grand scheme of things, is very small. My responsibilty is to investigate criminal offenses, and charge people accordingly, and build good cases. I'm not going to save the world, I'm not going to end all crime, but I maybe able to keep some people off the streets, if nothing more than a little while.

Just need to take a realistic approach to work. I've worked with people that are miserable and complain all the time, and I can't stand them. I'll admit I b1tch and moan from time to time like any other human, but there are some that are just miserable with work, and as a result DON'T work. I've told a couple myself that if they hate work so much, to the point they are screwing their sector partners over with calls for service, to leave and go find employment elsewhere.

[greg72982]

Working in two small depts. I can honestly say I have no issues with the administration.

My biggest issues are with the work ethic of my coworkers. People calling off, not wanting to work weekends or holidays (exactly what kind of hours did they think they were going to have??) etc. I hate that if I want a day off (which is rare) it is next to impossible to get shifts covered because everyone has 2+ jobs and either work them or are just lazy. Another issue I have is no one else seems to care. They half *** the job.

I guess with the little amount they pay maybe it is asking too much for people to be reliable and to care about their jobs???

[retdetsgt]

I guess with the little amount they pay maybe it is asking too much for people to be reliable and to care about their jobs???

Think about that statement. I have no doubt it's because of how little they pay that people don't care about their jobs. I'm afraid that would be my attitude. Why should I care about someplace that doesn't care enough about me to pay me a decent wage?

There are exceptions and you're no doubt one, but in life you generally get what you pay for.

[Safety Steve]

Think about that statement. I have no doubt it's because of how little they pay that people don't care about their jobs. I'm afraid that would be my attitude. Why should I care about someplace that doesn't care enough about me to pay me a decent wage?

There are exceptions and you're no doubt one, but in life you generally get what you pay for.

++9 and rep sent your way RDS!

Can you hear Texas calling you Greg?


Be Safe.

[retdetsgt]

++9 and rep sent your way RDS!

Can you hear Texas calling you Greg?


Be Safe.

Thanks.

I'm surprised that corruption isn't rampant where Greg works. Too often, if you give people power and authority and don't pay them, they find ingenious ways to supplement their income.

My department was corrupt as hell before I came on. The older guys told me some horrific stories about cops being on the take. In fact, it was just commonplace for years. Guys were assigned as bagmen to go around and collect tribute from the merchants up through the early 60's at least.

One of the things they did to combat it was raise the pay considerably so they could raise the standards. We had a lot of guys on who didn't even have high school educations when I started. They raised the pay in 1969 and started looking more closely at applicants, plus the new mayor cracked down on some of the bull****. Then suddenly there were a whole lot of retirements. But if they hadn't raised the pay quite a bit, nothing would have changed because they would have still had the same pool of applicants. I know I wouldn't have given it a second thought if they had the same pay scale they had in 1968. The pay in 1970 was a living wage, the other was not.