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Plateauing In Law Enforcement Essay

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Today’s law enforcement culture is going through rapid changes leaving officers questioning their career decisions. Officer burnout is more prevalent today than ever before. Law enforcement has always had a certain “us against them” mentality, but todays social environment has intensified these feelings. It is difficult enough to keep experienced officers on the force. Retention levels are at an all-time low. Adding to the difficulties is how the officer perceives that the community has ostracized them. It is almost impossible to view the news without hearing someone denounce the actions of officers. Additionally, even if the officers are not at fault, they are often the focus of blame. When a victim comes home to find his home burglarized …show more content…

Plateauing is different from burnout in that it is not as deeply entrenched in the psyche and are more easily reversed. Simply put, plateauing is when the job is no longer fun and exciting. The officers are not opposed to doing the work, they just no longer find it professionally fulfilling. The most common causes are when they realize their goals are no longer achievable, for any number of possibilities. (CITE) Luckily, Plateauing is probably the easiest of the disorders to counter. Any change in assignments could be enough: Transfer to a different division or even a different shift; set new, obtainable career goals; or find another set of personal goals that parallel your career. Finally, in larger departments, the Patrol division is the backbone of the agency but the one area that receives the least training and equipment. Modern law enforcement is evolving towards specialized units to handle the multitude of situations with better-trained officers and specialized equipment. (Find citation). These specialized units often offer better days off than Patrol and economic incentives such as take-home vehicles, making it more difficult to retain experienced officers in Patrol. Patrol has become the “Island of Misfit Toys” in many modern

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