Cops and Domestic Violence
An article today appeared in the Chattanooga Times & Free Press regarding officers and domestic violence incidents among the rank and file. Officers often bring the streets into their own homes. I have said this before, until officers who commit acts of violence in their own homes are treated like everyone else, it will continue behind closed doors. The blue brotherhood is alive abd well among police departments across the country. Stress on the job is a poor excuse for anyone law enforcement or not, to terrorize their own flesh and blood. 
Forty percent of America's law enforcement officers reportedly have used violence against their domestic partners, a rate far higher than in the general population, statistics show.
Domestic violence is almost four times more likely to occur in police families, according to the National Center for Women and Policing.
"It's directly related to the stress of the job," Chattanooga Police Department Lt. Randy Dunn said.
Within the last year, three area police officers have been charged with domestic violence. One of the three pleaded to a lesser charge, and two cases still are pending.
Officer James Howard Smith is on administrative leave from the Soddy-Daisy Police Department in relation to an Aug. 17 incident with his wife after she allegedly confronted him about their marriage. He is accused of throwing her across their bedroom and trying to strangle her, records show.
Chattanooga Police Officer Adrian David Gibb was charged with one count of domestic assault after an Aug. 2 incident involving his estranged wife, according to records. He is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Hamilton County General Sessions Court.
Officer Scott Crider, who works for the Chattanooga Police Department, faced a 2006 charge of domestic assault. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and his record was expunged after he completed a 30-day suspended sentence and a 12-week anger management course.
POTENTIAL CAUSES
Dr. Gary Lee, a clinical psychologist who counsels police officers affected by traumatic on-the-job experiences, described law enforcement as "a way of life."
Police officers routinely must shelve any emotions they may feel, especially when faced with particularly harrowing or dangerous situations, Dr. Lee, of Hendersonville, Tenn., said.
"In order to do what they do on a daily basis, they have to put aside, contain and hold natural human emotional reactions," he said. "They are taught that when they respond they have to keep control of the situation."
Over time, such suppression often makes it difficult for officers to communicate with those closest to them, Dr. Lee said.
"They're not able to talk about their jobs like most people do, so over time the stress builds and becomes cumulative," he said. "They basically shut down and there's not a lot of communication, which causes conflict."
Lt. Dunn, who serves as the Southeast Tennessee coordinator for the state's Critical Incident Debriefing Team, said he believes that extremely traumatic situations can trigger such behavior in almost anyone. However, he said, even the day-to-day stresses of an officer's job can add up.
"You go home and all you want to do is relax and recharge your batteries," Lt. Dunn said. "So when something happens at home, and you've got to get back in control mode ... you get a little irritated and upset. That's how things like that can happen."
Dr. Lee said that, though the nature of law enforcement work always will create some level of stress, he tells officers that learning to communicate with their families in an appropriate manner can alleviate some tension.
"We try to get them to talk with their wives about what's going on," he said. "Don't give your wife the rated 'R' version, they only need the 'G' or 'PG' version."
Lt. Dunn agreed, saying police try to be train officers to look for signs of stress in themselves and others.
"We try not to wait until there's a problem," he said.
But reaching out to others after stressful events is equally important, Lt. Dunn said.
"We don't let the wounds fester and get infected," he said.
THE CONSEQUENCES
Such intervention efforts, however, sometimes are not enough to prevent a conviction that can change an officer's life forever.
"It's a career-ending conviction," said Hamilton County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Max Templeton, citing federal law that prevents those convicted of domestic violence offenses from carrying firearms.
Area law enforcement officials said that federal regulation governs the treatment of their officers in such cases, negating the need for any individualized departmental policy on the issue.
Though all of Hamilton County's law enforcement agencies operate under various policies regarding officer-involved crime in general, none report having guidelines specific to officer-involved domestic violence.
"I think the position is to treat them exactly the same as any other domestic violence cases," said Lon Eilders, accreditation and policy manager for the Chattanooga Police Department.
To Soddy-Daisy Police Chief William Loftis, that seems only fair, as the law enforcement community simply is a slice of the general population.
"Police officers are like every other human," Chief Loftis said. "The difference is that we live in a fishbowl and everybody looks at us because we enforce the law.
Chief Loftis said people in other professions "have these incidents all the time, and it never hits the news. But when one officer does something, it's sensationalized."
