Don't Be Too Proud

“Don’t be too proud to ask for help. Think of soldiers surmounting a high wall-one alone can’t do it; another must lift him up.

 People are social beings who need each other.”

                                                              ---- Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations, Book Seven

A wonderful discussion yesterday with Natalie Summit, LPC on the topic of Supporting First Responders During the Coronavirus Pandemic. As one who has spent the majority of her working life helping first responders, she reminded me that as we work our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, we need one another. Once again confirmation that we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper. We are all connected and as social beings, we need each other. 

Obviously, this is not a new idea. Marcus Aurelius made a similar observation almost 2,000 years ago. Come to an FBI-LEEDA leadership class and hear our instructors talk about Leadership-Relationship-Partnership…again a confirmation that we need to connect to our team and our community to maximize the work of police officers and the support staff that assist the work of all line officers. We need to know each other professionally and personally. Yet, when we begin the discussion about one of the plagues of U.S. policing, old stigmas arise and, while we are improving, we still have a long way to go. The discussion of police suicide has finally surfaced in the 21st century. The discussion has begun. Some interesting reminders exist for those of our profession who watch this topic:

?       Officer deaths by suicide occur 2.4 times more frequently than deaths by homicide; 

?       Approximately 25 percent of police officers experience suicidal ideations, compared to 13.5 percent of the general population; 

?       This imbalance is strongly correlated to the prevalence of PTSI and depression symptoms among police officers; and 

?       Traumatic experiences and lack of family or departmental support in responding to depression may contribute to high rates of suicide among officers. 1

Of the 120 participants in FBI-LEEDA’s webinar of April 9, 2020 on Supporting First Responders During the Coronavirus Pandemic, 34 percent of the respondents indicated that they knew of a police suicide or experienced suicidal ideation. Unfortunately, this problem is very real. So, as police officers, as support personnel who assist first responders and as police leaders, what do we do? If we are trying to surmount “the high wall,” how can I lift my brother or sister team member over the wall?

We can start by acknowledging the issues in our world that lead our team members into PTSD or PTSI. There are four major categories of stressor in our world; External stressors, internal stressors, stressors in the work itself and stressors that are within the individual officer.

The external stressors, we can all see and experience…frustration with the judicial system, lack of consideration in scheduling court appearances, prosecutors declining prosecution and negative or distorted media coverage of the actions we must take in the field. Rarely do we instruct a class where one or more of these issues do not surface. Front and center at the moment is the negative media attention and elements of criminal justice reform that seem to run counter to the effort of policing.

The internal stressors seem to be an age-old issues. They include policies and procedures that are either ill-conceived or poorly explained; poor career development opportunities; lack of recognition for good performance; excessive reporting requirements, inconsistent discipline and favoritism. While police leaders may have little control over the external stressors, there is room here to attack these issues.

The stressors in the work itself is also an area that bears scrutiny by police leaders. Role conflicts (law enforcers vs. serving the community…or do we do both? Are we articulating that message well?), shift work, boredom interspersed with moments of sudden and dangerous action, frequent exposure to the brutalities of life, fear and danger, constant responsibility to protect others are all features of a police officer’s daily life.

Finally, the stressors that may be felt internally, within the officer him or herself. Fears regarding competency and success as a cop, the necessity to conform to the culture, altered or changing social status in the community are among the internalized issues many in our profession are concerned with. 

So, what is to be done? Can I help my brother or sister surmount the wall? At the individual level, peer or boss,… be cognizant of attendance, performance or behavior issues that signal a change in the world of our teammates. Inquire, listen, encourage the use of peer resources, effective EAP plans, psychological services and chaplaincy programs. Remove the stigma of asking for help and encourage the use of available resources. As Dr. John Violanti’s work on myths about suicide reminds us, one person can make a difference…can prevent an officer from taking his or her own life.

As we near almost a quarter of our way into the 21st century, it is time to promote annual biometric screenings, mandatory physical fitness assessments, access to training facilities, trainers and nutritionists in our police organizations. Smaller agencies should be engaged here through regional partnerships with peer agencies and private sector resources. The research is clear in this respect; Fit officers, live longer, are sick less often and weather the stressors of our work far better than their peers who are not fit. 

Organizationally, police leaders need to assess the organizational induced stressors in our work and attack them. Poor supervision and autocratic leadership styles are two of the main culprits in this domain. We can train, educate and reinforce positive leadership styles within our culture. Finding ways to diminish excessive reporting may seem to be an insurmountable task, but, put line level officers together on this issue and we may be surprised at some great innovation. Seek employee input into policy, it promotes ownership. Communicate and train to the role your agency and the community desires of its police officers. In a true community policing philosophy, arrest is seen as one tool among many as officers work at addressing community-based issues and solving community-based problems. Service and enforcement are not mutually exclusive ideas, police leaders simply need to promote and communicate this philosophy more vigorously. Always work toward better pay and working conditions within the limits of your jurisdiction’s financial conditions. Review and refresh your disciplinary system, performance reviews and promotional system to promote equity and fairness. Find ways to make work “fun” and celebrate police family. We are in a serious people business and we have a somewhat unique culture, but we are a community of good character that need to find ways to celebrate that fact.

We can do our leadership part in reducing organizational stressors to improve the physical and emotional health of our sworn and civilian staff. We just have to take the initiative.

Finally, as leaders, as colleagues, as peers, and as friends, model the behavior you seek. We can drive the number of police suicides down. As you are trying to climb that seemingly insurmountable wall, don’t be too proud to reach out for help. We are social beings who need each other’s help.

1.     Police Executive Research Forum. 2018. Building and Sustaining an Officer Wellness Program: Lessons from the San Diego Police Department. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.