Police officers endure various threats ranging from verbal abuse to physical attacks, which can escalate and lead to police officer stress. Despite the abundant research exploring the relationship between high-stress occupations and environmental health, adequate exploration of the relationship between officer stress and hot spot policing (HSP; area with an above-average level of crime) has yet to occur. The purpose of this correlational study was to use Cohen and McKay's conceptualization of the stress-buffering hypothesis to explore whether HSP mitigates the negative impact of job stress, leading to improved officer performance and ultimately improved relationships between the police and communities as well as lower crime rates. Posting of a SurveyMonkey link in law enforcement only, social-media communities (with administrator permission) facilitated data collection for the 151 respondents. Findings indicated that the overall regression model was significant; however, the simple correlation between HSP and officer stress (.118) indicated that HSP alone does not account for unique variance (there was a value of .014 or 1.4% of the variation in officer stress). The social change implications of this study include recommendations to police department administrations to continue to explore efforts to reduce officer stress, which could lead to improved officer performance and police and community relationships.

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Correctional officers work in a stressful environment and are regularly exposed to dangerous and emotionally charged situations. Researchers have detailed the potential negative outcomes of this occupation, yet little research has examined the extent to which correctional officers experience emotion while on their shifts, and how those emotions may translate into stress, divorce, substance abuse issues, domestic violence, and high mortality rates upon retirement. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to learn how correctional officers experience their felt and expressed emotions while at work. Data collection was done using a 15-item open ended questionnaire designed by the researcher and accessed via an online website. The 15-item questionnaire was prescreened by correctional officers not participating in the survey to assure for trustworthiness. Anonymous online survey data was collected from 23 correctional custody staff members working throughout California. The responses from the survey were coded and analyzed using NVivo and Survey Monkey software to account for reoccurring themes in the data. The findings of this study show a high percentage of respondent's report feelings of anxiety throughout a shift at work. Further, the findings show that the participants consistently report a disconnect between felt and expressed emotions while at work. These findings may be used to reform training programs for correctional officers to offer them better ways to process the emotions they experience throughout their career.