Essential facts about law enforcement mental health

KEY IDEAS

• Policing is uniquely high-stress. Officers face both organizational pressures (understaffing, long hours, leadership challenges) and repeated exposure to trauma, creating sustained mental and physical strain.
• Mental health directly impacts performance and safety. 83% of officers say their mental health affects their job performance, influencing decision-making, situational awareness, de-escalation, and response times.
• Cumulative trauma compounds over time. Frequent exposure to violence and critical incidents increases risk of depression, anxiety, PTSD, burnout, and suicidal ideation.
• Stigma and limited resources prevent early intervention. Over half of officers report stigma around seeking help, and many lack adequate access to confidential wellness support.
• Proactive, data-driven leadership can mitigate risk. Agencies that monitor workload, staffing, and wellness indicators — and reduce administrative strain — are better positioned to protect officer well-being and operational readiness.

As law enforcement agencies face increasing risk factors and dwindling resources, mental health challenges are on the rise for police officers. Industry conversations around stress and law enforcement are evolving, too, with leaders fighting to interrupt negative cycles of exhaustion, burnout, and high turnover.

Keep reading to learn how the policing profession impacts officers’ well-being, and how modern tech can support officer safety and wellness.

Why does police and law enforcement mental health matter?

All workplaces involve some level of stress, but anxiety, burnout, and fatigue are especially prevalent among law enforcement personnel. Officers face unique organizational stressors at their agencies, navigating internal politics, bureaucratic burdens, reassignments, unclear policies, mandatory overtime, and shift work.

Without a wellness support system, organizational and on-the-job stressors erode officers’ mental fortitude. They may develop unrealized conditions that affect their work performance and home lives.

💡 ORGANIZATIONAL AND OPERATIONAL STRESSORS: Officers identify the following as their top stressors.

• 61% named long or irregular work hours
• 60% named understaffing
• 60% named balancing work-life demands
• 58% named exposure to traumatic events
• 57% named cumulative trauma impacts
• 50% named poor quality of leadership

Source: Police1 2024 What Cops Want survey

Increased risk of life-threatening scenarios

Police officers face a disproportionately high risk of exposure to traumatic incidents and life-threatening situations. In the 2025 What Cops Want survey, Police1 gathered officers’ sentiments regarding safety:

• 80% of officers said aggression had risen since 2020
• 40% of officers said they had been the victim of an assault in the last year
• 17% of officers reported experiencing multiple assaults in the last year
• Two-thirds said they were very or somewhat concerned about being assaulted on duty

Police officers experience harrowing events far more frequently than the general population. While most people experience a few traumatic incidents in their lifetime, police officers face an average of 178 critical incidents throughout their careers. Cumulative trauma from responding to graphic incidents — including domestic violence, child abuse, and homicide — builds over time. Often, officers don’t get the chance to fully process an incident before they must move onto the next urgent call.

💡 HOW IS THE POLICING PROFESSION BECOMING MORE DANGEROUS? Calls to service may also place officers in the line of harm, raising concerns over officer safety. In 2023, law enforcement agencies in the U.S. reported 79,091 officers were assaulted, according to the FBI — highest officer assault rate in a decade.

35% of officers report post-traumatic stress

The combination of organizational hurdles, daily dangers, and heightened pressure makes policing one of the most stressful professions. Police officers face a higher risk of mental health problems than the public, and without proper care, long-term stress impacts physical health, too. Common police health issues include fatigue, insomnia, high blood pressure, and higher rates of occupational injuries.

💡 HOW DOES POLICING AFFECT OFFICERS’ MENTAL HEALTH?

• 50% of respondents experienced increased anger.
• 50% of respondents reported relationship or family issues.
• 39% of respondents were affected by depression.
• 35% of respondents experienced anxiety or panic attacks.
• 35% of respondents reported post-traumatic stress.
• 11% of respondents reported experiencing suicidal thoughts due to work stress.

Source: Police1 2024 What Cops Want survey

Cultural stigmas around mental health

Even as agency culture evolves, police officers are often hesitant to seek care due to long-standing cultural stigmas around mental health. Research indicates that police personnel internalize social and cultural stigmas, creating barriers to getting the support they need — and the stigma intensifies as officers experience more psychological distress. Officers may fear being seen as weak or incapable, or they may worry that seeking mental health support will damage their careers.

💡 HOW DOES STIGMA IMPACT OFFICERS’ WILLINGNESS TO SEEK MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT?

• Less than 20% of officers sought services for confirmed mental health issues.
• Over 50% of officers said a stigma exists around seeking mental health support.
• 72% of police personnel see the benefit of discussing work-related stress, but only 51% engage in those discussions.

