LAW ENFORCEMENT STRESS PROGRAM

Chapter 14
Tapping Other Resources

Key Points

Information regarding law enforcement stress and stress programs is available from

• agencies and organizations,
• publications and videos,
• program materials, and
• individuals with experience in law enforcement stress programming.

This chapter presents several resources for information about law enforcement stress programming. The list is based on a limited search and is therefore not comprehensive.

Agencies and Organizations

American Psychological Association (APA)
Division of Psychology and Public Services
Police and Public Safety Section
750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002
(202) 336-5500 or (800) 374-2721
(202) 336-5502 (fax for order department)

The APA's Police and Public Safety Section consists of approximately 300 psychologists who can provide expertise on a variety of police psychology issues. Also, at the APA's national convention each year, the section sponsors a one-day "mini-convention" on police psychology. Audiotapes of presentations made at the conventions are available. Call the APA's 800 number and ask the Continuing Education Department for an audiotape catalog.

Scott W. Allen, chair of the section, can be contacted at:
Health Services Section
Metro-Dade Police Department
8525 Northwest 53rd Terrace
Suite 215
Miami, FL 33166
(305) 591-1106

Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS)
P.O. Box 3199 North Highway 5
Camdenton, MO 65020
(314) 346-4911
(314) 346-1414 (fax)

COPS is a national support organization, with many local chapters, for families of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Members provide peer support and practical assistance to newly bereaved surviving families, conduct national counseling and training programs for survivors, and help law enforcement agencies develop a plan for dealing effectively with line-of-duty deaths. The organization distributes a number of free publications on support for surviving families.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Behavioral Science Services Unit
FBI Academy Quantico, VA 22135
(703) 640-6131
(703) 640-1354 (fax)

The FBI Behavioral Science Services Unit has sponsored a number of conferences on law enforcement stress and police psychology, several of which have been compiled into publications (see "Publications and Videos," below). For additional information about the unit or to inquire about the opportunity for attending the next FBI police psychology conference, contact Tony Pinizzotto, Program Manager for Police Psychology, at the above address, or call (703) 640-1710.

International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
Police Psychological Services Section
515 North Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-2357
(703) 836-6767 or (800) THE-IACP
(703) 836-4543 (fax)

The Police Psychological Services Section, established in 1985, is made up of approximately 70 police psychologists who contribute articles to the IACP's The Police Chief magazine, present training programs at the annual conferences, and schedule in-service training for police psychologists at each annual conference. The section has also been instrumental in the development of guidelines regarding peer support, fitness-for-duty evaluations, dealing with officers involved in on- duty shooting situations, and preemployment psychological evaluation services. Membership in the section is open to any active or associate member of the IACP.

In addition to the section's activities, the IACP has developed "model policies" related to post- shooting incident procedures and employee mental health services, as well as brief "training keys" on job stress in police work, frustrations with and adjustment to police work, coping with stress, alcoholism in law enforcement, post-shooting service, police work and family life, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The training keys provide an overview of the topic, a discussion guide, and suggested readings. The organization also offers training courses to law enforcement agencies on critical incident management. Descriptions of these and other training courses, as well as where and when the courses are offered, are presented in the IACP's annual training catalog. Agencies can also contract with the IACP to have instructors come to their jurisdictions to provide training.

Stephen F. Curran, chair of the section, can be contacted at:
Greenside Psychological Associates
660 Kenilworth Drive
Suite 101
Towson, MD 21204
(410) 823-0555
(410) 823-2677 (fax)

International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc.
5018 Dorsey Hall Drive
Suite 104
Ellicott City, MD 21042
(410) 730-4311

Foundation staff travel around the country offering an intensive course on emotional trauma and how to respond effectively to individuals who have experienced a critical incident. One- to two-day courses cover such topics as "Peer Counseling Techniques," "Advanced Critical Incident Stress," "The Family Factor," and "Traumatic Stress Management." Chevron Publishing Corporation, a publisher affiliated with the foundation, offers a number of training guides, books, videotapes, and other materials about preventing and treating stress among emergency services personnel.

