B : Chriss Medeiros
L Univer
P P T Lesson
Trauma and PTSD in Police Officers
M 5:9 , “B ar the
, f the shall be
sons of God.”
•T and PTSD
•E
•S
•M Health Solutions
•C Vie
•C
•R
Contents
• followin a stressful event or a physica injury, may be
with physical and leads to long-term neu .
•P O are exposed traumatic events dai .
•P necessitates expo to traumatic, violent and even ,
lea to incre risk for developi post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) (H , 2013).
Trauma Definition
PTSD Definition
P tr Str Disorder
• condition of pers mental and emotiona stress occ as a
injury or sev psyc s , typic involving di
and con vivid re of the experienc , with dulled resp to
and to the outs world.
A M -W ’ definition
A M -W ’ definition
•L work ar crucial f the
law, , and society
(L , 2019).
• P officer will willingly work ov 40 hours
we . This will include and side job .
•L is an occupa r
to tr , str , and possible deat on a
-t -da basis. The hi -str envir the
has been to a nu of ph and
he issues among police offic (S
& Y , 2018).
•I one s the t five s poten
na in police w t be
( ) killing in the line duty, ( ) f
ge killed, (c) ph a , (d)
with a ba child and (e) -speed
(Sch , 2012).
Exposure
•O McCormi in a car chase with a suspe who just
r when hi major told to s car a
cos . Officer McCormick turn his v to wr car
in. Officer McCormick risk his lif to s the
bec of tha was ou of work and to ha su becau
wr ended with him in car. T officer has t k
mind whil driving or g in in a chase because
flash backs tha wr .
Real Life Stories
The stories you are about to read are true. The
pictures you are about to see are actual pictures from
the scene or from those involved. If you feel
uncomfortable at any point in reading these stories
you may skip to the next slide.
Police at the scene of the murder in 2015
Male who committed the 2015 murder
Police seeking information about
suspicious vehicles near Terhune Road
The Floyd County Police Department
issued a statement Tuesday concerning a
double homicide on Terhune Road
discovered Friday
Part of an article
written about the
2015 murder.
T r to a hom out
the m of the co . U
a house, the f an elderly
shot dead in home. The wer
with i
if the put up a figh or not.
T brut of this m stills
f officer tha resp .
Floyd County Police say it all began of April 13, when officers
responded to a call of an unresponsive 2-year-old. The toddler
was taken to the Floyd Medical Center, but died two days later
from what investigators determined was internal injuries related
to a brutal beating that happened in front of a 5-year-old.
Investigators arrested 38-year-old Hassan
Rashad for the death of 2-year-old
A officer, wishes r anon , w to a c where a tw - -
child was bea , st , had soiled her , w br dead. The male
w wa the child showed no about what he did t this tw -y -
f an entir . The o knew it was a w because that the las
an had seen the child and the natur some of . The officer
home and was haun the call and how tha baby was tr . T two-
- pass aw .
Part of the news report from the above
mentioned murder and mug shot from the man
who beat and ultimately killed the child.
E of these officer ended up ha PTSD these even and struggle daily
pushing each ev out of their mind in or to do c . N of
officers counseling per their own unwillingness t believ t
it. When ask if they w r help in the futur did not g me
clear answer. W ask if they had services that w pr t them
their job to help them if the did wan help one da they s no.
M health acknowledgement in enf is scar .
T who kno about it do not r use it and those who do not
about it ar an opportunity f help.
S outside help is r with dis and suspicion b other
of the gr as it can weakness, and officer do not trus
“weak officer” back them up in dang situations (S &
Y , 2018).
•E and ev police depart in the Unit
S t ensure all officer fr roo to
under their options f r
. This help should include not only f the
who ha PTD f those who ar
with the da - -da str of their job so
does not beco PTSD.
•M debriefings should be implement
each and every department when
tr ev happens that in two
officers. T will at the v least le the
talk about w they jus encoun
f “weak” by asking t speak with
.
