I know of officers who have retired with a ton of “sick days” never used, these people just never called in sick. I also know officers who had to “borrow” days from others just to get through the month, they seemed to always be sick. What were the reason for this vast differences?
Studies have shown that cardiovascular disease is a result of stress among other contributing factors. Studies also show that compared to the rest of the population, police officers seem to have higher degrees of stress related issues.
Cholesterol levels in female officers is higher than their male co-workers and that law enforcement personnel as a group have higher blood pressure that others in the community. The very people called upon to protect and serve others are the same people who have pretty serious issues as a result of doing their job.
When you hear a brave police officer who after being commended for is actions say “It’s just my job” be reminded that it’s just his job that may cause his decline in physical and mental health.
Those of you who are officers need to pay special attention to staying healthy so that when the time come for you to retire, you’ll be able to do so in good health.
In the day and age of the Internet, the easiest way is to just google “Police Health”.