ABSTRACT
For many decades the police have been the de facto responders to persons with perceived mental illness (PwPMI). However, having the police in this role has come with negative repercussions for PwPMI, such as disproportionately experiencing criminalization and use of force. In recognizing these issues, the police-and more recently, the community-have developed responses that either seek to improve interactions between the police and PwPMI or remove the police from this role altogether. However, in either case, these efforts are reactivein nature, responding to crises that arguably could have been prevented had a timelier intervention taken place. Further, evidence on certain police responses to PwPMI, such as Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) and co-response teams, suggests that they endure deployment-related challenges, thus limiting their reach to PwPMI.Drawing from the Criminology of Place and existing place-based policing strategies, the present dissertation argues that efforts focused on respondingto PwPMI should instead be proactively deployed, targeting areas where interactions between police and PwPMI concentrate spatially. Doing so would not only result in efficient deployment of scarce resources but would permit police- and community-based efforts to have a greater reach to PwPMI and thus prevent future interactions with police. To-date, however, there have been few empirical and theoretical investigations into the spatial patterns of PwPMI calls for service that could inform such proactive, place-based efforts. Specifically, we do not currently understand: (1) the degree to which PwPMI calls for service concentrate within certain geographical contexts (such as a small city);(2) whether the degree of PwPMI call concentration and the location of these calls remain stable over time;and (3) what theoretical frameworks explain why PwPMI calls for service occur where they do. Drawing on seven years (2014-2020) of calls for service data from the Barrie Police Service and data from the 2016 Canadian Census, the present dissertation employs various methods of spatial analysis to fills these specific knowledge gaps.Although the theoretical investigation confirmed the findings of previous work that found no association between social disorganization theory and the spatial patterns of PwPMI calls for service, the present dissertation revealed: (1) PwPMI calls for service are highly concentrated within the context of a small city, even more so than what has previously been uncovered in larger jurisdictions;(2) the degree of PwPMI call concentration is stable over time, falling within a narrow proportional bandwidth of spatial units;and (3) PwPMI calls for service, and their concentrations, occur in the same places over time-even during the COVID-19 pandemic-and are thus spatially stable. As such, though more scholarship is needed on theories that might help explain why PwPMI calls occur where they do, the findings of the present dissertation strongly support the proactive, place-based deployment of resources to PwPMI. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The police leader's first 100 days present a mix of unique challenges even at the best of times. What kind of challenges do new chiefs face when, during their first 100 days, a global pandemic is declared and nationwide protests and riots against police are sparked in a country under social distancing restrictions? This article discusses the first 100 days' experience of a newly appointed police chief attempting to navigate through this, already overwhelming, transition into his new role. The article identifies five "first 100-day" domains that confronted police leaders with unprecedented challenges and required unprecedented actions. A re-evaluation of these five key areas would help police chiefs improve their capabilities and ability to effectively respond to current challenges as well as to unforeseen future events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Police work can be stressful putting officers at risk of mental health difficulties. Despite this, literature suggests support seeking amongst officers is low. A meta-ethnography was conducted to synthesise qualitative research on police officers' views and experience of support, both formal and informal, for their psychological wellbeing. A systematic search identified 14 papers. Five main constructs were developed;overarching influence of culture and stigma, the unknown professional consequences of accessing support, dual role of others: providing support and encouraging support utilisation, supervisors are the gatekeepers and addressing the unmet need of formal support. Police officers in the reviewed studies recognised the need of support for their mental wellbeing, however, faced prominent barriers to accessing this, which need to be addressed systemically.The Covid-19 pandemic created an unprecedented scenario for the UK healthcare workforce. The study aimed to explore the experiences of healthcare workers in intensive care units (ICU) responding to the pandemic, with consideration of the societal narrative surrounding the workforce. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants and analysed using Thematic Analysis. Four main themes were developed;ICU environment, complexity of support, coping with the experience and individual psychological outcomes, which were then used to develop a conceptual map. Overall, the pandemic was a psychologically demanding experience for participants with different influences supporting the navigation of the environment, as well as additional challenges.The critical appraisal provides an overview of the findings from both papers, establishing the links. Although police officers and healthcare workers have distinctive roles, both the empirical study and systematic review highlighted the role of societal narratives surrounding workers and the influence this may have on mental wellbeing. Limitations and future research recommendations are elaborated on. Author reflections on key considerations of the project are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
