Do police officers suffer from decision fatigue?

So it dawned on me that our police officers may be suffering from decision fatigue.

I'm wondering if we need to have a separation of powers.

Wiki

In decision making and psychology, decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual, after a long session of decision making.[1][2] It is now understood as one of the causes of irrational trade-offs in decision making.[2] For instance, judges in court have been shown to make less favorable decisions later in the day than early in the day.[1][3] Decision fatigue may also lead to consumers making poor choices with their purchases.

Could this be happening to our police forces halfway through the day?

Do we need to create special forces that strictly only respond to criminal cases while there are traffic only police officers?

Is it possible to divide powers more and lighten their caseload by ending the drug war?

a reply to: onequestion

Government agendas, private group agendas and body cameras outside of their daily duties would certainly help prove this theory.

Imagine doing your job, under camera, all day-everyday. Knowing that the second you stepped out of ANY perceived "line" your whole career would be put at the whim of someone else's agenda.

How long with this keep up before police say "screw this" and find a different profession?

a reply to: onequestion

Also, fatigue has to be factored in.

An average patrol day for me was waking up at 4:30 AM to get ready for work and not getting home until 6:30 PM. Frequently, I would be held over until 8:00 PM, and on a few occasions later.

In regards to decision making, I can't really say if my judgement deteriorated as my day continued. It is possible. I mean it is obvious that one doesn't make the best decisions or demonstrates their best reflexes when tired.

One thing I would experience was that when I was off duty I would NOT want to make ANY decisions no matter how small.

I would be asked what or where I wanted to eat and I wouldn't want to make a decision. I would be asked what I wanted to watch on TV and I didn't want to make the decision. You get the picture.

a reply to: onequestion

I used to be an avid competitive gamer when I was in my late teens, 17 - 21 pretty much. Mostly strategy games, like Star craft, and Warcraft.
I'd go hours on end playing, practicing. Etc.
I'd have to take breaks every three hours or so and go outside and shoot some hoops because after about six games straight I just couldn't make the right choices if my life depended on me. My brain just didn't click, and at around that age is when our brains are the fastest.
Now, not trying to compare the two here. But, what I am saying is you'd need to be fixated on making several decisions non stop for hours, for that brain fatigue to set in. I think it's more of a combination of physical, and mental, and long hours of work.

Just to add how brain fatigue can mess you up.
I remember on a Friday or Saturday all night binge I found myself having trouble sleeping all I could see was the game I was playing, non stop my brain was trying to process it out or something. It really messed with my head sometimes while I was at school, dozing off seeing the game in small spurts....safe to say I quit those games and stuck with console racing...

a reply to: onequestion

Here today a detective in Detroit put some racist phrases on Facebook...and the chief of police demoted him to Police Officer from DETECTIVE.

Ironic huh? Take him from his desk inside...then shove him into the streets with the very citizens he offended! Talk about throwing someone to the wolves!!!

He wont last long!

a reply to: mysterioustranger

Just curious how did we get to racist police officers?

a reply to: onequestion

I would not be surprised at all if they suffered from something! Can you imagine feeling like you were a target, and as soon as you put that uniform on there could be an attempt on your life, or that you had to go see people on the streets that had no respect for your authority and were willing to kill you before being arrested and going to Jail? I'm a white single woman, and honestly if there were a rapist/serial/slasher/crazy Killer running loose, murdering women where I live? I would be the most dangerous single white female you'd ever met, heard or read about before it was over.

a reply to: onequestion

I think that this particular subject just gets people so worked up, our country is actually hurting right now and highly emotional, ya know? I have to admit that when I was replying to the original thread topic, I had forgotten what question you posed to begin with by the time I was done, but hopefully I didn't actually get too far off topic.

originally posted by: onequestion
So it dawned on me that our police officers may be suffering from decision fatigue.

I'm wondering if we need to have a separation of powers.

Wiki

In decision making and psychology, decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual, after a long session of decision making.[1][2] It is now understood as one of the causes of irrational trade-offs in decision making.[2] For instance, judges in court have been shown to make less favorable decisions later in the day than early in the day.[1][3] Decision fatigue may also lead to consumers making poor choices with their purchases.

Could this be happening to our police forces halfway through the day?

Do we need to create special forces that strictly only respond to criminal cases while there are traffic only police officers?

Is it possible to divide powers more and lighten their caseload by ending the drug war?

You may be on to something here because police are left to deal with drug-related situations, the mentally ill (on drugs or not), making split decisions if someone is going into their pocket to pull out...what - I.D. or gun? The less money gov't puts in to special forces, including on the ground psychiatric assistance, then police will be left to their split second decisions. This is not what police are meant to do.

a reply to: onequestion

I dont think thats the problem.

I would argue that most cops are now revenue generators. Most police are not dealing with high crime, violent inner city areas.

I think the problem is something else entirely.

First off, the hiring criteria isnt strict enough. Some departments simply require a GED or HS diploma...

It really is kind of bizarre when you see their comments, actions and hear them speak.

They voluntarily and intentionally pursue a career where the "clientele" can be uneducated, rude, belligerent, uncooperative and just plain stupid.

If cops are not able to deal with these types of people in a calm and professional manner, they should find another job.

We need cops who are PhDs, philosophers and psychologists who are only permitted to use force as a last resort in the most extreme of cases.

If being a cop simply means ordering people around and then hurting them when they dont listen, then I'd much rather deal with robots.

At-least with a robot, you dont expect a human element.

a reply to: onequestion

Because you said in your OP: "that our police officers may be suffering from decision fatigue".

I'd said this dumb demoted detective decision to go Facebooking what he DID...qualified as you suggested.