Organizational Leadership’s Responsibility to Better Understand the Occupational Stressors Effecting Crime Scene Investigators

Organizational leadership in law enforcement has an ethical responsibility to understand the emotional needs of law enforcement personnel. This includes those highly trained professionals referred to as crime scene investigators. These professionals are tasked with working in horrific environments, conducting investigations into some of the most heinous crimes. The impact to the crime scene investigator is both physically and mentally taxing. Leadership must produce highly trained and proficient crime scene professionals best suited to serve the community's needs. To achieve this, organizational leadership must recognize the occupational stressors and coping mechanisms that impact these professionals.