| You survived - now what do you do? |
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| Written by John M. Fleming |
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The Detective Investigators’ Association in New York hosted a two day training program to assist officers who have been affected by exceptional events including hostage situations, assaults on officers, brutal death, and intense or negative media coverage. Participants learned the difference between “flashbacks” such as those found with PTSD and “flashbulb” memory. Flashbacks are only present when the officer cannot remove himself from that state of mind. The flashbulb memory occurs when one sense acts as a trigger, which brings back memories connected to a stressful event. During a flashbulb memory, decreased memory is experienced, as well as decreased learning speed and attention span, tunnel vision, and altered time perspective. The scenario-based, interactive approach utilized by the instructors forced all of the participants to treat the sessions as if they were real life situations as opposed to a boring training lesson. On the second day three volunteers debriefed some officers who participated in the September 11 World Trade Center rescue and recovery effort during the two days immediately following the attacks. During the exercise the officers began to talk about what they could smell, what they saw, and the different tastes in their mouths. The group took control and the person running the debriefing session took more of a passive role, which is what is supposed to happen. Some were angry while others remained silent, but the emotion on their faces was obvious. The lead trainer was Dr. Grady P. Bray, an internationally known disaster psychologist and one of the originators of the critical incident stress support movement. He has worked numerous domestic and international air disasters and the Oklahoma City bombing. Those in attendance included detectives from each of the five district attorneys’ offices, the NYPD, the Putnam County Sheriffs’ Office, the Scarsdale Police Department, and the New York State Department of Corrections. The Detectives Investigators Association is in the process of developing a peer support system. Presently there is no such system in place, even though police work is recognized as one of the most stressful occupations in the country. Police officers presently rank third in premature deaths in this country. The union has felt that the lack of such a program for their officers was a major problem which had to be addressed. The program will be guided primarily by the principle of promoting human welfare and well-being for the officers and their families. Anyone looking for more information about this program should contact me at (646) 533-1341. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Comments (0)
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