National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO)
750 First Street, N.E.
Suite 1020
Washington, D.C. 20002-4241
(202) 842-4420 (202)
842-4396 (fax)

NAPO is a coalition of 3,500 police unions and associations from across the United States organized for the purpose of advancing the interest of America's law enforcement officers through legislative advocacy, political action, and education. Police Research Education Project (PREP), NAPO'S research and educational arm, is currently conducting a research study on support programs for law enforcement officers. The National Law Enforcement Officers Rights Center was established under PREP to protect officers' legal and constitutional rights. The Rights Center filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the confidentiality of statements made by a police officer to a licensed mental health practitioner (see chapter 6, "Dealing With Confidentiality," for a discussion of the case).

National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)
Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
(800) 851-3420 (301)
251-5212 (fax) askncjrs@ncjrs.aspensys.com

NCJRS is a reference service provided by the National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. Information specialists conduct literature searches on subjects related to law enforcement, including law enforcement stress. The reference service distributes many Federal Government documents free of charge and sells or obtains others through interlibrary loan.

Publications and Videos

Ayres, R. M. Preventing Law Enforcement Stress: The Organization's Role. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 1990.

In contrast to the "person-centered" approach to occupational stress, this book examines law enforcement stress using the "organizational health model." It reviews organizational sources of stress, the implications of higher education on law enforcement stress, and management strategies for developing a healthy law enforcement workplace.

Contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, described above in "Agencies and Organizations."

Blau, T. Psychological Services for Law Enforcement. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1994.

Written by a police psychologist and former president of the American Psychological Association, this book provides a comprehensive review of police psychological services, including crisis intervention, critical incident counseling, the prevention of stress, individual and family counseling, management consultation, and training. An extensive bibliography is included.

Contact John Wiley and Sons, Inc., in New York City, at (212) 850-6000.

Goolkasian, G.A., Geddes, R.W., and DeJong, W. Coping with Police Stress. Issues and Practices. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, June 1985.

This book is part of the Issues and Practices in Criminal Justice publication series of the National Institute of Justice. Based on a review of the literature and interviews with law enforcement stress program staff, the book provides an overview of law enforcement stress and guidance on the development of a stress program, including planning, organization, services, training, and monitoring and evaluation.

Contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, described above in "Agencies and Organizations."

Niederhoffer, A., and Niederhoffer, E. The Police Family: From Station House to Ranch House. Lexington, Massachusetts: Lexington Books, 1978.

This book's examination of the law enforcement family contains information still relevant today. The book includes a discussion of sources of stress for officers and their family members, including children, and descriptions of some departments' efforts to address stress-related problems among officers and their families. The book is out of print but may be available in a local library.

On the Front Lines: Police Stress and Family Well- Being. Hearing Before the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, House of Representatives, 102nd Congress, 1st Session, Washington, D.C., May 20, 1991. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991.

This publication provides transcripts of testimony presented to a congressional hearing on law enforcement stress for officers and their families. The statements of psychologists, other experts, and officers and family members are included.

The publication can be purchased on microfiche for $15.80 or on paper for $35.10 from the Congressional Information Service in Bethesda, Maryland, at (800) 227-2477. The publication's order number is 1992-H961-7. The publication also may be available through interlibrary loan.

Reese, J.T., and Goldstein, H.A., eds. Psychological Services for Law Enforcement. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1986.

This is a 543-page collection of papers presented at the FBI's 1984 National Symposium on Police Psychological Services. The papers are grouped into: (1) police officer selection and assessment; (2) counseling: issues and practices; (3) organizational issues; (4) psychological services; (5) critical incident reactions; and (6) stress and stress management.

Contact the FBI Employee Assistance Unit at the address and phone number below or the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, described below in "Agencies and Organizations."

Reese, J.T.; Horn, J.M.; and Dunning, C., eds. Critical Incidents in Policing. Revised. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1991.

This is a collection of papers presented at a conference sponsored by the FBI Behavioral Science Services Unit. Papers address the nature of critical incident trauma, efforts by stress programs to address the emotional effects of critical incidents, and approaches to providing debriefings and counseling.