This study focused on how police training academies in the State of Texas responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. A researcher-created survey was used to answer the three research questions posed. Research Question One asked: Are there differences between the three types of police training academies and their effectiveness in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic? The responses showed that there were no differences based on the type of police training academy and their effectiveness in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also explored capable guardianship, an element that has been explored by criminal justice/criminology researchers, but comes from the original theoretical framework of the Routine Activity Theory developed by Cohen & Felson (1979). Research question two asked: Are there differences between the genders of the directors/training coordinators and how safe they felt entering their police training academies? The responses showed that there were no differences between the genders of the directors/training coordinators and how safe they felt entering their police training academies during the pandemic making them capable guardians.Research question three asked: Are there differences between the genders of the directors/training coordinators and whether they viewed themselves as capable guardians? The responses showed that there were significant differences between the genders of the directors/training coordinators and whether they viewed themselves as capable guardians. The results of this study also provided direction for future research on police training academies operating during a pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
This online survey (N = 2365) examined the experiences of (non-sworn/non-warranted) staff serving in police forces in England and Wales during the March to July COVID-19 virus lockdown in the UK. Particular attention was paid to staff working from home, those able to partially work from home and those who remained at work in their usual police location. Home working staff were generally less stressed than those remaining partially or totally at their work location. Public interacting staff were particularly stressed. Regression analyses found that for all staff, irrespective of location, tiredness and finding work more difficult were implicated in increased stress. For those remaining at their place of work homeschooling and lacking preparedness for another lockdown were additional stressors. The importance of feeling valued is discussed. Some recommendations are offered in the light of these findings including the concept of moral injury repair. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
This dissertation analyzes police legitimacy within a Jewish religious minority community in Israel, the Haredim. Informed by theories of procedural justice, social capital, integrative enclave, and community-society, the study explores the overarching theme of religion in police legitimacy. The chapters are organized into three distinct yet inter-related case studies and implement various research designs. In these chapters, I discuss possible mechanisms that have contributed to the surprising improvement in police legitimacy within this community. In the first article, I describe the Israeli-Haredi societal situation over the last twenty years and identify forces of modernization that have contributed to higher acceptance and Haredi participation with the police, namely increased trust and cooperation. I suggest that police legitimacy has gradually developed in a dialogical manner between the community and the police. The second article discusses brokerage with the police and demonstrates how, during the first wave of COVID-19, the community shifted its communication channels with the police, leaning more heavily on professional knowledge brokers rather than traditional religious brokers. This article discusses the potential for long-term improvement of police legitimacy within the community as a result of this shift in social capital. The third article focuses on organizations as socialization mechanisms that provide a safe space for Haredim to explore the Israeli public sphere and vice versa. Organizations that assist the police in various matters, and include Haredi volunteers, provide this religious minority with the opportunity to enhance communication with the police while keeping intact religious observance. In conclusion, the dissertation provides insight into the role of religion in policing and police legitimacy, offering an important view of religion as a unique factor. Theoretically, the dissertation contributes to the understanding of (1) how police legitimacy develops over time and how religion interacts with this process;(2) how social capital access, and hence communication channels with the police, may shift under certain circumstances within religious communities;and (3) how religious organizations with ties to the police working with integrative enclaves serve as agents of socialization. Limitations and future directions for research are discussed in all three articles, as well as in the conclusion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 affected every aspect of our society, including homicide incidence, investigation, and prosecution. This case study examines the impact of COVID-19 on homicide investigation in one large metropolitan police department. Two homicide investigators were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. A thematic analytic approach was used to identify two overarching themes: fear and changes to investigative procedure. Detectives feared getting COVID-19 and possibly transmitting it to their loved ones, particularly in the early day of the pandemic when little was known about transmission. Homicide investigators faced several changes to how they conducted interviews, met with families, and sought warrants. While this case study only offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by law enforcement departments due to COVID-19, it is clear that homicide investigations were greatly affected and may continue to be so. More research is needed to unpack the relationship between COVID-19 and policies that were implemented in response to it. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