•T La Enf and Mental Health Act of 2017 the r of emphasizing
importance of pr additional support to offic t help address
illne they ma develop their jobs
(V & Hernandez, 2019). T are man wa an officer can r
support and help.
•T Employee assis p (EAP ) is normally what each department has f office to
help or to consider obt ad help from other prof (V &
H , 2019).
• C incident s debrie (CISD) peer sup from those one work closest
and was exposed t the or similar tr incident. Smart assessmen on
M (SAM) a new approach.
• M pho softwar app are a f a varie useful task to include
assessmen , ps , loca , tracking of trea pr
(V & Hernandez, 2019).
Mental Health Solutions
Christian World View
P 37:28 , “For the LORD justi and does n f H godly ones;
T are f , B descen of the wick be cut off.”
T world needs police officers, without them there would be no justice. They find the
guys and p them awa , are on the s making sure they ar saf people
w or drive down, they run someone shooting to s them bef an
more people ge hurt.
J showed us lov by . He f the wick , helped poor, showed us
was righ and wrong. He is our redeemer and our , He is our prot and
. J show what sacrifice was when He g up His lif to be nailed on
c so all our sins could be f .
Conclusion
I is estima that “ 80% of firs r report e
ev on the job, and it is es that 10-15% been
with PTSD” (V & H , 2019).
P officer are normally the fir on scene, with no r to
own liv they rush into each situa unsure wha will happen
what will see. The only thing on their mind is to sa who is i
at wha .
I of pr cari for themselves, an offic will
his/her ment health at ri to “ f .”
•P Officer put their on line ev da without car f
t ensur their co is sa . Somewher along the
became a bad thin f an officer t need help. B askin f help
sho the wer weak ins of showing the are hu jus lik
and I.
•P need to th the need he f their men wellbein . By
car their men w can co to do their job
with noth st in their . N would up
them second themselv or r them of an ev which
mak them hesit possibly g thems or som else
.
B a police officer i a thankless job. One wher people activel try
kill or do no thank yo once you help them. No one
th toll these - -d emer ha on
. No one think about the men health these officer or the
some of them d g or seek help f wha t ha g
or witnesse . The only thing w as humans and of Chri
d is r aw , tr these officer with lov and r , and
. “T LORD God be with us, He was with f : let hi
lea us, f u ,” 1 K 8:57.
•The Holy Bible: Today’s new international version, (2005). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
•Hartley, T. A., Violanti, J. M., Sarkisian, K., Andrew, M. E., & Burchfiel, C. M. (2013). PTSD symptoms among police officers:
Associations with frequency, recency, and types of traumatic events. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and
Human Resilience, 15(4), 241-254. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1542295102?accountid=12085
•Soomro, S., & Yanos, P. T. (2018). Predictors of mental health stigma among police officers: The role of trauma and PTSD.
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, , 1-9. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1007/s11896-018-9285-x
•Schütte, N., Bär, O., Weiss, U., & Heuft, G. (2012). Prediction of PTSD in police officers after six months - a prospective study.
The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 15(3), 1339-48. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1439791163?accountid=12085
•Deputy Dutton (Personal Communication, February 25, 2019).
•County Officer, anonymous (Personal Communication, February 25, 2019).
•Officer McCormick (Personal Communication, February 25, 2019).
•Velazquez, E., & Hernandez, M. (2019). Effects of police officer exposure to traumatic experiences and recognizing the stigma
associated with police officer mental health. Policing, 42(4), 711-724. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1108/PIJPSM-
09-2018-0147
•LEES, T., ELLIOTT, J. L., GUNNING, S., NEWTON, P. J., RAI, T., & LAL, S. (2019). A systematic review of the current evidence
regarding interventions for anxiety, PTSD, sleepiness and fatigue in the law enforcement workplace. Industrial Health, 57(6),
655-667. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.2486/indhealth.2018-0088
•Merriam-Webster’s Colligate Dictionary (11th ed.). (2005). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
References
