What are the problems facing law enforcement today? Some of these include high stress, high rates of alcohol abuse, depression, suicide, divorce, as well as physical and mental fatigue. All these factors add up to a short life span, and it makes having a long career difficult. Most people in this career are not equipped to slow down and take a break from the grind of constant scrutiny and second-guessing. 

Most of us have families for which we feel responsible for. Being the proud father of a 16-year-old, I always worry that I am pushing my ideas and beliefs onto my kid. So, the stress of raising a teenager in this world is another huge factor that can contribute to stress. 

So, how do we cope with the rigors and the stress of this job while maintaining a family and having a desire to serve the community well? For most of us, it seems that everyone is allowed to make a mistake and receive a second chance. Unfortunately, this is not always true in this career field. You can make a good-faith decision and feel you are doing the right thing and relying on your training but sometimes, the results don’t go as planned. 

It is then that you can be faced with the increased scrutiny that those in law enforcement are facing today. There is mounting pressure to improve accountability, transparency and an ensurance to make sure officers are held accountable for their actions. Everyone wants a safe community, but most people are quick to not give officers the benefit of the doubt. As the rules change for those who are sworn to protect and serve, those who don’t have to abide by these rules continue to victimize and prey upon our society. 

One area I have not mentioned is dealing with a command staff that does not support its officers. When I speak of this area, I am speaking about departments in general. Some are really trying to protect their most valued asset, which is its officers. The retention and recruitment rate has fallen over the years, and unless this next generation begins to feel that someone has their back, it will continue to fall. 

One of the glaring problems I hear is that officers feel that they are putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. I spoke to an officer recently who made a solid arrest on a subject who had assaulted his spouse on three different occasions. Imagine his shock when this subject was released with only the direction to take some classes. The officer felt anger and basically said that he was the only one who cared about the people we were sworn to protect. But, fortunately, this country has numerous brave men and women who put on uniforms, go out and do thankless jobs and ask only to be treated fairly. I guess it’s true what a famous man once said: “No one ever wants to see a cop until you need one.”