The integrity of law enforcement officers is essential to an impartial and effective justice system. However, on occasion, law enforcement officers betray the principles they swear to uphold, resulting in what is commonly referred to as police corruption. The results may include corrosion of trust with the officer, the agency, a community, and the justice system as a whole. Police corruption may come in many forms: excessive use of force, theft, misappropriation of public funds, false testimony, and more. Addressing the concerns related to police corruption is especially important as worldwide crime rates are dramatically changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and policing has become the focus of United States politics after several high-profile deaths leading many to call for defunding police agencies. This chapter will examine the problem of police corruption and available data sources on the topic. Next, it will utilize the theory of planned behavior to examine how three components-behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs-merge and form an intention to commit a corrupt act. Once a thorough application has been completed, this chapter examines the policy implications, guiding police employers to detect corrupt intentions before and during employment. Lastly, methods to alter the subjective norms of corruption within an agency and strengthen the perceived behavioral controls are discussed as a means to change corruption within an agency. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 pandemic has thrown everyone into crisis mode. Lockdowns have affected police personnel, especially as they were working on the ground level. Our study aims to assess the prevalence of substance use and assess the stress, anxiety, and sleep quality among police personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: This design was a cross-sectional study, July-September 2020. Setting: This study was conducted at Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station. Materials and Methods: One hundred police personnel were selected at random and interviewed. The Perceived Stress Scale and Symptoms of Stress Scale, the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used. Statistical Analysis: The collected data were coded and entered in Microsoft Excel sheet, were analyzed using inferential and descriptive analysis as mean, standard deviation, t-test, and Chi-square by Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences version 20.0 software. Results: The stress assessed using the SPSS and inferential and descriptive analysis came out to be as follows: 1% with high stress, 33% with moderate stress, and 66% experiencing low stress. The prevalence of CRA was found to be 8%. A total of 31% were found to have some sleep issues. A total of 44% of the police personnel were found to use some substance, with the prevalence of alcohol being 32% and nicotine being 22%. There was no significant association found between anxiety, stress, and sleep quality with substance use in the study. There was no significant relationship found between sociodemographic profile and scores on the scales used.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: A serosurvey was designed to ascertain the extent of infection among police personnel in Mumbai, India, during the last week of January 2021, at the end of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and just before the introduction of vaccination. Methods: The survey was carried out to screen for SARS-CoV-2 among 3232 police personnel. Of the 3176 participants willing for blood sample collection, 3077 personnel were found to be eligible for testing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus using the Roche Diagnostics' Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay. Results: The overall seroprevalence was 74.1% (95% CI 72.5-75.6). Males (75.1%, 73.4-76.8) had significantly higher seroprevalence than females (69.8%, 66.0-73.3), 18-39 years age group (76.4%, 74.4-78.3) than 40-59 years age group (70.6%, 67.9-73.1), non-officers (75.2%, 73.5-76.7) than officers (63.8%, 58.2-69.0), and personnel without comorbidities (75.0%, 73.3-76.6) than with comorbidities (69.7%, 65.6-73.5). Additionally, personnel with resident members positive for COVID-19 (89.6%, 84.7-93.1), personnel having reported COVID-19 earlier (95.5%, 93.8-96.7), and personnel having PCR positivity earlier (96.4%, 94.7-97.6) had significantly higher seroprevalences than others. All other variables, including diabetes and blood glucose status, lipid levels and thyroid enzymes, were not significantly associated with the seroprevalence levels. Conclusions: Almost three-fourths of frontline police personnel had evidence of past COVID-19 infection at the end of the first wave in January 2021, just before the introduction of COVID-19 vaccination. These frontline non-healthcare essential workers are an important risk group, and amenable to rapid serosurveys. These findings may help in estimating transmission status in the general community, along with disease burden, aiding prioritization of healthcare services.
