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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”.
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