Law enforcement is a stressful line of work. There have been numerous studies of the subject, both public and private, both Federal and local.
“Be it an officer patrolling a high-crime neighborhood in a big city, a small-town cop responding to a bar fight, or a homicide detective arriving at the scene of a multiple murder, the common factor in their jobs is stress. They work in environments where bad things happen,” according to a 2019 report by the National Institute of Justice, “Fighting Stress in the Law Enforcement Community.”
The Islander recently asked Capt. John Hocking, commander of the Avalon Sheriff’s Station, “How do you and your deputies deal with stress on the job?”
“There are many stressful jobs in the world and law enforcement is one of them,” Hocking wrote.
“Each law enforcement officer has their own way of dealing with stress. Some deal with it by working out, others like to go fishing,” Hocking wrote in an email.
“Working in law enforcement for 30 plus years, I have seen a lot. It is very stressful when you respond to a baby not breathing call. You jump into your police car with the baby and transport the baby to the hospital with your red lights and siren on, while your partner is conducting CPR on the baby in the passenger’s seat,” Hocking wrote.
“You are driving at a high rate of speed to do everything possible to save the baby’s life. You deliver the baby to the hospital, and a day or so later, you are notified that the baby survived. A situation like that is very stressful, but when you get the great news it was all worth it ,” Hocking wrote.
“The Sheriff’s Department has a bureau titled Employee Support Services. They are skilled personnel that can assist employees with coping with stress. I monitor my employee’s emotional well being and when they go through a dynamic emotional incident, I can refer them to Employee Support Services to assist in relieving their stress,” Hocking wrote.
According to the recently released “Protecting Those Who Protect and Serve” Orange County Grand Jury Report, “During multiple interviews, the Grand Jury learned that Peace Officers in Orange County experience stress from many sources, including some not directly involved with law enforcement activities. The most frequently cited cause of stress was a negative public perception of the profession.”
Other sources of stress identified in the report included length of work shifts, work/life blance, and unknown risks.
