The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 24, Number 6 | Page 14

Resiliency : The Future of Officer Survival
By Detective Frank Sabella , Cumberland Co . Prosecutor ’ s Office
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | September 2018
According to the Final Report of the President ’ s Task Force on 21st Century Policing , “ The wellness and safety of law enforcement officers is critical not only to themselves , their colleagues , and their agencies but also to public safety .” [ 4 ] Resiliency is a word used most commonly by advertisers to describe the potential longevity of a cooking utensil or interior wall paint . When we use it to describe the well-being of an individual , resiliency takes on a much more important meaning . Resiliency is “ the ability to withstand , recover and / or grow in the face of stressors and changing demands ” [ 1 ] . In policing , stress can be defined as , “ an imbalance between what is required of an officer and what the officer is capable of giving , under conditions where failure may have dire consequences .” [ 5 ] Developing a resilient mindset will help us work through this imbalance .
Resiliency is a fundamental component of being a “ comprehensively fit officer ” [ 1 ] . It involves knowing ourselves on an emotional and spiritual level rather than just having self-awareness of our physical capabilities and limitations . Resiliency is also the link between physical and mental health . A healthy mind leads to a healthier body . Resiliency is what maintains us over the course of a career .
In early June , I had the opportunity to participate in the first train-the-trainer course on Comprehensive Officer Resilience offered in New Jersey . The program is a collaboration between the Officer Safety and Wellness Committee of the FBI National Academy Associates ( FBINAA ) and Acadia Healthcare . Acadia Healthcare , a provider of inpatient behavioral healthcare services , operates a network of nearly 600 behavioral healthcare facilities with approximately 17,100 beds in 39 states , the United Kingdom and Puerto Rico . Acadia provides behavioral health and addiction services to its patients in a variety of settings , including inpatient psychiatric hospitals , residential treatment centers , outpatient clinics and therapeutic school-based programs . The program was brought to New Jersey through the combined efforts of the Burlington County Prosecutor ’ s Office , NJSACOP , Atlantic County Sheriff ’ s Office , Maple Shade Police Department , and Treatment Placement Specialists , an initiative of Acadia Healthcare that provides expert , confidential treatment options to those in need .
The Comprehensive Officer Resilience Program focuses on four domains and a core group of tenets . “ These tenets are the key characteristics in an individual that foster resilience ” [ 1 ] . They center on our mental , physical , social , and spiritual well-being . Throughout the course , various tools were introduced to help build resilience . Each tool tied into one or more of these tenets . Concepts such as “ Accomplishing Goals ” and “ Interpersonal Problem Solving ” were discussed alongside “ Spiritual Resilience ” and “ Counting Blessings ”. The overarching concept was one of staying positive and trying to become better from every situation . There are opportunities from growth in even the most adverse of times . This concept is referred to as “ Post Traumatic Growth ” and can often be the difference between an individual becoming a “ victor ”, as opposed to a “ victim ” in the aftermath of a critical event .
Why is this important ? According to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott A . Coffina , “ There were 46 officers shot to death in the line of duty last year across the United States , and more than triple that number died by suicide .” One study indicated , “ a higher prevalence of depression in officers ( 12.5 % for women and 6.2 % for men officers ) compared to 7.4 % among women and 2.8 % among men who participated in the National Institute of Mental Health Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study ” [ 3 ] . With those statistics in mind , it is hard to deny the problem . The Comprehensive Officer Resilience training is one way to begin to tackle the issue .
“ Although the media and general public emphasize the physical danger of police work , they tend to overlook the psychological danger ” [ 2 ] . The public ’ s opinion of us , especially in these most trying of times , only furthers our mental strain . We know that an officer in a better state of mind emotionally is going to handle interaction with the citizenry better than a stressed officer . A poor interaction with the public can have the effect of only accelerating the negative spiral being experienced by that already strained officer . Additional sources of stress can be found within an organization . “ An agency work environment in which officers do not feel they are respected , supported , or treated fairly is one of the most common sources of stress . And research indicates that officers who feel respected by their supervisors are more likely to accept and voluntarily comply with departmental policies .” [ 4 ] This tells us that having our officers mentally healthy and resilient will actually strengthen the organization overall .
Many of us have been involved in traumatic events that resulted in post-incident debriefing sessions . The goal of this program is to prepare the officer mentally , before the incident , so that post-incident recovery is shorter and adverse
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