The Impact of Rotating Shift Work on Police Officers

Stress happens to everyone and it is usually not seen as something so serious. Police officers usually have higher stress levels due to the fact that people’s safety are in their hands. Historically, law enforcement agencies did not recognize the seriousness of the high levels of stress, and police officers were forced to deal with it on their own. When assistance was finally available, most officers chose not to seek help because it would make them seem weak. However, Police stress needs to be taken into consideration as a serious matter, and even several studies have shown that police fatigue has similar effects as those alcohol. To Police officers, stress caused by the job can sometimes be overwhelming. This can affect their

Substance abuse is a key component to the problems that we face today as a society. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("Alcohol-Impaired Driving", 2009) in 2009, 32% of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States were due to alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Surveys were also conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Compton, & Berning, 2009) so researchers were able to estimate not only the prevalence of drinking and driving, but for the first time they were also able to collect data on the number of drivers who were under the influence of drugs that impaired their abilities. In this data, it was found that 16% of weekend night time drivers tested positive for impairing drugs, in contrast to the 2% of drivers who were at the legal alcohol limit; making drugs 7 times more prevalent. These statistics show that “drugged” driving is a concern for not only law enforcement but also puts other drivers at risk of becoming a part of future statistics.

In the current world, the culture of operating on little sleep seems to be regarded highly. Nowhere is this phenomenon more profound than for 911 telecommunication dispatchers. These employees, who consider sleep deprivation not as unique to their schedule, constantly have to respond to callers and coordinate services to emergency situations involving fires, health situations, burglary cases, car chases, and other situations needing emergency help. However, the effects of sleep deprivation on these workers can be monumental, given that sleep is critical for the normal functioning of the human body. Against this grounding, this article describes the effects of sleep deprivation on 911 telecommunication dispatchers and cites some of the incidents where deprivation caused wrong services to be dispatched, highlights how lack of rest can affect the mood and health of the person and put the lives of the citizens at risk. In addition, illustrates how sleep deprivation jeopardizes the employee, company, and the county the 911 agency represents with regards to law and accountability.

United States Law Enforcement officers are constantly under pressure. Their job requires them to serve and protect mankind, under any circumstances, at all times. Because of this, officers run the risk of putting themselves in harmful situation. This may include apprehending a violent assailant, or entering harmful locations. In this study, I used books and articles such as, Criminal Justice Today, to get an understanding of the dangers Law Enforcement Officer face in the line of duty. When performing task outside the prescient, office4rs are put into dangerous situations because of their surroundings, offender’s actions, and officer mistakes. Due to the high stress of this job, it not only affects their performance, but their health as well.

Officer fatigue can be a quite serious problem for police departments. Excess fatigue will generally reduce alertness, decrease performance and worsen mood. These symptoms can reduce officer's performance and safety with potentially life-threatening effects. Patrol officers are expected to remain alert and able to resolve complex, emotional, and potentially dangerous situations. They are expected to be able to multi-task, as well as stay alert during periods of inaction. These activities can be quite difficult for a fatigued officer to complete (Vila 1996). Community oriented policing efforts can be seriously compromised by officer fatigue with excess officer fatigue harming community-police relations (Vila & Taiji 1999).

Throughout the years there has been more attention directed towards healthcare worker fatigue. More specifically, fatigue associated among night-shift nurses. The Joint Commission has found that lack of sleep from night shifts has contributed to increased errors, leading to poor patient outcomes (Gardner, Dubeck, 2016).

Although the community is benefitting from the jail expansion, a concern is the negotiation of a 12-hour shift model with the custodial deputy’s union that reduces the number of positions required (Carlson, 2017). A shift length experiment was conducted and revealed that officers who worked 12-hour shifts were significantly less alert than those on 8-hour shifts (Amendola, Weisburd, Jones, Slipka). Researchers also found that officers with sleep disorders or lack of sleep were more likely to make serious administrative errors or safety violations (Pearsall, 2012). It was also found that officers with sleep disorders experience “uncontrolled anger” toward suspects (Pearsall, 2012). According

Bond, Mark. "The Impact of Stress and Fatigue on Law Enforcement Officers and Steps to Control It". in public safety. March 4, 2013. Web. October 12,2014. Retrieved from http://inpublicsafety.com/2014/02/the-impact-of-stress-and-fatigue-on-law-enforcement-officers-and-steps-to-control-it/

“Sleeping while on duty” or “sleeping on the job” are terms that describe a worker falling asleep while working at an occupation (Fallis, McMillan, & Edwards, 2011). In the United States certain higher risk jobs involving security, safety, or health of others (such as nursing), the penalty for being caught sleeping on the job can range from disciplinary action to immediate termination of employment (Fallis, McMillan, & Edwards, 2011).

Have you ever been put in a situation where you were behind the wheel influenced by alcohol or even been in a car with someone that was intoxicated? If you answered yes and nothing happened while you were under the influence you are very lucky you did not cause an accident or even worse caused an accident that ended it up ending someone’s life just because you made a very poor decision to drink and drive. Did you know that in 2015, 10,265 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one third (29%) of all traffic-related deaths in the united states. Of the 1, 1,132 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 in 2015, 209 (16%) involved an alcohol- impaired driver. So, as you can see driving under the influence is a very big problem in the united states. My goal on this essay is to try to make you think twice before you make a decision that will change your life. I will be assessing three different peer reviewed articles that will be related to drinking and driving to show you some of the statistical fact while also talking about the problem in hand.

In the first article titled Stress and Health in Law Enforcement is a study over officer’s health. From this study many things were found. First, as stress increased so did poor sleep quality. Female officers were four times more likely and male officers were six times more likely to have a poor sleep quality when dealing with stress. Secondly, female officers had stress that related to lack of support and organizational and administrative pressure. Male officers on the other hand did not. Thirdly, As BMI and abdominal height increased in men so did depression. There was no association found in women. Fourthly, the suicide rates were 8.4 times higher in officers that were working than officers that were retired. Lastly, officers who worked

Professionals that work rotating shifts may lead themselves into problems regarding their health and social life due to the amount of time it takes for our bodies to function according to their schedules. Our circadian rhythm can be affected by frequent shift changes if the individual is not used to working opposite of what our bodies are used to for instance an individual that usually works days and goes to sleep during the night. If a person that works the traditional 8 am – 5 pm shift switches to a night shift, it may be difficult for that individual to catch up on sleep because of the light. Our bodies familiarize with their biological rhythms which help function our heart rate, eating schedules and body temperatures during certain hours

Shift work such as working night, early morning, or rotating shifts can impact the quality sleep, which in turn can affect the productivity and performance at work and leave you more stress. Try to avoid frequently rotating shifts so you can maintain the same sleep schedule.

Working rotating shifts can take a significant toll on the human body. The circadian rhythm – the biological clock, manages the patterns, or routines, throughout life. When working rotating shifts, our circadian rhythm has a more difficult time adjusting our sleep pattern. An individual may have a harder time falling asleep when needed and have an equally difficult time staying awake. As an individual acquires a sleep debt, they may experience anything from being easily irritated to suffering depression to difficulty remembering and focusing. Sleeping aids are available over-the-counter and prescription, but may worsen conditions or alter the individual’s state of mind – drowsiness, confusion, dizziness, etcetera. Most medications warn not

Working the night shift is a common practice in industrialized societies. Nevertheless, its adverse effects should not be excused as this plays a vital part in control of cancer and heart disease. Prevailing in healthcare, transport and production industries, its irreversible effects on bodily functions play a vital role in reducing accidents, sleep regulation, performance, and quality of rest.