The social isolation many police officers experience usually begins early in a career, is often voluntarily chosen, and has roots traceable to two generally interconnected origins. This is something we’ve addressed several times before, in different ways but still driving the same point, but with the gulf between cops and citizens seeming to continue its expansion the present sociopolitical climate adds an element we should address. This element – a rift growing out of a generalized mistrust for the whole of law enforcement based upon opinions formed surrounding isolated but high profile incidents – may not be uniform among all cops and all citizens but it is still driving policy and practice in many, if not most, departments and influencing the perception and even role of police in society. But first we’ll look at the origins as before.
The first source of isolation makes logistical sense and is simple to understand. As we’ve written before:
shift work, frequently rotating shift assignments, unpredictable work hours, and a job that must be staffed without regard for weekends and holidays places a police officer's available time-off at odds with that of old friends and family… some research suggests it’s during the first six years of an officers career, when seniority is low and the officer is most likely to work the shifts that run counter to those of most other jobs, that the path to social isolation is established and made habit.
The second source of isolation is different from, but closely influenced by, the first. It is also more insidious and tends to maintain continued isolation even after officers learn how to overcome or compensate for the challenges of being a young cop working weird hours at odds with those of family and friends. Again, borrowing from ourselves:
Throughout the years on the job, a police officer begins building a knowledge bank that’s essential for the officer s physical survival and professional success. The officer learns things don’t always appear as they really are: People deceive for understandable reasons, inscrutable reasons, and for absolutely no reason… (and) violence can come from the most unlikely of people.
The officer progresses from naive to suspicious to cynical, and eventually decides to simply isolate into the world that’s known and trusted: the law enforcement world. Even the non-LEOs rosier worldview is eventually treated with condescension and cynicism (How in the world can these people NOT see the world as it really is?). The officer retreats to the company of the like-minded.
For a while, efforts is to stay in touch with old friends are made, blood remains thicker than blue, and new friendships beyond the police world are cultivated. But something is different. There is a sense of “otherness.” Sarcasm toward, anger at, or misunderstanding of law enforcement expressed by non-LEOs in the officer's presence makes it clear: You are always going to be somewhat seperate from the very world you are sworn to protect. You see and know things most people never will. You are different.
Many cops simply feel most comfortable with other cops, sometimes even preferring their company over that of their families. There is safety and understanding within the LEO world. While it is fair to say most people want to be around others who share their experience and worldview what is different with many officers is a tendency to not only gravitate toward the familiar and safe, but to actively isolate from those who are different.
For a time this works as young officers are working hard, having fun, learning, and building relationships with other cops. The roots of future social isolation are planted without notice:
Family events are missed, but never a shift party. Calls from old friends grow infrequent when they just know you can’t or won’t make it to the barbecue, birthday party, or reunion because of your weird schedule; why bother asking? Besides, you’re too busy with your new friends and interests to miss them all that much. Life changes for everyone and most people lose touch with old friends over time. Families? Well, they scatter, too, as kids grow up, become adults, and take on new lives. Old pastimes are set aside and new ones adopted.
This has actually been common for a long time, but the risk of this trend continuing and growing in a time of heavy criticism of the police and policing is significant, especially when some of that criticism comes even from friends and family, as well as from critical journalists, activists, and the talking heads of social media. It would be understandable. The simple fact is that self-isolating is no more productive or healthy now than it has ever been, and doing so actually causes harm not just to the individual officer and his family, but to society, as well.
A society standing apart from and in opposition to its police is unhealthy, and that is the state in which a lot of communities find themselves. The dysfunction this represents, or possibly engenders, has bled beyond those communities to have a considerable effect on how cops feel they are viewed by society overall, even in communities where there is objectively greater appreciation for law enforcement than in many of the embattled cities and neighborhoods where true animosity exists. A lot of cops experience the criticism and anger directed at their brother and sister officers in a deeply personal way.
It is important to keep perspective in these challenging times. A recent Pew Research poll of respondents trust in various institutions (including the Supreme Court, organized religion, media/news outlets, big business and small business, the presidency, the military, our medical system, the criminal justice system (apart from “the police”), organized labor, congress, and public schools) finds public trust in the police (with 57% of respondents expressing “a great deal” or “a lot” of trust in the institution) as 3rd behind the military (72% of respondents falling into the same categories) and small business (70%). Trust in the remaining institutions is not even close. The takeaway is that most people still have a lot of trust in us overall.
Focus not on what the media tells us, nor the message of the worst case examples. Instead, focus on remaining engaged, serving your public and representing your department and who you want to be as an officer. Now more than ever, isolation is not an option.
Michael Wasilewski
Althea Olson, LCSW and Mike Wasilewski, MSW have been married since 1994. Mike works full-time as a police officer for a large suburban Chicago agency while Althea is a social worker in private practice in Joliet & Naperville, IL. They have been popular contributors of Officer.com since 2007 writing on a wide range of topics to include officer wellness, relationships, mental health, morale, and ethics. Their writing led to them developing More Than A Cop, and traveling the country as trainers teaching “survival skills off the street.” They can be contacted at [email protected] and can be followed on Facebook or Twitter at More Than A Cop, or check out their website www.MoreThanACop.com.