ABSTRACT
The integrity of law enforcement officers is essential to an impartial and effective justice system. However, on occasion, law enforcement officers betray the principles they swear to uphold, resulting in what is commonly referred to as police corruption. The results may include corrosion of trust with the officer, the agency, a community, and the justice system as a whole. Police corruption may come in many forms: excessive use of force, theft, misappropriation of public funds, false testimony, and more. Addressing the concerns related to police corruption is especially important as worldwide crime rates are dramatically changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and policing has become the focus of United States politics after several high-profile deaths leading many to call for defunding police agencies. This chapter will examine the problem of police corruption and available data sources on the topic. Next, it will utilize the theory of planned behavior to examine how three components-behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs-merge and form an intention to commit a corrupt act. Once a thorough application has been completed, this chapter examines the policy implications, guiding police employers to detect corrupt intentions before and during employment. Lastly, methods to alter the subjective norms of corruption within an agency and strengthen the perceived behavioral controls are discussed as a means to change corruption within an agency. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Technology-facilitated violence and abuse is a truly global problem. As the diverse perspectives and experiences featured in this book have shown, the deep entanglement between technologies, inequality, marginalization, abuse, and violence require multi-faceted and collaborative responses that exist within and beyond the law. When this chapter was written, society was (and continues to be) facing an unprecedented challenge in COVID-19-a global pandemic. At the same time, a renewed focus on racist police and civilian violence has occurred following the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor in the United States. As we describe in this chapter, these two major moments are ongoing reminders of the profound social inequalities within our global communities, which are grounded in systemically discriminatory oppressions and their intersections. This chapter draws together some thoughts on technology-facilitated violence and abuse in an era of COVID-19 and antiracist protest. It explores these within the context of the book as a whole, highlighting the importance for improved understanding of, and responses to, technology-facilitated violence and abuse as part of a broader push for social justice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Previous research has demonstrated a number of potential benefits from attending peaceful protests, including low levels of depression and a perceived sense of community among protesters. Over the summer of 2020, the nation erupted with Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests following the highly publicized murders of George Floyd and other unarmed Black individuals at the hands of police. Although these protests could have served as a cathartic outlet for those outraged by police brutality and racial injustice, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to stay home. Because participating in online forms of activism is becoming increasingly common, and turning to media is a common response when faced with trauma and threats to belonging, the current research examined streaming behavior as activism. Participants (n = 128) completed an online survey assessing their desire and ability to protest, streaming habits, belonging, and depressive symptoms. It was found that viewing BLM media was negatively associated with belonging and positively associated with desire to protest and depressive symptoms. It was also found that participants higher in desire to protest consumed more BLM titles, and people higher in ability to protest consumed fewer BLM titles. These findings could have implications for media's role in social justice and collective action. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement During periods of racial turmoil, people with a high desire to protest are likely to turn to forms of online activism, such as viewing antiracist media. Viewing this media is associated with low levels of belonging but high levels of depressive symptoms. This demonstrates the importance of developing and promoting diverse media. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Background: Police are the frontline warriors who themselves are at risk of getting corona infection. This research with considerable sample size is the first of its kind to assess the epidemiological determinants of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in the police personnel. Material and Methods: The Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) approval and permission from police authorities were taken. The cross-sectional, descriptive study was planned on randomly selected 375 police personnel in the month of September-November 2020. Police detected with COVID-19 were included and those who were critically ill were excluded from the study. The written informed consent was taken and data was collected by pretested questionnaire. The data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: The mean age of study subjects was 34.25 ± 9.1 years with 84% being males. There was no significant difference in age and sex distribution of study subjects. The most commonly affected police personnel were police constables (222 out of 375) followed by police nayak (42 out of 375). Around 88.2% were symptomatic. Symptoms were fever (64%), weakness (54.4%), cough (38.4%), loss of smell sensation (35.2%), cold (32.3%), shortness of breath (13.9%), diarrhea (11.7%), and pain in the abdomen (6.4%). "Cold" symptom was significantly higher in the younger age group as compared with the older age group. Shortness of breath was significantly higher in males as compared with females (P value < 0.05). The perceived probable sources of infection were from a colleague (33.9%), family member (4.5%), residential society member (2.4%) while performing duty (23.2%), and while traveling in public transport (4%). Regarding preventive measures, almost 99%, 94%, and 87%, followed hand hygiene, mask-wearing, and physical distancing, respectively, prior to getting corona infection. AYUSH self-care practices such as daily drinking of turmeric milk, warm water, and breathing exercises were practiced by 66.9%, 85.9%, and 54.1% of the police personnel, respectively. Conclusions: There is male preponderance for corona infection among police personnel. Breathlessness is common in males as compared with female police. The cold symptom is mostly observed in young police personnel. Police personnel needs to judiciously follow physical distancing and practice general measures recommended by AYUSH.