53% of police officers report scarce mental health resources

Even when officers are willing to seek support, they often lack access to the right resources. In the 2024 What Cops Want survey:

• 53% of officers reported limited availability of wellness resources.
• 12% said they had no access at all.

However, in recent years, more law enforcement leaders have advocated for in-house peer support programs, counseling, and employee assistance programs.

Still, officers may hesitate to accept these services. According to a 2020 study of a Texas police agency, two primary factors pose significant barriers to accessing care:

• Many officers are concerned about confidentiality.
• Some believe outside psychologists can’t relate to the policing profession.

💡 NOTABLE STAT ABOUT OFFICER MENTAL HEALTH: While 26% of surveyed officers reported current symptoms of mental illness, only 17% of those had sought treatment in the past 12 months.

• Less than 20% of officers sought services for confirmed mental health issues.
• Over 50% of officers said a stigma exists around seeking mental health support.
• 72% of police personnel see the benefit of discussing work-related stress, but only 51% engage in those discussions.

What are the impacts of mental health on law enforcement?

Without adequate mental healthcare, cumulative trauma impacts officers at work and at home:

• Between physically demanding work and heavy cognitive loads, police officers experience increased risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and other chronic conditions.
• Physical and mental health deterioration can lead to burnout, absenteeism, and violence.

Higher absenteeism

Sleep loss and fatigue lead to higher rates of absenteeism in policing. If officers don’t have the proper support, they may take unplanned days off to replenish their reserves. However, this coping mechanism has negative impacts in organizations that already struggle to manage staffing. Since policing is a 24/7 operation, other officers may bear the burden of longer hours, irregular shifts, or increased safety risks.

💡 WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF UNDERSTAFFING IN LAW ENFORCEMENT? Understaffing, which can be exacerbated by absenteeism, puts officers’ safety at risk. Here’s how police personnel feel those impacts directly:

• 83% of officers say their safety has been compromised because there weren’t enough officers to work safely.
• 56% say understaffing has increased their exposure to high-risk calls.
• 75% say understaffing has delayed their backups in emergencies.

Source: Police1 2025 What Cops Want survey

83% of officers say mental health negatively impacts their work

In the 2024 What Cops Want survey, officers indicated the far-reaching impacts of on-the-job stress:

• Poor quality sleep
• Increased anger
• Relationship troubles
• Mental health struggles

It’s no surprise that 83% of respondents said their mental health impacts their ability to do their jobs. They may find themselves more exhausted, impatient, or distracted. In a work environment where officers depend on sharp observational skills and quick reflexes to keep themselves and their communities safe, compromised job performance can have detrimental impacts.

Increased risk of violence

Police officers’ lived experiences — including repeated exposure to violence and trauma — impact their responses in high-pressure scenarios. Psychological distress may result in increased anger and aggression, making it harder for officers to:

• Think clearly
• Maintain empathy
• Self-regulate
• De-escalate dangerous situations

Officers struggling with their mental health may exhibit changes in their personality or habits, resulting in a higher likelihood of:

• Violent confrontations
• Domestic altercations
• Self-harm

Because officers face significant social and legal consequences for their actions, agencies must provide adequate wellness resources before situations become critical.

Key statistics about police and law enforcement mental health

The impacts of policing on officers’ mental health may in turn affect their physical health, job performance, and quality of life. Below, we’ll recap key facts about stress and law enforcement:

• 83% of officers said their mental health impacts their job performance.
• Over one-third of officers are affected by depression, anxiety, panic attacks, or post-traumatic stress.
• 58% named exposure to traumatic events as a major stressor.
• 80% of officers say aggression has risen since 2020.
• 83% of officers said their safety was compromised because there weren’t enough officers to work safely.
• 12% said they have no access to mental health resources.
• 53% reported limited availability of mental health resources.
• Over 50% of officers said a stigma exists around seeking mental health support.

Support law enforcement mental health with Peregrine

Law enforcement personnel engage in high-pressure, high-stakes work every day. They face direct dangers on the job while navigating long hours, media attention, and increased scrutiny. Over time, these stressors take a toll on police officers’ mental health. To protect their personnel, agencies must invest in proactive solutions that deliver holistic support.

Peregrine’s data integration and analytics platform unifies agencies’ historic and real-time data to deliver actionable insights that impact external and internal operations. With automated analysis and intuitive visualizations, command staff and personnel benefit from more balanced workloads, less tedious paperwork, and increased situational awareness.

Command staff can conduct on-demand, in-house analyses to reveal trends, determine priorities, optimize staffing, and track wellness indicators through automated reports. Learn more about how Peregrine improves law enforcement management processes today.