A Law Enforcer is a servant who protects the public from evils while also having the skill and courage to fight in battle. Law enforcement jobs are challenging as well hazardous in multiple ways. The officials are often mandated to respond to and solve diverse violent situations for internal to external peace of a country. Thereby, they may often be pressured to apply deadly force to resolve such dangerous incidents effectively.

However, the coin has two sides. Officers are called upon to save and protect victims of crimes too for e.g. Battered women, abused children, who resemble them to as compassionate guardians too. It may be inferred that law enforcers, as frontline professionals, undertake a dual role: that of the Justice league and that of the €œsocial worker€. Especially which was bought into the limelight in the course of this pandemic of 2020.

Where countries imposed lockdown and quarantines for the general public protection, law enforcers had to be in fields to make certain the regulation enforced was observed and practiced .As well they reached to help folks who required it, endangering their health.

These officials are always expected to carry out well and make the right choices even under severe stress. The Government, their higher authorities and the public in general pressurize the officials not only to be healthy, but also to hold high overall performance levels in the line of duty. As cited above, during their work shifts officers are expected not only to use force to arrest a criminal, however additionally to suppress certain feelings when responding to calls for service. However, what we ought to take into account is that they too are humans and that they have their very own personal and family lives to take into account.

At the end of their shift, they return back home and they have to adapt to the roles of parent, spouse, sibling, friend, and so on. In turn, their families expect them to behave as such and not as law enforcement officials. Therefore, it is supreme that the officials have the ability to transiting roles, hence identities€”from legal lifestyles to personal lifestyles and vice versa. When people handle more than one role they experience role strain and difficulty in meeting given role's demands.

The officers way of life is perfused by a completely unique lifestyle termed as acculturation with its own tenets, values, beliefs. Their way of life isn't monolithic, but rather encompasses specialized groups and units who have their very own specific values, beliefs, and tenets (e.g., police detectives, canine handlers, crime scene investigators etc.

The officials are regularly acculturated into police way of life by the perception that they're supposed to be stronger than the rest of civilians because of their mandate to serve and shield the public, and above all to respond to critical incidents in which civilians lack the proper training and competency to respond on their own. The belief €œto be more potent and braver than ordinary civilians€ may help officers' survival on the street; however, it can also be antagonizing in conditions when officials want to ask for psychological/physical/emotional help.

One of the traditional ethos is that the concept law enforcers who're very well skilled to combat violent forces are supposed to be robust physically and emotionally.

Gender role conflicts are also major concern. The idea that men are speculated to be tough, self-reliant, and independent comes with an intense price to law enforcers. Help-seeking behaviors, specifically those associated with mental health support, are incongruent to the traditional ethos of policing. Therefore, stress or trauma-associated troubles may emerge as destructive for male law enforcement officials' mental and physical fitness.

Stressors
Organizational stressors
One of the most common stressors is the Negative stress in particular experienced in the workplace, as per the studies in psychology. Stress and stressors are different for each individual. And the effect of the strain may be accompanied by negative physical or mental changes.

The officials experience organizational pressure due to authoritarian supervisors, rapid shift rotations without days off, heavy workloads, and so forth. John Volanti, a research professor at State University of New York, has dedicated his research to examine the effect of work-associated stress and trauma on law enforcement officials' health. Violanti and co-workers have found empirical evidences that law enforcers have a higher chance of experiencing cardiovascular illnesses in comparison to the general population Additional findings have indicated that officials also are at chance for elevated hypertension, glucose intolerance and many more.

Another concern was that officials leaving their jobs, the various reasons for them to leave their jobs have been lack of help from governing bodies, in respect to public and personal safety.

Factors taking a toll on officers consist of data overload, having to adapt to new technologies, dealing with social media impacts and deceptions, and being under a high level of scrutiny even when off duty. Law enforcement today faces an unexpectedly moving landscape, with demanding situations on each front. The pace of change is increasing. Incidents go from local to national in seconds. And the ramifications can be lasting.

Reports by media regarding their flaws in crime solving can create more organizational pressures for immediate and accurate New types of crimes, superior technologies, and evolving relationships with the communities are moving the very foundations of law enforcers works. New tools and a brand new police strategy, one that goes past entirely enforcement or network engagement are in needed. But success at those modifications would require a shift to the culture and improvements in the running strategies or methods in their works results.

New types of crimes, superior technologies, and evolving relationships with the communities are moving the very foundations of law enforcers works (repeating). New tools and a brand new police strategy, one that goes past entirely enforcement or network engagement are in needed. But success at those modifications would require a shift to the culture and improvements in the running strategies or methods in their works. CITATION Uni08 \l 1033

Mental Stressors
The mental health of the offending officer plays a huge function in the criminal professional field. A 2019 study observed that officials who self-pronounced engaging in abusive police practices tended to have higher degrees of PTSD symptoms.

