Danger To The Police



Danger to the Police

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Danger to the Police

Introduction

Going from the home in the morning for not having to return in the evening is what law enforcement officers and their families fear the most. Of all the calls, the police officers have to respond, domestic disturbance poses the most significant threat to the officers. That is because the officer does not know what comes next. Whether he confronts a couple having a turbulent relationship, or a gun-wielding man with a prior psychological history, or a drug abuser proving to be a menace in the neighborhood. While police officers are, for most of the times, are appreciated for their services, they come under heavy criticism when thing go south in a domestic call (Westera & Powell, 2017).

Discussion

Everybody is familiar with the words “To Serve and Protect”. The everyday role of a police officer is described by these words. Sadly, the dangers of protection and serving have are unpredictable. According to the FBI, of all the deaths of police officers in the line of duty, 14 percent attributes to domestic violence. For the police, responding to a domestic call is considered among the deadliest scenario in the USA. Domestic violence can be defined as harmful behavior towards a partner, be it sexual, emotional, or psychological (Breiding et.al, 2015). For instance, responding to an assault on a female is a challenging task. Every time the officer is exposed to physical injury. While there are dangers in domestic violence, it is not considered to be the most threating. There can be emotional and psychological stress on the officers of the calls. Consider a domestic violence call that led to an officer-involved shooting. The officer had to shoot the gun-wielding man that charged at him. Shooting a father, a husband, a brother of someone in front of them has serious emotional and psychological consequences for the officer.

Conclusion

It is evident from the above discussion that domestic calls are not the most threatening. However, there is little disagreement that there is always a threat lurking behind the closed doors. Additionally, with officers obligated to wear body cams to document the events, it has provided the society with the officers’ perspective to the threats posed by domestic calls.

References

Breiding, M., Basile, K. C., Smith, S. G., Black, M. C., & Mahendra, R. R. (2015). Intimate partner violence surveillance: uniform definitions and recommended data elements. Version 2.0.

Westera, N. J., & Powell, M. B. (2017). Prosecutors’ perceptions of how to improve the quality of evidence in domestic violence cases. Policing and society, 27(2), 157-172.