Organizational Leadership’s Responsibility to Better Understand the Occupational Stressors Effecting Crime Scene Investigators
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33423/jlae.v21i4.7455Keywords:
leadership, accountability, ethics, resiliency, organizational leadership, occupational stressors, coping mechanismsAbstract
Organizational leadership in law enforcement has an ethical responsibility to understand the emotional needs of law enforcement personnel. This includes those highly trained professionals referred to as crime scene investigators. These professionals are tasked with working in horrific environments, conducting investigations into some of the most heinous crimes. The impact to the crime scene investigator is both physically and mentally taxing. Leadership must produce highly trained and proficient crime scene professionals best suited to serve the community's needs. To achieve this, organizational leadership must recognize the occupational stressors and coping mechanisms that impact these professionals.
References
Adderley, R., Smith, L., Bond, J.W., & Smith, M. (2012). Physiological measurement of crime scene investigator stress. International Journal of Police Science and Management, 14(2), 166–176. https://doi.org/10.1350/ijps.2012.14.2.274
Almazrouei, M.A., Dror, I.E., & Morgan, R.M. (2020). Organizational and human factors affecting forensic decision-making: Workplace stress and feedback. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 65(6), 1968–1977. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.14542
Andersen, J.P., Papazoglou, K., & Collins, P. (2018). Association of authoritarianism, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction among police officers in North America: An exploration. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 13(2), 405–419. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2657663
Bell, S., & Eski, Y. (2015). Break a leg – It’s all in the mind’: Police officers’ attitudes towards colleagues with mental health issues. Policing, 10(2), 95–101. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/pav041
Carleton, R.N., Afifi, T.O., Taillieu, T., Turner, S., Krakauer, R., Anderson, G.S., . . . McCreary, D.R. (2019). Exposures to potentially traumatic events among public safety personnel in Canada. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 51(1), 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000115
Carlson-Johnson, O., Grant, H., & Lavery, C.F. (2020). Caring for the guardians – exploring needed directions and best practices for police resilience practice and research. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01874
Cartwright, A., & Roach, J. (2022). A price paid? A review of the research on the impact of investigating serious crime on the wellbeing of police staff. Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles, 95(1), 109–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X211049335
Craven, H.P., Hallmark, M., Holland, F., & Maratos, F.A. (2022). Factors influencing successful coping among crime scene investigation (CSI) personnel: Recruiting for resilience – a mixed methods study. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 37, 549–568. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09521-x
Creswell, J.W., & Creswell, J.D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th Ed.). David Creswell.
Denk-Florea, C.B., Gancz, B., Gomoiu, A., Ingram, M., Moreton, R., & Pollick, F. (2020). Understanding and supporting law enforcement professionals working with distressing material: Findings from a qualitative study. PLOS ONE, 15(11), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242808
Fisher, B.A., & Fisher, D.R. (2022). Techniques of crime scene investigation (9th Ed.). CRC Press.
Flick, C., Smith, O.K.H., & Schweitzer, K. (2022). Influence of expert degree and scientific validity of testimony on mock jurors’ perception of credibility. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 36, 494–507. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3935
Heyman, M., Dill, J., & Douglas, R. (2018). Mental health and suicide of first responders [White paper]. The Ruderman Family Foundation. Retrieved from https://rudermanfoundation.org.
