How police officers can identify signs of stress
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In this special year-end episode, Policing Matters podcast host Jim Dudley is joined once again by Janay Gasparini, Ph.D., to take a deep dive into the critical issues affecting law enforcement in 2022. Jim and Janay discuss the following 10 key areas:
1. Emerging forms and strategies in the use of violence
Top quotes from this segment:
“I think we’re seeing a lot of this change in our practical strategies to better reflect controlling subjects as opposed to anything that might look like excessive use of force.”
“When do you think we’re going to see a committee in Congress that says let’s listen to experts before we make legislative changes?”
Additional resources:
2. Officer morale
Top quotes from this segment:
“Are there really any shifts since last year? We had our state of the industry survey with 75% of officers reporting that morale is down since last year, so it raises the question of ‘Where are we? at the end of 2022?’ ”
“First-line supervisors matter a whole lot more than we realize.”
Additional resources:
3. Importance of direct supervisors/leadership
Additional resource:
The 22 leadership qualities police officers are looking for in their supervisors in 2022
4. Navigate Gen Z
Top quotes from this segment:
“There is so much about Gen Z that we know from the research that doesn’t fit our traditional policing principles.”
“Meet them where they are. And where are they? They’re online.”
5. Virtual reality training
Top quotes from this segment:
“As a recruiting tool, as a training tool, it’s going to do really well with Gen Z. It’s great for that, but I was really interested to see how it was used in other facets of the justice system and not just for use of violence scenarios.”
“We have only begun to realize the potential of using virtual reality for our officers.”
Additional Resources:
6. Police suicide, officer mental well-being
Top quote from this segment:
“I do believe with younger officers that they seem to be more aware of the self-care piece, of the realities of the job.”
Additional resources:
7. Traps on police
Additional resource:
8. Reimbursement of the police
“When these policies actually play out at the street level, you see the stark difference between what’s on paper and what’s in reality.”
9. Crime and policing as a national issue in midterm elections
Top quotes from this segment:
“We understand the spirit behind bail reform, but when I go to work and I see the latest domestic violence case come down and someone has forced themselves into their partner’s apartment and attempted strangulation and this person is on an appearance ticket released, it just happens. don’t sit well with me.”
“As much as the public thinks the police have the final say on who gets arrested and who goes to jail, there’s a huge process between that initial arrest and the jail door slamming shut. It’s public defenders, district attorneys, judges, juries and legislators.”
10. The great resignation
Top quote from this segment:
“It’s not just officers leaving at retirement age, but it’s officers leaving for other positions.”
What do you think was the most critical issue affecting law enforcement this year? Email [email protected]
This episode of Policing Matters is sponsored by Utility. Utility offers a universe of intuitive solutions to effectively capture, analyze, manage and share video evidence. Technology includes a variety of cameras, sensors and devices, as well as situational awareness software solutions for law enforcement, first responders, transportation agencies and utility providers. To learn more about Utility and its technology solutions, visit utility.com.
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