This knowledge carries much stress and having a high stress job has its costs. A police officer, or any type of law enforcement officer, takes a risk every time they go to work. When something goes wrong on the job, their life may become endangered. This paper looks at law enforcement through critical incidents and the use of violence on the job. It will also explore post-traumatic stress disorder, and effect of critical incidents and violence.
Critical incidents are any tragic event that effects a person emotionally and psychologically.
Some events that are considered critical are the death of a love one, near-death experiences, or any event with human suffering. A web site for family member of police officers helps explain the reaction a person may have after a tragic event. One common thread that runs through critical incidents is that, after the event, responders feel emotionally drained. Each person is effected differently by trauma. When an incident like this occurs, officers must go through a debriefing.