Date of Award

Spring 2021

Degree Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

College of Education, Doctoral Program

First Advisor

Andrea Kayne, JD

Abstract

The current culture of policing in the United States has been exposed as having a need for review, re-evaluating and a re-commitment to the expectation of values entrusted to its officers by the citizenry. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) indicators typically take months or years to present in active duty police officers. The onset of symptoms may be subtle, exaggerated, or undetectable without an examination. The complex nature of the unique enterprise of policing exposes officers to mental health hazards continuously over decades. In an effort to explore the predictors and attempt to establish a basis for preventative actions an examination was performed through analyzing quantitative data from three studies. Populations including 413,763 active duty Reserve National Guard Soldiers, 434 officers assigned to the Dallas Police Department, and 3,957 United States Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan were utilized for tis investigation and a bivariate correlation was performed between variables and statistically significant relationships were found to be present between gender, time on the job, level of education, and past experiences where measured. The results support the hypothesis and informed the development of the design of the Resilience and Wellness Teams (PitStop) which will monitor, evaluate, and appropriately respond to the evolving needs of officers throughout their careers. This mechanism will be the first of its kind comprehensive system that endeavors to prevent stress outcomes such as suicide, domestic violence incidents, substance abuse, lawsuits, and patterns of excessive use of force.

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