Contact the FBI Employee Assistance Unit
J. Edgar Hoover Building
10th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20535
(202) 324-5244

Reese, J.T., and Scrivner, E., eds. Law Enforcement Families: Issues and Answers. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1994.

This publication consists of papers presented at an FBI conference, grouped into the following categories: (1) law enforcement's impact on families, (2) family problems, (3) factors unique to law enforcement and their effect on families, (4) trauma in the law enforcement family, (5) organizational culture and the family, (6) counseling issues, and (7) professional issues.

Contact the FBI Employee Assistance Unit at the address and phone number above or the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, described above in "Agencies and Organizations."

Scrivner, E. and Kurke, M., eds. Police Psychology Into the 21st Century. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, Inc., 1995.

This book includes chapters on "Employee Assistance Programs in Police Organizations," "Professionally Administered Critical Incident Debriefing for Police Officers," "Law Enforcement Families," "Counseling Issues and Police Diversity," and "Organizational Management of Stress and Human Reliability."

Contact Lawrence Erlbaum, Inc.
20 Industrial Avenue
Mahwah, NJ 07430
(201) 236-9500

Stress Management for the Law Enforcement Family California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST)

This 90-minute video provides comprehensive information on law enforcement stress for both officers and their families. Police psychologists, officers, spouses, and children are interviewed.

Available for $79.95 from the California Commission on POST 1601 Alhambra Boulevard Sacramento, CA 95816-7083 (916) 227-4889

By Their Own Hand: Suicide and the Police Officer: Getting Help Before It's Too Late
New York City Police Department and the New York City Police Foundation

This package, consisting of a 40-minute video and accompanying 23-page trainer's guide, requires one- and-one-half hours to present. Through interviews with officers and family members, the video presents the histories of three New York City police officers, two of whom seriously considered committing suicide, and one who of whom did commit suicide. The trainer's guide presents lecture material and discussion topics, as well as reviews the key points in the video. The package's objectives are to enable officers to identify common risk factors and warning signs that indicate someone may be thinking about suicide, get help when having life problems, recognize when other officers may be having life problems and intervene to help get them assistance, and identify community and departmental resources available to the officerwho needs help with both major and minor emotional problems. A before-and-after evaluation of the package conducted by the Columbia University Graduate School of Social Work with over 4,000 New York City police officers found that six months after the session there were increases in use of the department's Psychological Services and Counseling, the likelihood of officers seeking help for themselves and others, and awareness of their own and others' major and minor emotional problems.

Available for $75 from the
New York City Police Foundation
345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10154
(212) 751-8170

Program Materials

"Dynamics of Fear"

Michigan State Police Department Behavioral

Science Section

In this 35-minute video, produced by the Michigan State Police Department's Behavioral Science Section, six officers describe critical incidents in which they were involved, illustrating six separate phases of fear that police psychologist Roger Solomon has found officers often pass through during the incident. The video suggests how officers can prepare for dealing with fear. A training manual accompanies the video. Available for $15.

Michigan State Police Behavioral Science Section
2510 Kerry Street
Suite 106
Lansing, MI 48912
(517) 334-7745

Peer Support Training Manual
The Counseling Team

Prepared by The Counseling Team in San Bernardino, California, this 160-page manual provides extensive information on peer supporter services, basic support methods, listening skills, critical incident stress, grief and bereavement, assessment and referral, and suicide. The Counseling Team distributes the manual free of charge.

The Counseling Team
1881 Business Center Drive
Suite 11
San Bernardino, CA 92408
(909) 884-0133

"Stress Management for Supervisors" Training Curriculum
Rochester Police Department Stress Management Unit

This 11-hour training curriculum has been used and revised for 20 years at the Rochester Police Department and other police departments in New York State. It reviews topics such as drug and alcohol use, dealing with problem employees, stress and managers, and post traumatic stress syndrome.

Available from the Rochester Police Department
Stress Management Unit
Civic Center Plaza
150 South Plymouth Avenue
Rochester, NY 14614
(716) 428-7540

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