Vol. 7 No. 1 Cheyenne (Jarvis) Jones • 13 officer. There is also a high amount of pressure placed upon undercover officers, as one mistake can lead to discovery and the eruption of an entire operation. These burdens and many others are unique to undercover officers; thus, sufficient additional training is required in order to prepare officers for their operations. While there is, of course, additional training that takes place for undercover officers, the data demonstrates that departments and agencies do not place a high enough priority upon this specialized training. The second key issue is the negative psychological consequences that follow undercover police operations. These consequences can lead to impaired work abilities in the future among other detrimental complications. Undercover officers are forced to cope and adapt to undue amounts of stress while undercover, whether it is related to being in close contact with known criminals, fear of discovery, or the tension between building relationships with criminals but not becoming one. This stress can present dangers to the officer while undercover; however, it can become a threat to the officer after their termination from the operation, as well. Their stress can reappear in many varying forms or multiple forms at once. An undercover officer may suffer from paranoia, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), loss of personality, or any combination of these. These severe psychological effects can deteriorate personal relationships, jeopardize the officer’s law enforcement career, and severely affect their quality of life in general. Following an undercover operation, an officer who struggles mentally is at a greater risk of being harmed on duty or reacting in an unwarranted manner after returning to normal duties. This can lead to disciplinary action, suspension, or permanent dismissal (Schreiber, 2013). In addition to the professional challenges officers may face as a result of negative psychological effects, officers may face personal challenges. Mental health challenges can severely disrupt personal relationships if managed improperly, a serious problem that, if not addressed, can be irreversible. However, if personal relationships deteriorate, it causes a secondary problem of limiting the support system available to the officer. A support system is a crucial component of mental health recovery; thus, preserving personal relationships both within and outside the workplace is important. The final issue relates to the many complications that can arise during the officer’s reintegration process. Reintegration is the crucial time during which an undercover officer begins the transition from their undercover identity back to their personal reality. The reintegration process is one that is highly complex due to a number of variables: the individual officer, their support system, the nature of their undercover operation, the extent of the psychological effects the officer is experiencing, and whether there are any outside stressors affecting the officer. Often this period of adjustment is incredibly sensitive, as the officer is trying to break free from the identity they have clung to for the duration of their operation,
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