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Best Practices of Working with Law Enforcement

Article in Employee Assistance Quarterly · April 2021

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E
mployee Assistance Professionals have an duty,” skipped over during promotional opportuni-
unusual opportunity to provide workplace ties, and not being considered for special assignments
expertise during these unprecedented and (Barber, 2020).
stressful times. Law enforcement in particular is one
population that is under unusual pressure these days. Key Knowledge
Law enforcement has always been a challenging and Before an EA professional engages with law
stressful occupation, but there has been an increase in enforcement it is imperative that they understand the
their need for emotional support within the last year. basics of police culture. By far the majority of police
An officer’s stress level impacts not only themselves officers are committed and dedicated professionals
and their ability to perform on the job, but also their who truly want to protect and serve their communi-
family members and community. In one state where ties. However, as a society we expect much from this
an EAP agency provides services to approximately 56 profession and yet do not always provide them with
of the 102 police departments, a significant increase in sufficient tools and training.
the demand for EAP services was noted. A majority of We expect them to be not just law enforcement pro-
these police departments experienced either double or fessionals, but social workers, conflict mediators, sub-
sometimes even quadruple the number of requests for stance abuse professionals, marriage counselors, and
EAP services within the last two years. even educators. Many police calls relate to social and
With this increase in demand for behavioral health mental health needs, (i.e., substance abuse, domestic
services, opportunities arise for EAPs. However, for violence or homelessness).
opportunities and partnerships to be successful, EA One of the most important things an EA profes-
professionals need to better understand the subculture sional can do is discover ways to convey to the offi-
of law enforcement in the United States. cers who you are as a person and that they can trust
you. Here are some basic suggestions to increase their
Background level of comfort:
Two major cultural barriers that deter police from
using EAP services in today’s world are the fear of • If possible, spend time one-on-one with officers.
appearing weak to others and distrust of confidential- • Introduce yourself to command and union leadership.
ity promises (Powell et al., 2014). Police are trained • Go on a ride-a-long if offered.
and socialized into being in control and maintaining a • Attend a Citizen Academy if it is offered. Some
masculine identity. Historically, the law enforcement police departments invite community members to
culture discourages help-seeking behavior because it attend informational sessions to establish bridges
is considered a sign of weakness. and build trust.
Distrust towards confidentiality protections in • Meet with existing peer support teams.
EAPs have been documented, and high levels of dis- • Meet with the chaplain, if there is one.
trust are associated with the fear of negative conse- • Be aware of young officers who have experienced
quences if police leadership learns that an EAP service their first trauma (such as a child abduction).
was used (Patterson, 2009). Police have reported the • Drop off food or deserts around holiday times or
fear of confidentiality breaches resulting in being special occasions – or for no reason other than to
“de-gunned”, placed on desk duty, deemed “unfit for thank them for their service.
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 Becoming more involved in their daily working At this time company X was surprised to learn that
world will enable the EA professional to learn and although the municipal EAP was on-site on the 14th and
understand important aspects of their culture like their again on subsequent days, many officers did not have
strong bonds of brotherhood. Also, humor is one of any formal debriefing.
their favorite and most effective ways to de-stress, (*As a result, company X EAP was brought in due to
blow off steam, and gain some distance from whatever dissatisfaction with the EAP that responded on Dec. 14
misery they’ve encountered. This is known as gallows and because they were highly recommended by local
humor; strong, crass, with more than a touch of mock- police chiefs and the AFSCME union.)
ery. (Kirschman et al, 2014).
Police officers are a diverse group of professionals, Once this information was relayed, company X rec-
who differ in aptitude, physical ability, training, reli- ommended to the Newtown Police Chief that they set
gion, political persuasion, and outlook. One needs to up mandatory wellness checks for the entire depart-
be careful not to make general assumptions or biased ment. In mid-January 2013, approximately four weeks
stereotypes upon initial meetings. after the tragic event, the Newtown police chief con-
An EA practitioner may be surprised to learn that tacted company X to arrange for on-site wellness visits
once officers do commit to counseling, they work hard for all Newtown police staff.
to “figure it out”. EA professionals quickly realize that The purpose of the wellness checks was to see
the toughest part is encouraging them to reach out for how the officers who responded to the mass murder
help. Sometimes even after making that initial call, they to see how they were functioning. Wellness checks
may hesitate and not follow up with an appointment. typically last 15-30 minutes and consist of the follow-
EA professionals need to be creative in these situations. ing questions:
In the process of understanding police culture, it
will quickly become evident how the “job” impacts • How are you doing now?
