These stories are all too common and underscore what seems to be a pervasive problem in the law enforcement profession: Law enforcement extracts a large toll, psychologically, emotionally, and physically, on those who make it a career and it is not entirely, or even primarily, those policed who take the largest share of that toll. It is often the politics, policies, and stresses generated within the police agencies themselves that most significantly impact law enforcement professionals.
If you are a leader in a police organization, how is the morale of the people under you? If morale is low, then why? Do you believe organizational morale is one of your responsibilities and, if so, what do you do to improve it? Is good morale important, or maybe even essential, for the organization to carry out its mission? What do you and your organization do right, and what can be done better, to make it a good place to work?
Low morale is a serious problem in law enforcement.