Jeanguenat, A.M., & Dror, I.E. (2018). Human factors effecting forensic decision making: Workplace stress and well-being. Journal of Forensic Science, 63(1), 258–261. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.13533
Kelty, S.F., & Gordon, H. (2015). No burnout at this coal-face: Managing occupational stress in forensic personnel and the implications for forensic and criminal justice agencies. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 22(2), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2014.941092
Kelty, S.F., Julian, R., & Robertson, J. (2011). Professionalism in crime scene examination: The seven key attributes of top crime scene examiners. Forensic Science Policy & Management, 2, 175–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/19409044.2012.693572
Kelty, S.F., Ribaux, O., & Robertson, J. (2023). Identifying the critical skillset of top crime scene examiners: Why this matters and why agencies should develop top performers. Wiley Forensic Science, pp. 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/wfs2.1494
Kula, S. (2017). Occupational stress, supervisor support, job satisfaction, and work-related burnout: Perceptions of Turkish National Police (TNP) members. Police Practice and Research, 18(2), 146–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2016.1250630
Leone, M.C., & Keel, R. (2016). Occupational stress and the crime scene investigator. Journal of Law and Criminal Justice, 4(1), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.15640/jlcj.v4n1a4
Maran, D.A., Magnavita, N., & Garbarino, S. (2022). Identifying organizational stressors that could be a source of discomfort in police officers: A thematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063720
Martin, K., Siddiqui, A., Ricciardelli, R., Lentz, L., & Carleton, R.N. (2021). Differences in mental health, help-seeking and barriers to care between civilians and sworn members working in law enforcement: A research note. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 36, 627–633. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-021-09437-y
McKay-Davis, S., Robinson, T., Sebetan, I.M., & Stein, P. (2020). Civilian forensic technician and sworn police officer job-related stress. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 65(6), 2065–2070. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.14543
Merriam, S.B., & Tisdell, E.J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th Ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Mrevlje, T.P. (2016). Coping with work-related traumatic situations among crime scene technicians. Stress and Health, 32, 374–382. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2631
Newell, C.J., Ricciardelli, R., Czarnuch, S.M., & Martin, K. (2022). Police staff and mental health: Barriers and recommendations for improving help-seeking. Police, Practice and Research, 23(1), 111–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2021.1979398
Perez-Floriano, L.R., & Gonzalez, J.A. (2019). When the going gets tough: A moderated mediated model of injury, job-related risks, stress, and police performance. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 27(4), 1239–1255. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-05-2018-1423
Pooley, G., & Turns, B. (2021). Supporting those holding the thin blue line: Using solution-focused brief therapy for law enforcement families. Contemporary Family Therapy, 44, 176–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-021-09575-9
Roach, J., Cartwright, A., & Sharratt, K. (2017). Dealing with the unthinkable: A study of the cognitive and emotional stress of adult and child homicide investigations on police investigators. Journal Police Criminal Psychology, 32, 251–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-016-9218-5
Rosansky, J.A., Cook, J., Rosenberg, H., & Sprague, J.E. (2019). PTSD symptoms experienced and coping tactics used by crime scene investigators in the United States. Journal of Forensic Science, 64(5), 1444–1450. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.14044
Russell, L.M. (2014). An empirical investigation of high-risk occupations: Leader influence on employee stress and burnout among police. Management Research Review, 37(4), 367–384. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-10-2012-0227
Salinas, C.R., & Webb, H.E. (2018). Occupational stress and coping mechanisms in crime scene personnel. Occupational Medicine, 68, 239–245.
Sheard, I., Burnett, M.E., & St Clair-Thompson, H. (2019). Psychological distress constructs in police with different roles. International Journal of Emergency Services, 8(3), 264–279. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-06-2018-0033
Smith, J.A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2022). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research (2nd Ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Sollie, H., Kop, N., & Euwema, M.C. (2017). Mental resilience of crime scene investigators: How police officers perceive and cope with the impact of demanding work situations. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 44(12), 1580–1603. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854817716959
Spence, D.L., & Drake, J. (2021). Law enforcement suicide: 2020 report to Congress. United States Department of Justice: Community Oriented Policing Service. Retrieved from https://www.cops.usdoj.gov
Steinkopf, B.L., Hakala, K.A., & Van Hasselt, V.B. (2015). Motivational interviewing: Improving the delivery of psychological services to law enforcement. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 46(5), 348–354. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000042
Stinchcomb, J.B. (2004). Searching for stress in all the wrong places: Combating chronic organizational stressors in policing. Police Practice and Research, 5(3), 259–277. https://doi.org/10.1080/156142604200227594
Stogner, J., Miller, B.L., & McLean, K. (2020). Police stress, mental health, and resiliency during COVID-19 pandemic. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45, 718–730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-020-09548-y
Sutton, J., & Austin, Z. (2015). Qualitative research: Data collection, analysis, and management. CJHP, 68(3), 226–231. https://doi.org/10.4212/cjhp.v68i3.1456
United States Department of Health and Human Services. (2023). Practices to foster a culture of wellness and psychological health and well-being of law enforcement agency personnel. United States Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov
Violanti, J.M., Fekedulegn, D., Hartley, T.A., Charles, L.E., Andrew, M.E., Ma, C.C., & Burchfiel, C.M. (2016). Highly rated and most frequent stressors among police officers: Gender differences. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 41, 645–662. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-016-9342-x
Wiechmann, A. (2018). The police function (1st Ed., pp. 297–320). Cognella, Inc.
Winter, A. (2024). A Qualitative Study of Crime Scene Investigators and Resiliency (Order No. 31632868). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (3121263308). Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/qualitative-study-crime-scene-investigators/docview/3121263308/se-2
Yasuhara, K., Formon, D.L., Phillips, S., & Yenne, E.M. (2019). Development of a measure of mental health stigma including police behaviors. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 26(4), 520–529. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2018.1507845