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Trauma and Stress

The Anatomy of Stress

As officers, you are physically and emotionally tested during events such as protests, civil unrest, mass demonstrations or 1st Amendment assemblies; you, your colleagues, and other first responders are also often the last to seek help for work-related stress.22,23

Waring signs of stress during high intensty situations23
  • Experiencing elevated heart rate, palpitations, muscle tension, headaches, and tremors.
  • Feeling anger, frustration, fear, terror, or danger.
  • Feeling disorientation or confusion; difficulty with problem-solving or decision-making.
  • Taking unnecessary risks, failing to use personal protective equipment, or refusing to follow orders or leave the scene.
  • Becoming irritable or hostile in social situations, resorting to blaming, and failing to support teammates.
Sensory stressor which officers may experience during mass demonstrations.24
Stress and trauma in the field, particularly while policing protests, demonstrations, and 1st Amendment assemblies, can be amplified by the overall attack on the senses and the sensory confusion24, which you may experience in these tumultuous situations.

Managing Stress

Managing reactions to critical stress requires you to recognize that you are experiencing stress, and then, practice techniques which will help to reduce stress. These techniques are commonly referred to as self-care.25

There are also things you can do you can do to help manage your symptoms including:26

  • Talking with your doctor about treatment options.
  • Setting realistic goals for yourself.
  • Breaking up large tasks into small ones, setting some priorities, and doing what you can, as you can.
  • Spending time with other people and confiding in a trusted friend or relative.
  • Telling others about things that may trigger symptoms.
  • Expecting your symptoms to improve gradually, not immediately.
  • Identifying and seeking out comforting situations, places, and people.

Related Publication

steps-reduce-stress

Reduce stress online poster

Valor Officer Safety and Wellness Program, Bureau of Justice Assistance

Take long term steps to reduce stress and increase your health!

Read More

This project was supported by cooperative agreement number 2016-VI-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report was prepared by the National Police Foundation (NPF). The National Police Foundation is the oldest nationally known, non-profit, non-partisan, and non-membership driven organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science.

The internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, the NPF cannot vouch for their current validity.

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