HEALTH & WELLNESS
Law enforcement families:
Protecting our nation’s greatest resource
When one mentions the “law enforcement family,”
the term conjures up several images. The predominant image throughout the history of law enforcement has been one of officers serving each other,
much as a family would. The mentality portrayed has
been “one for all and all for one,” loyalty to each other
before outsiders, professional bonding/secrecy and
CHERIE
staying on the correct side of the thin blue line. Being
CASTELLANO a member of the law enforcement family also has
LPC
meant cops would back each other up, at times withCop2Cop out regard for ethics and/or integrity, if they found
one of their own in harm’s way.
Arguably, law enforcement officers often will do anything to protect each other and, just as often, the courts may disagree with their
choices of action. Other officers are their “family” and, therefore, no
price is too great for coming to each other’s rescue. Thus, all bets are
off when any one of these “family members” is at risk.
Unfortunately, the “real” law enforcement families are at risk. The
risks are well known in police circles and it is an accepted fact that
law enforcement families may be in trouble.
Often, the source of that trouble is the spouse who wears the
badge. The badge is full of authority and power, but never big
enough to hide behind or powerful enough to solve personal problems. It may be called a shield in some jurisdictions, but the size of
this shield pales in comparison to the size of the shield officers actually need – a shield that will protect them spiritually, emotionally
and physically.
When one outside the law enforcement circle is called upon to
define a law enforcement officer, we hear them described as
authoritative, commanding, powerful and ruthless at times, opinionated, judgmental and self-assured often to the point of arrogant,
secretive and paranoid. Well, guess what. There is a place in law
enforcement for all these characteristics and behaviors. What the
average person who is not intimately knowledgeable of the job of
enforcing the law neglects to note are the qualities of these officers
who act as givers, servants and protectors dedicated to helping others, risking their lives and limbs for people they don’t even know,
leaving their families to help other families; they are compassionate
and charitable with their time and talents and, sadly, in many cases,
victims of the very system of justice they are sworn to enforce.
Law enforcement officers can and often do become vicarious victims of stress, altered – and, in some cases, destroyed – by the
crimes they investigate. The job of the officer pushes and pulls from
many directions, causing the officer to play the “hard nut” in one
situation, and then move smoothly into the role of sympathetic
helper in the next. Often he or she will choose to ignore or repress
the emotional problems of role conflict, ambiguity and subsequent
stress caused by shifting gears into the various roles. The stress of
the profession can produce family problems, leading to the use of
unsystematic and often counterproductive defense mechanisms –
e.g. isolation of affect –