, 2011). For this reason, the authors emphasize that solid and direct research based on the officers' physiological response to stress should be done to gain further understanding of police occupational stress. This was done by attaching a heartbeat monitor programmed with Garmin's GPS system on a 33-year old male officer while a researcher accompanies him on a ride along to write down essential details. The data recorded and analyzed includes date and time in a combined format, latitude, longitude, and heart rate in beats per minute. They then "proceeded with a descriptive and conceptual analysis, first reviewing the series of events occurring during the shift, presenting the heart-rate data and then mapping the data in a series of conceptual maps" (Hickman et al., 2011). .
A graph representing the officer's heartbeat during his shift was created with the collected data. A geographical map displaying the officer's heart beat levels at certain locations in his patrol route was also created. According to these data representations, the officer's heart beat average was 96 bpm during standard occupational tasks such as dealing with accidents, traffic stops, and a series of 911 calls. However, the officer's heartbeat maxed out at 165 bpm when he had to deal with a DUI incident at gunpoint and deal with an angry car owner with a bat having his car taken away by repo. This study "demonstrated that continuous heart rate measurement over the course of the test officer's shift was possible and that these data could be placed in space-time context for purposes of advancing the understanding of police occupational stress" (Hickman et al., 2011). .
The intended audience of this article is police administrators and other researchers interested in the topic since the authors constantly stress about more direct and comprehensive approaches to understanding police stress for the better.