Hypervigilance

Skepticism and the Biological Cycle

Hypervigilance is defined as “the necessary manner of viewing the world from a threat-based perspective, having the mindset to see the events unfolding as potentially hazardous” (Gilmartin 43). Law enforcement officers practice extreme caution in all situations, and they remain skeptical of the intentions and actions of those around them. On the job, hypervigilance is imperative for safety. Patrick McCurry, former Fairfax County, VA cop and Drug Enforcement Agency officer states that, “Officer safety is beat into your head in training” (P. McCurry, personal communication, June 6, 2022). However, hypervigilance often bleeds into the officer’s personal life, and the “worst-case scenario” outlook on life negatively impacts the officers, and their families. Head of Recruitment and Training for Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, Major Ryan Butler spoke about how he is overly cautious of who he leaves his children with and what he lets them do. He says, “When your children ask you to do something you definitely think about all the calls you’ve had that relate to the situations directly (child abduction, sex trafficking, accidents involving a firearm, etc). The chances of these things happening to your kids are slim but it's not something that as a parent you can risk happening when you know the reality of it” (R. Butler, personal communication, June 10, 2022). If the officer does not understand how to distinguish his or her work life from his home life, there can be disastrous consequences. Commonly, hypervigilance directs an officer's entire outlook on the world, which can result in lack of faith in humanity. Constantly seeing the bad in people and never genuinely trusting the good in the world can leave a substantial impact on a law enforcement worker's mental and physical health. 

Dr. Kevin Gilmartin refers to this as the “Hypervigilance Biological Rollercoaster.” Being a law enforcement officer becomes ingrained in employees' identities. Rather than being a dad or a person, they are a cop or an agent. They are constantly seeing people at their worst. No one calls the police when things are going good, it’s always when there is an emergency or there are very bad people involved. Off the job, many law enforcement workers fall into a cycle of sleeping, eating, and watching TV until they have to return to work. Such disengagement from the world around them allows them to cope with the tragedies they see every day. However, often their personal relationships become strained. Officers go from needing to be extremely cautious, alive, and involved, to being isolated and detached from the world around them. Cycling between these two extremes creates a psychological struggle in which the body and mind shut down, similar to clinical depression (Gilmartin 38). One solution to these constant struggles in personal life is to take a break. Just a day, or even a few hours off of work every once in a while. The cycle itself will biologically reset in 18-24 hours. However, most workers in law enforcement neglect to ever completely stop. They are wired as hard workers and never let themselves pause to relax. As a result, they are incredible at their job, but often suffer in their home life.