Reference no: EM133971118

Question

As we have learned throughout the weeks, police officers are prone to experience stress at some point in their careers and how they seek help can be influenced by many complexities. Law enforcement officers who need help for stress-related problems face a lot of challenges, especially when it comes to equitable and diverse staffing. An example of this is the difficulty for agencies to provide their employees with gender specific support. Due to their gender, female cops tend to deal with additional stressors such as harassment, discrimination, or sexist attitudes (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2016). Unfortunately, many support programs don't address these particular needs, so they're not effective and only exclude people. Furthermore, women are often stigmatized as being too emotional, causing many police officers to avoid seeking help when they need it so that they appear equal (Burns & Buchanan, 2020). Law enforcement with diverse racial backgrounds also presents unique challenges to those seeking stress-related treatment. Underrepresented officers often have trouble getting the help they need because of institutional obstacles. Just like female officers, racial minorities can also face discrimination or harassment on the basis of their religion or cultural background (U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2016). There are many unique challenges that minority officers face that their colleagues do not experience (Griffin, 2012). An example is the long history of discrimination between law enforcement and minorities. Officers may feel town between loyalty to their department and their obligation to protect their race, adding to their stress.