Coping With On-The-Job Stress and Injuries

How many current and former law enforcement officers are out there suffering with mental and physical injuries; and how do we help them? Listen to our interview with a former officer who talks about his battles with PTSD and the injuries that forced his retirement.

Recently I had a chance to have a very candid discussion with “M” a retired officer from a mid-sized police department in the eastern United States.. “M” asked that I not use his name to protect his privacy, but he had some interesting things to say about his struggle with PTSD and the injuries that forced him to leave the job he loved.

You can listen to our… 34 minute discussion by clicking the replay button below or RIGHT CLICK HERE to download (that’s CONTROL CLICK if you use a Mac then SAVE LINK AS…) a copy of the mp3 file.

“M” was very candid about what he has suffered and why he wanted to talk about it.  He said “For me it wasn’t one incident that began the process of PTSD and to be honest I didn’t even know I had it until friends came back from Iraq. I noticed the changes in them before I noticed the high risk behavior and violence that I was engaging in.”

He also was honest about the importance of seeking help. He told me “I have sought help and it has made a difference but I think more should be done to help all officers. The problem with seeking help is that it can be brought up in court to make you look like a mental patient during a trial. I believe that all officers should be made to see a councilor during annual updates so that officers who need help bad are not punished for it.”

“M” made no bones about being bitter about what happened to him. He said: “I spend the day shredding all my old police documents and stuff that reminds me of the place and job”, but he was very open to talking about it if it would help other officers. He said to me: “I would be open to doing an interview because I think there is something that can be gained from what I have been through, and if I could help even one cop who may be depressed it would be my honor.”

“M” offered some suggestions for other officers suffering with an injury or on-the-job stresses:

“You need to be the change in your own life”.
You need to have a “Plan B” if your police career doesn’t work out.
Have an exit strategy for your career with something to fall back on for income.
Don’t dwell on your problems, keep yourself busy (he finished his college degree).
“Stress is like a poison” it will eat away at you until you do something about it.
Buy your own secondary or supplemental insurance policy.
Seek help early in your career when stress over takes you.
Keep fighting, don’t give up!

Some things “M” did to take care of himself:

He searched for a long time until he found a therapist that could, and would help him.
He stopped dwelling on the past.
He cleared out old memories.
He focused on the “Now” not the “Past”.
He went back and finished his college degree.
He started his own company.

Finally, he offers two thoughts for the future of law enforcement:
1. We should reform our culture and require annual mental health evaluations so they would just be part of the job, and not unusual
2. We should offer classes on stress management and have easy access to mental health services

My thanks go out to “M” for having the courage to talk about what he’s been through and his willingness to help other cops survive the job.

CopsAlive is written to prompt discussions within our profession about the issues of law enforcement career survival. We invite you to share your opinions, ask questions and suggest topics for us in the Comment Box that is at the bottom of this article.

At The Law Enforcement Survival Institute (LESI) we train law enforcement officers to cope with stress and manage all the toxic effects and hidden dangers of a career in law enforcement.

Our “Armor Your Self™: How to Survive a Career in Law Enforcement” on-site training program is an eight hour, hands-on, “How to” seminar that helps police officers and other law enforcement professionals armor themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to survive their careers in police work. To learn more CLICK HERE

The concept of “True Blue Valor™” is where one law enforcement officer has to muster the courage to confront a peer who is slipping both professionally and personally and endangering themselves, their peers and the public. It takes a system of organizational support and professional leadership to support and foster the concept of courage and intervention. We will train your trainers to deliver this program to your agency.
To learn more CLICK HERE

Our “Armor Your Agency™: How to Create a Healthy and Supportive Law Enforcement Agency” Program includes critical strategies that you will need to build a system of support and encouragement for a healthy and productive agency. To learn more CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to read more about The Law Enforcement Survival Institute.

CLICK HERE if you would like to contact us to learn more about training for your organization.

I’m John Marx, Founder of The Law Enforcement Survival Institute and the Editor of CopsAlive.com. Connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

CopsAlive.com was founded to provide information and strategies to help police officers successfully survive their careers. We help law enforcement officers and their agencies prepare for the risks that threaten their existence. Thank you for reading!

 

About Editor

John Marx was a Police Officer for twenty-three years and served as a Hostage Negotiator for nineteen of those years. He worked as a patrol officer, media liaison officer, crime prevention officer and burglary detective. Also during his career he served as administrator of his city's Community Oriented Governance initiative through the police department's Community Policing project. Today John combines his skills to consult with businesses about improving both their security and their customer service programs. John retired from law enforcement in 2002. When one of his friends, also a former police officer, committed suicide at age 38, John was devastated and began researching the problems that stress creates for police officers. He decided he needed to do something to help change those problems and he wanted to give something back to the profession that gave him so much. He started a project that has evolved into CopsAlive.com. Put simply, the mission of CopsAlive is to save the lives of those who save lives! CopsAlive.com gathers information, strategies and tools to help law enforcement professionals plan for happy, healthy and successful careers, relationships and lives.
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2 Comments

  1. Hi Jake,
    Thanks for your comment. Yes, “M” was wise enough to realize that he had to have a financial “backup plan” BEFORE he needed it and was able to finish his degree and start a business that could replace his police salary. His advice to other officers is invaluable, I just hope they will listen!

  2. Howard "Jake" Jaquay

    Thanks to “M” for pointing out the need for officers to avoid becoming locked in to law enforcement as their only option, whether that occurs due to mental, emotional, or financial factors. And thanks to you, John, for continued excellence in information sharing for the good of all in this noble profession.

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