Police PTSD and the BIP solution

When police are in a confrontation with a criminal, one never knows who is going to come out on top. Depending on the type of criminal the officer is confronting, he or she could be seriously injured or lose their life. Nobody wants that. An officer coming home safely at the end of the day is really about keeping safe, keeping the public safe and even the subjects you have deal with.

Once an officer gets involved in a lethal shooting, there are investigations, normally civil lawsuits and in worst cases, a criminal charge against the officer.

Police PTSD and stress results in:

• Losing an officer from the street
• Staffing costs
• The loss of morale among other officers and the department in general

Police PTSD

Police officers serve in their community and using force at times is an inevitable part of being a law enforcement officer. When officers have to resort to the use of lethal force, especially if there is a fatality involved, it can elevate their level of emotional stress related to that situation. If the officer is assaulted during the confrontation, that can be a major factor in emotional stress and these factors can lead to the officer suffering some form of PTSD.

Officers are human beings like everyone else and every human mind will process a situation differently. Often officer’s intentions are questioned which adds even more stress to the situation, especially if they are accused of using excessive force. The human mind is fragile and often these incidents lead to long-term health issues for the officer.

Today, law enforcement agencies are much better at providing after-incident support for their people, which is an essential part of any critical incident. We still have a long way to go, but the concept is quickly spreading to most agencies across the country.

The True Costs

Any incident that affects the mental well-being of our law enforcement officers can have a profound effect on the agency and the community. Law enforcement is an honorable profession but carries with it many hidden dangers, especially emotional/mental stress and fatigue that can lead to adverse staffing consequences for any agency.

Part of keeping officers safe and making an officers job more effective is to ensure they have access to a full line of less-lethal options to bring a hostile encounter to a safe conclusion.

Today, there are more less-lethal options available to police than any other period in history and agencies have to stay in-tune with changing technologies that can assist the officers in their day to day functions.

Anytime less-lethal force can prevent an escalation of force, everyone involved wins.

Reasons to use the BIP:

• Reduce fatalities to officers and civilians
• Reduce injuries to officers and civilians
• Reduce negative views of policing
• Reduce injuries to officers and civilians
• Reduce cost to departments in investigations and lawsuits
• Reduce time spent addressing the above issues

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