|
Lots of questions, lots of
talk, a report and some slaps on the back. Then,
first stop was the “C G Inn” for
a few cold ones; next, the “Hat Tavern”
for just one more. It turned into a few boiler
makers, two more hours and who knows how many
brain cells vanished in a wash of alcohol. Two
a.m. and we helped him stumble up the back stairs
to his apartment and into the arms of his sobbing
wife, with nearby crying infant, to complete
the scene.
The foregoing scenario describes what we thought
was critical incident stress management, ala
thirty plus years ago. It describes our efforts
to console a fellow officer who had been working
a N.J. Safe and Clean walking post, responded
to a nearby bank robbery call and in an exchange
of shots had wounded one of the perps.
Fellow officers who arrived at the scene wanted
to know the details first hand and some superiors
even demanded to know them. Some 3rd Degree,
a hastily prepared report and a retreat to the
warm tingling sensational tranquility that a
few cold ones can facilitate after such a stressful
incident.
A more dramatic scenario for me was in the
1980s that left a fellow squad member of our
FBI, NY Office dead. Taking in the scene of
his murder, still sitting behind the wheel with
a couple of holes in his head and his life blood
sapped from him to a sanguinary Jell-O on the
cars upholstery sickened us. And, day after
day the news kept showing the scene.
The following few days were spent hunting
for his assailant. Tired, weakened, infuriated
and frustrated we searched, and attended wake
and funeral. A time in which we squad mates
were treated like 2nd class citizens by some
managers and even some fellow agents/cops for
the still lurking judgments to be made even
before a full operations critique had occurred.
It further saddened us when we shot and killed
a family pet German Shephard only a few days
later. The dog bolted out of a doorway and into
an alley as we approached to execute a search
warrant for our brother’s killer. The
dog, blasted with at least three 9mm rounds
from MP5s ran right back into the living room
of the basement apartment. There it lay down,
bubbling wound side up and died right there
in front of mother, father and the whole damn
family of children. The shooter wasn’t
there! With sadness now enveloping some of us
and ringing in our ears we left another tragic
scene. A few hours later, another half sleepless
night would follow.
An even more recent but thank God, less dramatic
incident involved a cold December evening, driving
to a Police Department Christmas party and ending
up in the line of fire of a pistol firing crazed
doper shooting at some apparent associate ner’-do-
wellers. A shot fired in my direction, subsequent
chase with more shots, some tense moments and
ultimately the retrieval of the shooter’s
pistol resulted. Upon arrival at the scene,
my supervisor, observing blood on the ground
nearby inquired as to my welfare. He said: “are
you alright?”, “… that’s
(referring to the blood) not yours or any of
our guys (law enforcement)?” My reply
respectively was: ‘yeah, I think so”
and “No, its not”. To which my boss
responded: “OK, see you at the Christmas
party.”
Do any of the three scenarios seem to you
to be an appropriate Employee Assistance Program
(EAP) or Critical Incident Stress Management
(CISM) type response to those involved? Well,
you’re right, probably none. But we have
learned an awful lot in the last few years in
responding to and supporting those involved
in shooting or other critical incidents. This
is particularly true when it comes to the potential
“Second Injury” (John C. Snidersich,
Critical Incidents in Policing, FBI,
1991).
The “Second Injury”, which for
many may be the more devastating, insidious
and long lasting one, is that of the emotional/psychological
reaction. Often, the “Second Injury”
is exacerbated by the employee’s fear
of sharing experiences subsequent to a critical
incident. The fears that the Department or another
agency may pursue adverse action in a use of
deadly force incident, or fear of civil action,
fear of blame, appearing weak or of some pre-conceived
stigma, second guessing by peers, superiors
and the public, tend to only exasperate the
trauma. Even worse perhaps is the real ignorance
of and/or misunderstanding of the potential
for “Second Injury”, by managers,
peers and even well meaning EAP folks or colleagues.
Add to this the employee’s frustration
with the slow process of adjudication (a case
of mine took over eleven months), the sometimes
natural tendency of some managers and peers
to distance themselves from the law enforcement
officer(s) involved, and the frequent perception
of those involved and their families that the
Department isn’t doing enough. Experience
has often taught us, that frequently the worst
part of a critical incident is not the critical
incident itself but what happens subsequent,
and the treatment of those involved, especially
in light of possible expectation distortions
on the part of those involved. Knowledgeable
and practical compassionate responses by managers,
peers, Employee Assistance and CISM personnel
to law enforcement officers involved in the
critical incident can indeed be critical.
Here’s how we react. We perceive a threat
mentally; say a man with a gun, now the hypothalamus
in our brain notifies the pituitary gland. From
there an urgent message is transmitted chemically
to the adrenal glands (just above each kidney)
which then start pumping adrenaline, epinephrine
and cortisol (the big guy among stress hormones).
