Published in the Summer 2026 issue of Combat Stress Magazine by the American Institute of Stress; authored by Ken Tworek, MSW, LSW, CADC., DAIS

What happens when police leadership views every policy violation as either incompetence or insubordination? That black-and-white approach overlooks a critical reality: policing is human work. Fatigue, cumulative stress, training, supervision, organizational culture, and cognitive overload all influence performance. Accountability matters—but effective leadership requires understanding what drives an outcome, not simply labeling it after it happens.