Dealing with Emotionally Traumatic Cases: The Challenges of a Police Officer

As a police officer, one must strive to maintain a professional and dispassionate stance when dealing with cases. However, certain cases can deeply affect an officer, particularly those involving domestic violence and child abuse. These encounters are not only traumatic for the victims and their families but can also be incredibly distressing for the officers tasked with handling them.

Emotion and Professionalism

One officer shares his experiences of how emotionally challenging these cases can be. 'There are domestic violence cases that really got under my skin,' he admits. 'There were child abuse cases that really got under my skin, particularly after I had a very bad event in my life.' While the officer recognizes the importance of remaining impartial in his role to ensure justice is not compromised, it is inevitable that cases occasionally provoke a personal response.

The officer explains, 'The officer should be dispassionate about cases. It#39;s crucial to avoid letting personal feelings cloud judgment. One is likely to overlook evidence or fail to pursue a suspect based on personal biases, which would be a violation of justice being blind.' However, he acknowledges, 'But yes, some cases very few and very rarely really bothered me.' This blend of professionalism and human emotion highlights the complex nature of the work.

Being a Victim

It is important to note that the officer states, 'No not even when I was the victim.' This demonstrates the difficulty in separating personal experiences from professional duties, emphasizing the emotional and psychological toll of the work. 'Certain crimes are and always will be horrific to witness or be involved in. These cases are traumatic to the victims and their families and can be traumatic to the first responders,' the officer reflects.

Personal Immersion in Cases

One of the officer's most significant challenges was becoming deeply involved in specific cases. 'If you are asking if I have become totally immersed in particular cases such that I obsessively worked on them thinking almost of nothing else yes I had cases like that,' he confesses. This situation was not ideal as it put 'much to my wife's displeasure,' he adds. 'That level of involvement affects not only the officer but also personal relationships and mental health.'

The officer emphasizes the professional responsibilities involved in handling cases: 'It is the professional responsibility to gather all possible evidence by all legal means, figure out if possible from that who perpetrated the offense (be it molest, kidnapping, murder or rape) apprehend that person, document everything properly and then testify to all this at trial if necessary. Nothing else was up to me. I was not the judge or the jury or the prosecutor or the defense for that matter, except in the sense that I had to present all evidence, including exculpatory.' This highlights the importance of following the legal process and maintaining objectivity.

Despite these responsibilities, the officer acknowledges that personal sympathy for victims must be compartmentalized. 'The personal sympathy I had for victims had to be compartmentalized. Messes with your head and it comes out now in retirement. I toss and turn at night sometimes when a case gets into my head, especially those in which I failed,' he adds. This statement underscores the long-term impact of emotionally challenging cases on officers' mental and emotional well-being.

Conclusion

The work of a police officer is complex, involving a delicate balance between professionalism and empathy. While the officer's experience shows that it is possible to handle emotionally traumatic cases with a professional demeanor, the mental and emotional toll cannot be ignored. The cases that 'really bothered' the officer serve as a stark reminder of the deep human impact of their work. The importance of compartmentalizing emotions and maintaining objectivity cannot be overstated, as this is crucial for justice to be served.