Line-of-Duty Deaths and Their Effect on Co-Workers and Their Families

• NCJ Number: 174852
• Journal: Police Chief Volume: 63 Issue: 5 Dated: May 1996 Pages: 34-37
• Author(s): R M Gist; V H Taylor
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 4 pages
• Grant Number(s): 89-PS-CX-0001
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes measures to help families and colleagues cope with line-of-duty deaths.

Abstract

Procedures to help individuals and organizations deal with untimely deaths of family members and co-workers should begin before the incident. They include training for the roles each person will be expected to fill, and even moderate physical exercise to dissipate stress and promote good psychological health. As the incident unfolds, command presence is vital to maintaining confidence that the formal organization managing the incident and the informal organization providing the framework for social support will function as they should. The protocols of mourning and respect are also important to co-workers and families; they are key moments in setting the framework for recovery and growth. After the incident, critical incident stress debriefings for organization personnel, and different but equally important counseling sessions with families are critical to the recovery process.