Last weeks topic of sleep in politicians and law enforcement was really interesting and frustrating to me. My dream job is working in the counter terrorism department of the FBI, where I know I will be put under some hard circumstances, but the reading about the lack of sleep in law enforcement really hit me hard. The article Sleep Disorders Common Among Police Officers notes that "In a large sample of police officers, about 40% screened positive for at least one sleep disorder" that means that just under half of the law enforcement officers we come in contact with are not fully ready to do their job. These are the men and women that are protecting our nation and guarding some of our civil liberties. Shantha Rajaratnam, PhD, of Brigham said that this lack of sleep affects the police in "making administrative errors, falling asleep while driving, and lashing out at suspects". Not to put out any political views or arguments, but lately the only reports you can find on the news about police are the "unjustified" shootings and other mistakes. It makes one wonder if lack of sleep had any input on the decisions these (unfortunately) famous police make. It is also reported that " More than a quarter of cops -- 28.5% -- also reported excessive sleepiness, and 26.1% reported falling asleep while driving at least once or twice a month". We have recently learned of "Brent's Rules" and even though they didn't get passed they were still a movement towards acknowledgement of the dangers of the crazy hours worked by movie makers. Will it take this for law enforcement to put forth better regulation on shifts and hours worked? Here is a link to a video about a drowsy police officer falling asleep at the wheel and hitting three parked cars. Imagine if he had been on the highway and hit cars with people in them. We as citizens put so much trust and faith into these men and women, but I think it is fair to say they owe it to the community to be in good shape when on duty. I know when I get the opportunity to do my dream job, I would like to think I would not show up at the FBI headquarters tired and still making life threatening decisions. Maybe someone needs to step up and "police" the law enforcement and their demanding hours.
Sources:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/SleepDisorders/30329
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=Bp4OZuCeQ_o
"It's been a long day" http://lawenforcementtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sleepingcop.jpg
I think this is an urgent and pressing issue. How can the men and women that are expected to protect us do their job correctly when the job itself is causing them to loose sleep. I support our brothers and sisters in the black and blue and hope not only that America gets a hold on police being harmed in the line of duty, but that they also fix their work schedule to fit their needs and do the job at their best.
ReplyDeleteIt was fascinating to read about your career goals and also your lifestyle goals to make your career as satisfying and productive as possible. I wonder if there are any other books or articles out there that you could find about sleep deprivation and law enforcement / FBI officers. This could be a potential paper topic.
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