Kuhlman & Marino: Public safety is threatened by many besieged police officers leaving their jobs

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Myrtle Beach police officer killed while responding to domestic call

The fallen officer Jacob Hancher has been escorted home.

How would you like to work in a job that is currently under physical, political, and budgetary attack? Or better yet, show up to work and be told not to do your job and face the threat of criminal charges, firing, or both for carrying out your duties? 

Following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd caused by police officers, this is the environment that law enforcement officers now find themselves in. It is the reality of working as a police officer in places like New York City, Seattle, Minneapolis and Portland, Ore. 

Every profession wants bad employees removed. Law enforcement is no exception. However, officers are now threatened with being fired and charged with crimes based on public outcries, and convicted by local political leaders and the public prior to receiving due process under law.

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And when due process does occur and officers are not charged or convicted — as the Breonna Taylor grand jury in Louisville, Ky., decided — officers sometimes face death threats, huge legal bills and more violence. Buildings are destroyed by anarchists, police officers are shot, and games of political football continue no matter the facts of an incident or legal outcomes. 

Many officers eligible to retire are doing just that. They are too disgusted by the decisions of local political leaders to continue working as police. And they are smart enough to know that current defunding efforts are leaving a demonstrable void of experienced officers to safeguard communities and are placing police officers’ lives in jeopardy.

Those not eligible to retire find resignation as an acceptable alternative. In addition, recruitment of officers is at an all-time low, even in a pandemic economy.

For those who choose to remain in law enforcement under these conditions, the underlying threat is to their mental health.

Law enforcement officers are often lauded as frontline heroes, and rightfully so. Continuing to work during dangerous situations and under dangerous conditions — like policing during the coronavirus pandemic — is frightening and stressful. 

Recent protests, riots, calls for defunding police, elimination of qualified immunity that protects officers from lawsuits, and ambushes that have killed and injured officers have taken a significant toll on the mental health of officers around the country.

What was already a stressful job is now full of daily trauma. The idea of the “thin blue line” or the “blue family” is very real to those within and associated with the profession. 

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While the acute impact of constant name-calling, attacks from riots, threats to their career and lives, or an officer ambush may be relegated to a small group or department, the psychological footprint of any of these events is vast.

One trauma affects the entire law enforcement profession, and it’s always been that way. Now officers are facing multiple traumas per day — ranging from patrolling areas where criminals have the upper hand, to preparing for nightly riots, to witnessing the public execution of their brothers and sisters on TV and social media. 

When a person experiences trauma, some of the most common effects are hyper-vigilance, intrusions and flashbacks, and avoidance. As a result of the current climate, there are record numbers of officers retiring or seeking disability, and those who remain on the force have their head on a swivel.

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Rates of officer suicide, depression and anxiety are also increasing. A mentally well officer is more resilient, a better decision-maker, and can solve problems more quickly. An officer experiencing psychological distress is more likely to make careless errors, act on impulsivity, and have a skewed perception of threats. 

 Given that law enforcement is the backbone of a civilized society, the mental health of our officers is a public health concern. If we want to improve policing and save it from radical ad hoc reforms at the local level, we need a national police reform strategy that supports and strengthens law enforcement — not one that defunds it.

 Charles Marino is the CEO of Sentinel Security Solutions. He is a former supervisory special agent with the Secret Service and senior law enforcement adviser at the Department of Homeland Security. He is a recognized expert on national security and law enforcement.