OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) - Stories about crime or some other event where law enforcement faces life-threatening situations can have quite the effect on people.
Experts say that over time, those challenges can take a toll if an officer doesn't find ways to deal with the stress.
A law enforcement conference is being held this week in Oxford where officers are learning how to see the early warning signs of burnout and how to make the most out of their time away from work.
A behavioral scientist worked with police chiefs from across Mississippi to help them combat the growing problem.
"We're trying to work better," says David Lindley, Starkville Police Chief. "Learn how to deal with that where we have a more normalized officer that doesn't let the effects of the job get to him as much as what seems to be happening on a regular basis across the country right now."
There are different levels of stress that experts have been able to identify.
The key for the police chiefs is learning how to spot the warning signs of dangerous stress levels.
"The longer you are in law enforcement, the more stress you face," adds Mike Martin, Oxford Police Chief.
The job of a police chief is often compared to a biological roller coaster, which is why there is a heavy emphasis placed on health, nutrition and exercise and why the men and women in law enforcement are strongly encouraged to be active in their community when they're not working.
"We really want our officers to be out coaching youth football, to be attending church and entering fishing derbies," adds Kevin Gilmartin, law enforcement behavioral scientist. "Being a cop is a profession. It's not a 24/7 experience. When they make it a 24/7 experience, they burn out, and we only get a few good years out of them."
The police chiefs say seminars such as this are helpful in more ways than one because it focuses on them and not their staff.
"A lot of times, our department is focused on the training for our individual officers, but there are not a lot of occasions where we get to come together and get training as leaders of our department," adds Tim Brinkley, West Point Police Chief. "So it's very important."
On the final day of the three day conference, the police chiefs will be tackling the ability to ensure accurate eyewitness identifications.
