Review of the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Police (Research Proposal Sample)

Review of the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Police
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Review of the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Police
The proposed title for this research is New York Police Department Officers: Effects of Officer Sleep Deprivation on Work and Family. The police are a great pillar in the society. They help curtail unruly behavior and promote the course of justice. However, most people are oblivious to the plight of police officers as they serve long hours to ensure that the city remains safe. New York has a population of 8.55 million making it the most populous city in the U.S. With such a high population, ensuring law and order is maintained is detrimental for the success of the city. Crime rates in New York were notoriously high in 1951 but the city has experienced a never seen before decline in its crime rates. Research shows that the crime rates in the city today is the lowest ever seen since 1951. In 2017, the city had 290 murders which were 45 fewer than those witnessed in the previous year. Reduction in crime rates has been enabled by the tireless efforts of the police force. That is why I found it necessary to acknowledge the sacrifices these policemen are making and the effects on work and families.
The New York Police Department is the biggest in the country and has 35,000 officers. A day as a police in New York is divided into three shifts running for eight hours. The city, however, has a well-coordinated system that helps police focus on crucial matters. However, despite this coordinated systems, police still work for long hours leading to sleep deprivation. While looking for materials for this research proposal, I realized that researchers have taken a keen interest in this research topic. Many researchers report that police morale is affected by the long working hours. Consequently, the police feel under-appreciated for their work and do not receive enough wages to cover the long shifts. Insufficient sleep is likely to cause psychological disorders, morbidity (Rajaratnam et al., 2011, p. 2569) and lead to family dysfunction. In retrospect, sleep deprivation is likely to lead to fatigue which in turn causes impairments to a police officer’s work performance. Additionally, their ability to make sound decisions is likely to be clouded.
In one study conducted on this research topic, the researcher obtained results that indicated that long shifts threaten the health and well-being of a police. Similarly, the police’s safety and performance is affected. The study concluded that the biggest cause of this problem is understaffing and threats to homeland security (Vila, 2006, p.975). Statistics show that New York Police Department is so understaffed that it cannot properly investigate a sex crime. Results from previous studies on sleep deprivation among the law enforcers have had two conflicting sides. Some results have reported negative effects on the police’s ability to work and relate to family, while other results have drawn inconclusive results. Additionally, some studies suggest that there is no difference between officers who work long tedious shifts and a normal person working a day job.
In a Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study (Fekedulegn et al., 2014, p. 687), police were enrolled as part of the ongoing research and were observed for a period of five years. The group of officers consisted of those working in the day shift and those in night shifts. Police working at night had a higher percentage of sleep deprivation than their counterparts. Those who were overworked faced a higher likelihood of developing chronic conditions. When it comes to family, sleep depr...