The process occurs in the blink of an eye and
is referred to as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
axis. These hormones charge receptors in the
brain and burn a memory of the threat, and possibly
everything related to it (like sounds, smells,
sights, etc.), in place. Now, depending on the
officer’s personal history, the intensity
and duration of the threat exposure, the memory
is imprinted quickly, drastically and often
permanently. This is done whether the officer’s
perceptions are right, wrong, exaggerated, real
or not. And this can be for any traumatic event,
auto accidents, sexual assault, use of deadly
force, etc. The God/Nature given process can
help us react, ‘Fight or Flight’
style, and help us make the quick association
between the threat and negative consequences
immediately and in the future. But, it may be
so drastically and indelibly seared into the
memory as to drive us to dysfunction in career
and later living.
The process can become a vicious loop too.
We perceive a threat mentally, that initiates
the physical response which in turn reinforces
the mind. Sometimes, if left unchecked, unaltered
or mitigated, the loop can become vicious, debilitating
and in need of serious intervention
This hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal routing
is not the end of the story either. The stress
hormones entrench the memories of the emotionally
significant event via the Amygdala, in our brain,
and the factual content in the Hippocampus.
However, an officer operating with a predominantly
competent cognitive process before the critical
incident may end up with an emotional (or feeling)
dominant process during and after the incident.
The result may sometimes mean a clinical Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The horrifying
memories may have been stored with such intensity,
a setting too high, that the mechanism that
normally regulates this may be overridden and
the ‘emotional’ can dominate, during
and subsequent to the incident. It’s not
good for most and extremely precarious for a
law enforcement officer. Sometimes it can become
a career and life disabling emotional hangover.
The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation
suggests that as many as 75%, of officers involved
in the use of deadly force either leave or loose
their career. Perhaps, as the Bob Dylan song
goes: “some things are too hot to touch,
the human mind can only stand so much…”,
“…some of these memories we can
learn to live with and some of them we can’t”.
And, being a tough guy doesn’t always
help either. Trying to stoically stop the process
is tantamount to telling someone with dysentery
to just use will power. In fact, the image armor
that we sometimes wear may even impede healthy
recovery, sort of like some of the less than
healthy age old law enforcement remedies like
alcohol and isolating, which often lead to even
worse scenarios. When, real strength can be
found in the supportive atmosphere of friends,
family and professional associates.
Recent research at Harvard University has had
some success with medical intervention in reducing
Post Traumatic Stress and even PTSD. In 2002,
victims of trauma, including auto accidents,
medical emergencies, rape and other traumatic
events, were given a beta blocker (propranolol).
The victims treated with propranolol within
six hours of arriving at the emergency room
showed fewer signs of PTSD. The beta blocker
apparently mitigates the extreme emotional imprint
of the memory (amygdala) and may reduce the
likelihood of it dominating the victim’s
thoughts later. This is done hopefully without
drastically altering the factual content (hippocampus).
Though it proves no panacea to PTSD, it does
demonstrate the concern for memories stored
too intensely and offers hope in future research.
What can we do as peers, managers, organizations,
chaplains and Employee Assistance Program staff
(EAP) to help mitigate “Second Injury”?
Preparation and prevention are certainly paramount.
Indeed the one ounce pill of prevention is superior
to the one pound suppository of cure. Orientation
and training concerning the “Second Injury”,
expectations, its signs and symptoms and practical/compassionate
response by all of the above can be very helpful.
Fast, practical and basically sound intervention
practices can help dramatically. Of course,
these are to be facilitated by trained personnel.
But in the meantime there are some basics that
responding peers and managers can employ to
help minimize “Second Injury” to
those involved. A succinct and handy check list
for a post shooting incident, but which is easily
adaptable to any traumatic event, can easily
be prepared. The following example gleaned from
the FBI, and other public agencies can even
be made into a vehicle sun visor placard for
easy and immediate access.
A POST SHOOTING INCIDENT
GUIDE FOR VICTIMS, PEERS AND MANAGERS:
1. Ensure your safety and
the safety of fellow personnel; notify any necessary
emergency services, such as: medical, fire and
police assistance.
2. Broadcast critical information
to responding units, such as emergency/safety
factors or hostile subjects.
3. Contact office/headquarters
and advise of incident, personnel involved and
location. Office/headquarters will make all
additional necessary notifications, including
EAP, as per agency policy.
4. When safe to do so, secure
the scene and protect evidence, including weapons
involved. Do not immediately surrender firearms
to anyone outside your agency. Involved personnel
should not take part in the investigation at
scene or follow-up. If practical, immediately
replace the law enforcement officer’s
weapon, if surrendered.
