NCJ Number
113898
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 55 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1988) Pages: 70-72,76
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Police agencies should establish procedures to support victims and survivors of critical incidents involving deaths of fellow officers or suspects, involvement in a hostage situation, or other events.
Abstract
They should recognize that most officers go through three phases of reaction following a traumatic event: the impact phase, the recoil phase, and the post-traumatic phase. Intervenors who can be of most help to them include fellow officers, immediate supervisors, unit commanders, peer counselors, chaplains, mental health professionals, other officers' family members, the media, and the citizenry. Help should be available at the scene of the event, during the investigation, during the first 24 hours, and in the first 6 months after the event. Some intervention techniques can be used effectively by almost any intervenor, while others require special training or qualifications. Common techniques for relieving post-traumatic stress include attentive listening, being there with empathy, reassurance, supportive counseling, group grief sharing, interpretive counseling, and clinical exploration. Interventions should be immediate, brief, private, respectful, and supportive. Agencies should develop written response procedures using the following headings: activation, crisis team manager, crisis team members, press liaison, initial assignments, and meetings and reports.