There seems to have been a rash of police officers arrested lately and I wonder what we as a profession are going to do about it.
We talk about the effects of stress on the job a lot here at CopsAlive.com and we talk about police officer suicide, alcohol abuse, divorce, domestic violence but this is one of the side effects that we don’t talk about too often. Is this representative of a few “bad apples” or is it a bigger issue of officers not being able to handle the stresses of the job. Does that mean we picked the wrong people for the job or did the job get to these men who were basically good people?
March 23, 2010
Colorado state trooper arrested on DUI charges
In this case an on-duty trooper was stopped in his patrol car by another agency and arrested for investigation of DUI.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14735791?source=rss
April 6, 2010
Westminster police officer and corrections officer held in kidnap, rape of woman
In this case two law enforcement officers are charged with the kidnapping and violent rape of a woman who they saw working in a bar.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/06/local/la-me-officers-arrested6-2010apr06
April 16, 2010
Capitol Police officer arrested in child pornography sting
This officer was arrested after a four-month investigation in conjunction with the FBI allegedly uncovered that he had been trafficking child pornography over the Internet.
http://thehill.com/homenews/news/92721-capitol-police-officer-arested-in-child-pornography-investigation
April 19, 2010
City officer arrested after allegedly pulling gun in bar
This 21 year old officer was off-duty and got into an altercation in a bar and when confronted by security he pulled his gun.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-04-19/news/bs-md-co-officer-arrested0420-20100419_1_off-duty-baltimore-police-officer-anthony-guglielmi-disorderly-conduct
April 19, 2010
Former Lake City police officer arrested for assaulting woman
This former police officer is charged with criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature and unlawful neglect of a child.
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=445699
April 19, 2010
More Detail On the CPD Officer Arrested For DUI
This Chattanooga Police was arrested for DUI and Leaving the scene of an accident while driving off-duty in his personal vehicle.
http://www.wdef.com/news/more_detail_on_the_cpd_officer_arrested_for_dui/04/2010
You can find even more just by Googling “police officer arrested”
The issue here is not so much about these specific incidents, it’s about the fact that officers are getting arrested every day all around the globe and maybe we as a profession need to start talking more seriously about how we can successfully navigate and survive this career called law enforcement. Once we learn how to take care of ourselves then maybe we can help our peers and partners.
First we have to start a discussion. We started it, now it’s your turn!
For more information about stress management for police officers and stress management training for law enforcement officers see our other articles on CopsAlive.com:
“Police Officers Need to Learn to Manage Stress Before it Ruins their Lives and Careers”
“The Future of Stress Management for Law Enforcement”
“TPCG Helps Police Officers Manage Stress”
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We do this by Helping Law Enforcement professionals plan for happy, healthy and successful lives on the job and beyond. We think the best strategy is for each officer to create a tactical plan for their own life and career.
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