5. As soon as practical, the
on-scene commander is to direct that involved
personnel should be insulated (not necessarily
isolated) and/or removed form the scene (e.g.,
emergency room, headquarters safe area, etc.);
medical evaluation/attention should be provided.
The support and presence of a trained/experienced
peer officer, chaplain, or EAP staff is strongly
recommended.
6. Involved personnel should
not prepare a report or make a statement to
any authority until the individual has had sufficient
time to regain composure. Early consultation
with private legal counsel may also be appropriate
under the circumstances.*
Managers and co-workers are encouraged not to
ask involved person(s) specific details or release
identities of those involved. If practical,
management personnel are recommended to speak
to other participating employees who are not
directly involved in the incident.
(*Note: An agency may provide emergency interim
legal representation, possibly limited to assessment
of the officer’s ‘acting within
the scope of his/her employment’ at the
time of the incident. However, attorney-client
privilege and/or conflict of interest issues
may arise. It is therefore important to know
your laws and facilitate access to private counsel
before an emergency occurs.)
7. Responding managers are
encouraged to instruct involved personnel to
contact spouse and/or family pursuant to their
well being. If, personnel are injured and unable
to make such contact, management should consult
with the employee as to whom he/she wishes to
make contact and/or for provision of transportation
for the spouse/family members.* Managers are
also reminded, if possible, to communicate brief,
practical explanations to involved personnel
as to all significant directives and attempt
to address the emotions of those directly involved.
(*Note: Managers should consult a prepared
emergency notification list, if time and circumstances
permit, for all employees under their supervision,
including names and numbers of person(s) an
employee would like to make such emergency notification
to
spouse/family. Death notifications should be
made by trained personnel and as per sound policy.)
8. Personnel involved in a
critical incident, such as the use of deadly
force, should be afforded administrative leave
for emotional and physical well-being.
9. EAP and Chaplains should
facilitate follow-up coordination for any support
services for officer, spouse and family. This
should include coordination with the officer’s
co-workers. Ensure compliance with CISM S.O.P.s
for all involved personnel.
10. Management, as soon as
practical, should advise co-workers of status
of situation (via Demobilization, Crisis Management
Briefing or other crisis management tools, if
warranted) and update as necessary.
11. Details and additional
instructions, including on-scene investigation,
critical incident response, officer involved
care, etc. should be available via agency policy,
general orders, or manual, etc.
REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
Johnston, Mark C. (2006).
FBI’S EAP NORTHEAST REGION QUICK GUIDE
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Employee Assistance
Unit, Washington D.C.
Lasley, Elizabeth Norton. (2007). “Memory
Research Helps Tone Down What’s Best Forgotten”.
“Brain Work The Neuroscience Newsletter”,
The Dana Foundation, Vol. 17, No. 4, July-August
2007
Snidersich, John C. (1991). “Second
Injury” Critical Incidents in Policing,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Behavioral
Science Unit, Washington D.C.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MARK C. JOHNSTON
Mark C. Johnston, Ph.D., has
appeared before hundreds of government and private
sector audiences nationwide, as a law enforcement
and management Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
professional, utilizing a motivational theme
throughout. Recently retired from thirty years
of law enforcement and as the FBI’s Northeastern
U.S. EAP Manager, Mark managed fifty EAP Staff
members serving approximately five thousand
FBI employees. He is certified and holds membership
in numerous professional associations, including
the EAP Professionals Assn., the International
Critical Incident Stress Foundation and is Board
Certified and a Diplomate in the American Academy
of Experts in Traumatic Stress.
Mark received a Doctorate in 2002, from Honolulu,
HI University, in Philosophy, emphasizing practical
spirituality perspectives in Law Enforcement.
His Master of Arts Degree was earned from Rutgers
University, Criminology. He also received a
Post Graduate Degree in Justice Management/Public
Administration, from the University of Southern
California, Washington, D.C. Public Affairs
Center, and a BA (Poli. Sci./Ed.) from N.J.’s
William Paterson University. His works: FBI
Deployment Handbook, “A Guide for Individual,
Families and Managers”, 2004; EAP
Quick Guide, 2006; and “Law Enforcement
Trauma and Stress, Minimizing Our “Second
Injury”, have received wide acclaim and
use. Mark authored “Spirituality, A Practical
Law Enforcement Perspective”, a featured
presentation at the national ‘Spirit of
the Law’ Police Chaplains Conference,
2004.
For his volunteer work with children,
Mark received the first “Judge William
Webster Humanitarian Award” in Toronto,
Canada, in 2001. Mark now lives in the greater
Philadelphia area and is the Police In-Service
Training Program Manager for the Anthony Canale
Law Enforcement Training Center. He continues
instructing, lecturing, writing, hosts a radio
show and is currently working on chronicling
personal law enforcement experiences and the
sometimes “private price of public service”.
|
