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It's no secret that cops who need to get help with stress, a disintegrating marriage, drug or alcohol abuse are reluctant to use department counseling programs because of well-founded fears that their supervisors will lose confidence in their ability to perform. This issue has meant that many law enforcement officers from around the country are not getting the professional help they need.
Now a study from New York University's NYU's Center on Violence and Recovery has found that the NYPD's peer-counseling programs are a big success because they offer troubled cops a choice - they can get help from the department or from an outside counseling service founded and run by retired officers.
The study, which found that 23 percent of the 36,000 cops in the NYPD had sought help from the department's own intervention unit or the nonprofit Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance (POPPA), staffed by retired officers. More than 90 percent of cops surveyed said they knew help was available - the first step in piercing a police culture that equates going for counseling with weakness or the end of a career.
"What we've found is that offering people a choice is essential, and the NYPD is doing that," said study co-author Linda Mills, executive director of NYU's Center on Violence and Recovery.
While the surveyed sample only involved 184 officers, the results showed the need for officers to believe the help was truly confidential, Mills said. "They learn that stress surrounding their work as police officers is not only predictable, but treatable."
POPPA was started to provide cops with an outlet outside the NYPD, said founder Bill Genet. It helps about 850 officers a year. The NYPD's early intervention unit sees about 1,900 officers and civilian police employees each year.
The cost of the study was $1 million Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites        
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