Conservation officer perceptions of stress associated with traditional policing duties

Abstract

Though a limited amount of research has focused on conservation officers’ work, few studies have explored the levels of stress that they perceive to be associated with the work. Furthermore, no study has addressed the levels of stress that these officers associate with traditional policing duties. This is problematic since many are now being tasked with these duties in addition to their conservation-specific roles. This study seeks to address this knowledge gap by utilizing data from 346 conservation officers in six US states. It addresses the role that individual characteristics (for example tenure, education, age) and duty frequency play in influencing the levels of stress that officers associate with traditional policing duties. The analyses suggest that officers with higher education levels, those who have longer tenures in the field, and those who more frequently perform traditional policing duties tend to feature higher levels of perceived stress. Conversely, those with prior policing experience (before becoming a conservation officer) appear to be somewhat insulated from the negative impacts of performing traditional duties. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to potential alterations in conservation officer recruitment and training.