Occupational prestige and job satisfaction in high-stress public safety work

Abstract

Abstract Many factors play into public safety officers’ levels of stress, with relevance to community relations and public safety. This study examined perceptions of occupational prestige, job satisfaction, and resilience, drawing on a sample of 68 officers from two US municipal police agencies and one county jail. Focus group findings about the prestige of public safety work indicated that although officers were aware of—and sometimes adversely affected by—the negative public narrative and perceptions of information asymmetry, many also reported on positive interactions with the local communities that they served. Findings about job satisfaction illustrated officers’ pride in their performance but awareness of the need for resiliency and coping strategies in the face of occupational and administrative stressors and impact on their personal lives. Given the current broader discourse about criminal justice professions, attention to officers’ perceptions of their work is an important input to both policy and public safety.