The Organization as Stressor: a Police Perspective.

This study investigates the police organization as a source of stress. One hundred and fourteen police officers employed by three suburban police departments were surveyed to determine their perception of the presence of selected stressors within their respective departments, to gather personal perceptions on what they found most bothersome about police work or being a police officer and to collect selected personal and organizational characteristics. The participating departments serve communities which are representative of environments often encountered by suburban police officers and varied in size of sworn officer complement, opportunity for specialization and geographical responsibility. However, all were organized and staffed in accordance with classical organizational principles and traditional police practices. The results of the study reveal that the police organization is perceived as a primary source of problems; that some organizational factors associated with worker mental health are present while several job stressors are reported to be within manageable limits by most officers; that officer perception is highly consistent regardless of personal characteristics or departmental affiliation, thus suggesting the constancy of organizational problems and the commonality of organizational experience. and , that even though most officers report they are more satisfied than dissatisfied with their job, the data are contradictory. Recommendations include: the development of a comprehensive stress awareness and education program for officers and their families; implementation of strategies to alleviate career stagnation and enhance the professional st and ing of the police officer through modification of the rank structure and job enrichment; modification or ab and onment of the classical model of organization.Ph.D.Social psychologyOccupational psychologyCriminologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/158447/1/8125115.pd