an officer’s family. Thus, it is always important to • How is your family doing right now?
extend services to family members. That’s because the • Are there any issues or problems with sleep, appe-
skill set that enables an officer to do their job well fre- tite or cognitive functions?
quently does not translate to a healthy home environ- • Are you experiencing Acute Stress, PTSD or
ment, which can lead to divorce, domestic violence, increased use of alcohol?
substance abuse, and even suicide in frighteningly • If yes, is treatment being sought?
large numbers. (Donnelly, 2015) • If the individual is in treatment, is he seeing a
Working with police officers can be very challeng- counselor familiar with police culture?
ing and difficult yet it can also be one of the most
rewarding experiences an EA professional will ever Comments from an EAP clinician: On the first
experience. Helping officers regain their psychological day of the checks, I walked in and met one of the
health increases their quality of life, family relation- command staff who said: “I need to talk with you.”
ships, and equips them to better protect the communi- I informed him where I was meeting with staff and
ties they serve. asked him to join me. All my previous wellness
checks that morning had averaged about 10-20 min-
Case Example utes with each officer. Then the commander who
Late afternoon on Dec. 14, 2012 company X EAP greeted me that morning walked in.
was contacted by AFSCME Law Enforcement Division
in Washington, DC as well as the union of the Newtown The commander began his “wellness check” by
Police Department. The request was for assistance after describing what he experienced when he first walked
the tragic mass murders at Sandy Hook Elementary into the Sandy Hook Elementary School. He mentioned
School. On December 21 the company X team, at the the gunpowder the officers smelled when they opened
request of the Newtown Police Chief, along with the the door. He then proceeded to “walk” me through
municipal EAP provided by a private for-profit firm to what he experienced that day. Next, he proceeded to
Newtown, met with the members of the Newtown Police share with me what was behind the closed door of a
Department for a full department meeting. room he entered - 20 bodies of slain young children
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featurearticle
piled on top of each other. The commander vividly ence opens the door for the EAP; as well as increasing
described what he saw next, which I am leaving out the level of comfort for the police officers who may
due to the horrific carnage he witnessed. I sat in dis- need debriefing following a critical incident.
belief and horror but maintained a modicum of profes- Company X was recommended to the Newtown
sionalism and simply encouraged this commander to Chief of Police by a number of surrounding police
talk about what he had experienced that tragic day. chiefs as well as the departments’ union. This initial
About an hour into the “check” I learned, not sur- buy in was instrumental in setting the stage for trust.
prisingly, that the commander was having trouble If credibility was not established at this point, subse-
sleeping; could not get certain images out of his head quent EAP efforts would probably have failed.
and had many other symptoms of PTSD. He was not There are many ways to ensure that a particular
in therapy nor talking with any of his colleagues about police department feels comfortable with EAP service
this experience. Thus, this was the first time he was providers. Some suggestions were offered earlier in
able to verbalize some of his experiences and feelings the Key Knowledge section of this article.
from this traumatic event. It is also important to keep in mind that each police
I confirmed that he had PTSD from this experience department is different and has its own particular and
and encouraged him to schedule an appointment with unique culture. By spending time with officers one
one of my EAP colleagues, who was a trauma-informed can begin to better understand their normal routine
therapist. He began therapy with my colleague later that and thus be ready when an emergency arises, and they
week. To this day this commander remains a staunch need support.
advocate of EAP services.
Whenever there is a mass shooting or other
Discussion mass casualty, everyone involved should be
There are several important takeaways to highlight debriefed. The EAP’s mere presence on site stating
from this case example: “We are here to talk if you want” is not sufficient. The
debriefings should be announced and scheduled so
Letting the police get to “know you” exempli- that officers understand these sessions are available.
fies why having a respected source to provide a refer- They should include support staff, dispatchers and
other department personnel. The interviews should be
conducted with staff who are trauma informed, and
Mental Health Concerns understand psychological first aid, as well as the cul-
ture of first responders.
of Police Officers The third point to consider revolves around the
scope and kind of services offered. If possible, one
should never just “show up” at the police department.
