Fostering Positive Outcomes in Policing by Addressing Burnout and Compassion Fatigue

By what metric are positive outcomes measured in policing? Is operational activity and the meeting of “productivity goals” (e.g., the number of arrests, summonses, warrants served) the measure of positive outcomes in policing? Or are positive outcomes measured in relation to negative outcomes (e.g., an increase or decrease in the number of citizen complaints, misconduct allegations, or excessive force incidents)? Is the satisfaction level of the workforce the metric by which positive outcomes are measured (i.e., are officers engaged at work, are they committed to their agency and to service, the rate of turnover and attrition, etc.)? Or are positive outcomes in policing measured by the degree to which the community feels a sense of partnership with the police? Regardless of whether positive outcomes in policing are measured by enforcement productivity goals, reductions in the numbers of negative outcomes, the satisfaction of the workforce, or partnership with the community, research suggests that all of these metrics can be adversely affected by both officer burnout and compassion fatigue.