ABSTRACT
The book is based on research associated with police mental health together with the subsequent effects on officer's performance, physical health, and lifestyle. It outlines the current challenges face by police, increased civil unrest, negative public reactions, and a biological siege brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. These events have caused personnel shortages, long work hours, and psychological and physical assaults upon the police. The book turns to the present mental health status of police officers. Posttraumatic Stress (PTSD) and depression appear to be prevalent in police. Police officers are repeatedly exposed to traumatic situations including motor vehicle accidents, armed conflicts, and witnessing violent death across their working lives. Depression and PTSD are often found together in officers. Several studies on police have found the prevalence of depression to be approximately 12% which is nearly twice as high as the general population. Both depression and PTSD promote poor health through a complex interaction between biological and psychological mechanisms. In today's societal and politically conflicted environment, the police are caught between the requirements of the job and the ability to fulfill these requirements. The book discusses the effects of police stress and trauma on physical health. The stress and trauma that police face can eventually wear down the body's defense against disease. The book discusses resilience and its role in ameliorating stress. Resilience is simply defined as bouncing back from adversity. There are, however, many dimensions of resiliency to consider. The book asks the question, "Where do we go from here?" It also discusses current legislation which will help police deal with the problem of psychological, physical health, and suicide. The book will help researchers and those dedicated officers who go out every day and "drive and walk the beat". It is those officers who bear the brunt of policing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Police personnel have been key frontline workers throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study was conducted to assess the correlates and outcomes of critically ill police personnel. METHODS: This retrospective observational study analyzed key parameters of hospitalized police personnel who were critically ill with COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh, India, between June and October 2020. Survival was analyzed for correlation with body mass index, ABO/Rh blood group, co-morbidities, treatment (oxygen therapy, prone positioning, mechanical ventilation, remdesivir, Ivermectin, oral and nasal topical povidone-iodine). We also performed Cox proportional hazard analysis with relevant function plots. RESULTS: The majority of the 266 patients were male (n = 259; 97.4%) and obese (75.2%). The overall mortality of patients was 38% (n = 101). COVID-19 mortality increased significantly with age (p = 0.019) and BMI (p = 0.030) in the bivariate analysis. There was no significant difference between blood group (p = 0.297), co-morbidity (p = 0.582) and COVID-19 outcome. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the risk factors for COVID-19 mortality were males (HR 4.89, 95% CI: 1.020-23.430) and ventilator therapy (HR 7.5, 95% CI: 4.527-12.296). The protective factors were symptom onset to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) report interval (HR 0.36, 95% CI: 0.158-0.814), prone positioning (HR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.197-0.915), and use of povidone iodine (HR 0.43; 95% CI: 0.273-0.692). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 mortality among critically ill hospitalized police personnel was reduced by time to diagnostic test result, prone positioning, and povidone-iodine use and increased with male gender and mechanical ventilation.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has ensured that countries enforced complete lock down to prevent the spread of infection. Despite millions of people working from home during this pandemic situation, police personnel 'the front line workers' who deal with the general population to ensure their safety and wellbeing are at risk of stress and other mental health problems in addition to the risk of infection itself. AIM: The aim of this study is to explore the perception of police personnel towards the disease, factors influencing stress and coping abilities of them amid COVID-19. METHODS: A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted using in-depth interviews among randomly selected police personnel working in COVID-19 situation across the district of Karaikal, Puducherry. RESULTS: Of the 32 police personnel, majority were of age group 36-45 (43.75%), followed by 25-35 (37.5%). More than half of them were married (78.12%). Around 62.5% had been in the present occupation for more than 5 years. The in depth interviews were group under 5 themes namely perception, practice they follow amid COVID-19, stress they go through, challenges faced, coping strategies used by them. CONCLUSION: It is the need of the hour to care for the well-being of frontline workers, especially police personals.
ABSTRACT
To evaluate the psychosocial issues among the police personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a web-based cross-sectional survey, 623 police personnel were evaluated on Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) and Perceived stress scale (PSS), and a self-designed questionnaire. 10.6% of the police personnel had significant anxiety and 18% have significant depressive symptoms with overall psychological morbidity of 22.2%. Higher age was significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms, total PHQ-4 score, and higher perceived stress. The present survey suggests that a substantial proportion of the police personnel on COVID-19 duty during the lockdown period have significant anxiety, depressive symptoms, and perceive significant stress. There is an urgent need to evaluate the mental health issues and provide psychological support to the police personnel who are considered as faceless warriors of the COVID-19. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-020-00408-8.