• 701,000 sworn officers sworn in, in the U.S. As mentioned, appointments should be scheduled,
(Department of Justice [DOJ], 2019) and timing is important. When possible every officer
• 56,034 police officers reported being assaulted and employee in that department should meet with the
on duty (DOJ, 2020) EAP soon after major events. Although an EAP was
• 89 police officers were killed in line of duty in present the day of the incident at Sandy Hook, five
2019 (DOJ, 2020) weeks later more support was needed. This illustrates
• 2019 had the highest annual police suicide rate the importance of ongoing follow up.
ever recorded (228 suicides), an increase of In addition to police personnel, attention needs to
32.5% from prior year (Blue H.E.L.P, 2020) be offered to family members. A week or two after
• Estimated PTSD rate: 15% a significant event, family support meetings should
• Alcohol abuse rate: 25% (Meyr, 2020) be scheduled. This is especially true after horrific
• 1 out of 15 officers suffer from depression events like Sandy Hook, the Las Vegas shooting, etc.
(Meyr, 2020) Company X reached out to family members of the
• Domestic violence rate: 24% (Cheema, 2016) v police department and those who attended seemed to
benefit greatly from this service.
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 When responding to police, the vital concept police culture and how doing so will increase their
of hesitancy needs to be considered. The discom- comfort level with EAP. Once trust is established it
fort and vulnerability of reaching out and having will allow officers to speak freely about their con-
to ask for help is a barrier that deters police from cerns of being a law enforcement officer in today’s
using EA services. “Wellness checks” ensure that complex world. v
everyone can receive appropriate services without
the concern of being labeled unfit for duty. There Patricia A Herlihy, PhD, RN, grew up in a police family in the
Boston area. Her uncle John Donovan was the Chief of Police
are times when mandatory services are appropri-
for Boston. Patricia’s family has been immersed in police
ate such as after a major event, otherwise it really culture for over 80 years. For more information, check out
needs to be left to the officer themselves whether www.rockymountainresearch.us
they want some form of mental health intervention.
The decision of whether to make these services James Rascati, MSW, LCSW, is the Director of Organizational
Services at Behavioral Health Consultants, LLC, which pro-
mandatory is up to the police chief, although there vides EAP services for 145 organizations including 56 police
are times when the EAP may offer a suggestion and 30 fire departments. James is also a Clinical Instructor of
depending on the circumstances. Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and can be reached at:
[email protected]
These takeaways focus on concerns around a
Brad Barber, PhD, recently earned his PhD in the School of Social
response to a mass casualty event. In addition, police Work at the University of Alabama. Brad has been working in
officers may need other forms of assistance for law enforcement since 2002 and has been a Special Weapons and
depression or suicidal ideation. In addition, harm- Tactics (SWAT) and Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT)
ful behavior such as substance abuse or domestic member. Brad can be reached at [email protected]
violence will require counseling as well as organiza-
tional intervention. The key issues are establishing References
Barber, Brad. (2020). Attitudes and opinions toward stress-related
a level of trust for police officers to seek help, and support services among police in a southern state: a qualitative
that EA professionals have a solid knowledge of law study (Doctoral dissertation, University of Alabama)
http://hdl.handle.net/10713/13626
enforcement culture.
Cheema, R. (2016). Black and blue bloods: Protecting police officer
Summary families from domestic violence. Family Court Review, 54(3),
487-500.
This article is designed to encourage EA profes-
sionals to understand the “secrets” of successfully Donnelly, E., Valentine, C., & Oehme, K. (2015). Law
working with law enforcement. Although there has enforcement officers and employee assistance pro-
been a long history of police being hesitant to seek grams. Policing: An International Journal of Police
Strategies & Management, 38(2), 206-220.
help, as noted there are effective ways to overcome
http://hdl.handle.net/10713/13565
these barriers.
As the statistics in the accompanying sidebar Kirschman, E., Kamena, M., and Fay, J. ( 2014). Counseling
highlight, there have been significant increases in Cops: What clinicians need to know. (New York, NY:
suicides, depression, alcohol use, and domestic Guilford Press).
violence within police departments. If EAPs are to Meyr, S. (2020) Hiding in Plain Sight: Stigmatization of
help address these concerns, they need to become emotional stress among law enforcement officers at
more knowledgeable about police culture and offi- Department of Public Safety and Training in Salem,
cers’ valid concerns about opening up to a mental Oregon.
health professional.
Patterson, G. T. (2009). Mental stress and workers’ com-
This article also offers specific suggestions in the pensation claims among police officers. Journal of
context of a case study related to the Sandy Hook Workplace Rights, 14(4), 441-455.
Elementary School shooting, but many of the sug-
gestions are also applicable for ongoing concerns of Powell, M., Cassematis, P., Benson, M., Smallbone,
S., & Wortley, R. (2014). Police officers’ strategies
police officers. for coping with the stress of investigating Internet
The main takeaway from this article is that EA child exploitation. Traumatology: An International
professionals need to do a better job understanding Journal, 20(1), 32-47.

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