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Rapping Back
Cops Face More Troubles and Dangers Than Everyone Else-- Or Do They? The Portland Police Association seems to have been fixated in the month of September on the stresses of being a police officer. No less than six articles were posted to their on-line newsletter, the Rap Sheet, on the subject, though at least three of the articles were between one and five years old. The gist of the pieces were to focus on physical and psychological stresses of being an officer, sometimes pointing to the ways in which officers are supposedly worse off than the rest of the population... but then undercutting that with an article in November which purports to disprove some of the commonly held beliefs. One piece in September by Dean Scoville (of Policemag.com) on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) explains how the syndrome is prevalent in first responders. He notes how recruiters will list 20 requirements to be an officer, but not the dangers including possibly life-changing incidents. "How well you deal with the aftermath of a shooting, a fatal accident, a crime against a child, or any number of other traumatic situations" can, if overwhelming, lead to PTSD. He lists possible effects including insomnia, nightmares, depression, guilt, and possible suicidal thoughts. Recalling a theme the Rap Sheet has visited before, Scoville notes that the biggest barrier to resolving these problems is the culture of police. Because police are taught to "rein in [their] emotions in order to take control," they are reluctant to take part in psychiatric help offered for fear they will seem weak. The article lists a number of programs to help cops with PTSD that are led mostly by former officers. They include a three day long seminar developed by the FBI to follow critical incidents-- we wonder whether that is to push law enforcement officers back out into the field or to truly address the issues and prevent future incidents in cases where they use deadly force. Scoville quotes Ord Elliott, author of "The Warrior's Silence," saying that most civilians will never understand, but that those close to the cops should learn to listen. Another piece, by Duane Wolfe, an officer from Minnesota, talks about the dangers of sleep deprivation, and he admits writing a police report that included information about him remodeling his garage in his exhausted state from working too many shifts. Two other articles relate particular numbers concerning cops. One from September 2008 reports on a University of Buffalo study that found higher coronary risk, cholesterol levels, pulse rates and blood pressure in officers, as well as 24% suicidal inclinations compared to 13.5% of the general public. The other by one Ralph Heibutzki of Demand Media talks about how officers have to learn to deal with social isolation and dealing with "human misery" in a job that may lead them to think that the "world consists mainly of criminals and fools." He notes that such factors contribute to an "us vs. them" attitude when dealing with the public. This leads to what he says is among the highest suicide rates of any profession, the second highest divorce rate, and twice as many alcoholics. Alexis Artwohl, a police psychologist formerly from Portland, attempts to debunk a lot of these extreme claims via an article by Charles Remsberg in the November issue. However, she only really succeeds on one claim we've made note of before: That law enforcement is not the most dangerous job, or as Artwohl points out, not among the top 5, not even in the top 13. It is the 14th most dangerous profession, down between operating heavy equipment and being an electrician; most dangerous is logger. And, says the article, farmers are twice as likely to die on the job as police, while taxi drivers and chauffeurs are four times as likely to be killed in a homicide. The other "myths" are not so well rebutted. Although cops seem to think 70% who are involved in shootings quit within seven years, she says 80% stay in their jobs, 8% found their work more enjoyable (!) and 30% got promoted (we believe that, looking at Portland as an example). However her other metric is that only 2 of 540 interviewed had filed claims for psychiatric issues, which doesn't mean they weren't traumatized, only that they didn't ask for help. Then Artwohl says that "no research proves" police use alcohol more than others-- followed by a statistic showing 8 jobs have higher rates of alcohol use. So they're in the top 10 but it's not an issue? Similarly, the divorce rate for cops is lower than "other occupations and for what would be expected from their demographic profile." Whatever that means. Particularly, transit and railroad police have among the five lowest rates along with clergy-- but that doesn't say most officers are among the norm. As for suicide, Artwohl claims that although the rate is in fact higher than the general public, it is skewed because most cops are men and men commit suicide more often than women. That theory needs a little more work. Her final effort to keep officers feeling confident in their profession is to say that burnout is not inevitable because 60% of officers surveyed were "very satisfied" with their jobs, noting "low levels of emotional exhaustion"... among officers in Midwestern suburbs.
The September Rap Sheet linked to two other older articles on the subjects of "Safety and Wellness" and "Psychological Intervention" which dated back to July 2012 and October 2011. Creating more confusion, they also linked to an article about a professor who became a police officer and trumpeted how difficult the job can be-- but this all happened in 1974 and was referenced in a newsletter from August 2012.
A few issues ago we noted how the PPA often urges cops to invoke their rights-- the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney-- in the same way community members should, but which ticks off the police when civilians do it. In the September Rap Sheet, PPA President Daryl Turner again urges officers to invoke their Constitutional rights (and labor rights), stating: "There should be no negative inference made on you in association with your decision." His article ends with the proverb "Rights are never wrong." Let's hope they take this to heart. Turner says this advice is not to promote being uncooperative or adversarial, nor to demean the "stellar work done by officers and detectives tasked with conducting criminal investigations. Cops that commit crimes should be investigated and prosecuted." Hear hear. It is interesting, though, that he points to the criminal investigators and not Internal Affairs, as the heat is turning up for the Independent Police Review Division to be able to compel officer testimony in administrative complaints (article).
Also in the November Rap Sheet, a police attorney named Lance LoRusso offers 10 pieces of advice for officers facing civil lawsuits, including the good advice of never talking to anyone without an attorney present.
Though the PPA is a collective bargaining association, it is not connected to most labor unions because of the divide created when the cops are called in to police (or break up) picket lines of other working people. That's why it's a surprise that President Turner wrote, in a November article headlined "Thankful to our first responders," that "Police, firefighters, and teachers have been the focus of political propaganda that their pensions and benefits are bankrupting municipalities" (emphasis added). He blames CEO greed, bankers and the mortgage industry for the economic shambles of our country, but throws in "government excess" as well (which is often code for safety net programs, not military and law enforcement's bloated budgets). Revealing the true motivation for the article-- the then-ongoing labor negotiations with the City (article), Turner wrote: "We ask not for a pat on the back, awards or eternal gratitude but for fair wages, benefits and working conditions."
The November Rap Sheet includes an October 30 Oregon Public Broadcast report on a survey about Portland, wherein 88% of people enjoy Portland's livability, but only 50% think government is doing a good job, down from 62% in 2009. OPB and the PPA both conveniently left out the parts about people's trust in police and the IPR to regulate police conduct, at 32% and 33% respectively.
In the November Rap Sheet, an article on Peer Support by Olivia Johnson urges officers to remember they are all on the same team, responding to comments she received about incompetent leadership and infighting. She recognizes that officers spend many days "maneuvering through a blue sea of bureaucracy, personality conflicts, hidden agendas, [and] micro-managing bosses." As cops they come to expect drunks, speeders, foot chases, bar fights, and resisting arrest-- but not the stress of poor leadership. Management, Johnson admits, looks out for itself, but so do rank and file officers in order to survive. She notes that some officers expect the cohesiveness of military platoons, but since police do not live together and rarely go out on patrol together it is not the same; they are mostly solo unless they call for backup. The divide among ranks happens as people get promoted, and the line officers no longer regard them as "part of the team" --so both parties are to blame.
The Portland Police Association does not set policy. However, some PPA leadership and officers
express negative attitudes toward citizens and civilian oversight in their newsletter, so we worry
these ideas may spread through the rank-and-file. Find the Rap Sheet at:
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January, 2014
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Portland Copwatch Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.
People's Police Report
#61 Table of Contents
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