It is feasible that officials with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from job-associated stressors and trauma may have an extended startle response, a bent towards suspicion, and issues with aggression. These tendencies could make it much more likely that they'll overreact and use lethal pressure when not necessary. However, it's also possible that engaging in excessive force effects in a sense of profound guilt and moral harm that in turn lead to PTSD.

Some researchers theorize that traits of "psychopathy", additionally referred to as antisocial personality disorder (APD), are more familiar in law enforcement officials than the general population. Traits which include "fearless dominance" or "cold-heartedness" can be adaptive in dangerous or emotionally charged situations. It is unlikely that APD, which is very rare, ought to give an explanation for maximum police brutality cases. Personal issues experienced by them may also increase the probability of them accomplishing excessive force, which include relationship troubles or different stressful life events.

New types of crime, new technologies, and nerve-racking relationships with the communities are transferring the very nature of their work. Officers are increasingly being asked to do tasks beyond core law enforcement, which include handling the mentally ill or being the front line in fighting overdose deaths. Technology and demographic shifts are converting the, who, what, where, and the way of law enforcement work. Their work is one among the dangerous and calls for unique training tactics. These all can take a toll on the mental stress and strain.

The stigma for seeking help for mental health problems has a distinguished effect on precluding officers from psychological help-seeking. In parallel, they are often skeptical to seek mental assistance; that is, such a method is considered as stigmatizing in policing. Moreover, cops may harbor fears both of being newly recognized in addition to of getting their preceding mental histories discovered in a type of manner that it is able to adversely have an effect on their police profession e.g., overall performance ratings, getting promoted. As a result, a few them prefer to seek maladaptive coping skills e.g., alcohol, avoidance, as a desperate attempt to dissipate signs and symptoms associated with intense strain and trauma .

Alternatively, officials may employ certain defense mechanisms inclusive of repression, displacement, isolation of feelings, and humor (callous or crass kind of humor) to shun the debilitating effect of trauma and strain.

Consequently, officials are trapped in a vicious cycle that includes the subsequent components: occupational trauma and strain; maladaptive dealing with recognize to annoying thoughts, emotions, and memories; and deterioration of mental and physical health.

Specifically, officials believe that clinicians do not understand police work. In addition, inquiries by clinicians into personal and early life experiences can be interpreted as attempts to patronize officers; as a result they think that their identities as people who serve and shield may be undervalued in the context of therapy.

In addition to stress and coping associated with occupational and organizational stressors of policing, officials experience interpersonal and family stress which may also compound their line of duty strain. Furthermore, they may also recall health-related symptoms of severe pressure, trauma, or distress as somatic or as simply physical. Officers who reported extended mental health distress included suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depressive signs and symptoms. But all of them preferred to consult general physicians rather than a psychological clinician or a therapist. Law enforcement organizations currently lack adequate resources to address those stressors.

Views to look upon
One and the most important aspect to look upon is recruiting more Forensic or Police psychologists who study and specializes in and about the mental, emotional health of Law Enforcement officers.

Identifying best practices for physical, mental, and emotional aid of officers; developing an early identification and intervention device for officer burnout and suicide; and conducting studies on sources and the impact of stress.

Best options and plans should be opened up for physical, mental, and emotional support of law enforcement officers, families, and agencies. Research and studies ought to be on going to identify sources of stress and their severe impacts on officers. Police psychologists should be working with the law enforcement officers to know and evaluate their current issues and challenges in the agencies. As well according to which they will be able to develop assessments, clinical interventions and preventions, operational consultation, give wellness and support. Policies and procedures intervened should be flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of officers, their families and as well as the organizations they work for.

Conclusion
'Law enforcement officers are never €˜off duty.' They are dedicated as public servants who are sworn to protect public safety at any time and place that the peace is threatened. They need all the help that they can get'€“ Barbara Boxer, U.S politician.

They work for the country day and night to protect and preserve. Extreme stress and trauma are inherent to law enforcement works. Although these officers are more resilient compared to the general population, they are human beings; hence, the role of psychological support is essential for officers to maintain their health and high levels of job performance while in duty. Hence it's our duty to help and support the officers in need. They are our heroes who risk their lives for the peaceful functioning of our country.

References:

1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244018794794
2. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926105029.htm
3. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/defense-national-security/future-of-law-enforcement-ecosystem-of-policing.html
4. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-psychology-behind-police-brutality-5077410

Citation: Kon18 \l 1033 (Konstantinos, 2018

Written By: Sabrin Mariam Philip
Qualification: B.Sc. (honors) Forensic Science, Currently pursuing MA Criminology with specialization in Forensic Psychology.