The problem addressed in this phenomenological study was the lack of documentation that supported the lived experiences of crisis intervention team (CIT) trained police officers related to their encounters with persons with mental illnesses (PwMI). The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experiences of officers among CIT-trained police officers to address the problem. Using the Giles's communication accommodation theory and Rogers's protection motivation theory (PMT), the purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of CIT-trained police officers of PwMI during CIT encounters. Rogers's PMT was aligned closest with the teachings of CIT training as described by the study's participants. Participants provided data which was comprised of completed questionnaires and transcribed interviews. The method of analysis used was a combination of inductive coding and theme analysis that established the results of this study. Key findings of the study identified a significant amount of frustration expressed in the lived experiences of the CIT-trained police officers. Pushback from the public mental health facilities helped with the frustration experienced by CIT-trained police officers who applied the fundamentals of PMT and attempted to navigate treatment with the limited resources available to help PwMI in crisis. The positive social change produced from this study includes recommendations to police leadership and mental health advocates to encourage certain CIT training-related practices that directly impact CIT field encounters with PwMI in crisis. Specialized training may promote improved departmental outcomes, assist with injury reductions, and enable police officer accountability and reliability.

The original purpose of this quantitative study was to compare 5 self-reported sexual minority stress (SMS) factors experienced by lesbian and gay police officers to discover if lesbian or gay police officers experience more SMS, and which factor, if any, is the biggest stressor for either group as measured using subscales of the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (DHEQ). This study partially incorporated minority-stress theory as applied to sexual minorities. This study used subscales from the DHEQ in anonymous, online surveys. Because of the low response rate, the study changed to compare the group of lesbian and gay police officers' self-reports on levels of feelings of vigilance, harassment/discrimination, isolation, vicarious trauma, and victimization as compared to the established population values. The central research question asked if there was a significant difference between lesbian and gay police officers and the established population on self-reported factors of SMS, as measured by the DHEQ. Two-tailed t tests were used to analyze the data. The results showed that lesbian and gay officers reported significantly less SMS as determined by the 5 factors on the DHEQ. The results of this study could provide an impact on how administrators treat lesbian and gay officers and how LGBT policies are created and implemented for internal and external (e.g. LGBT communities) interactions. The results of this study could also provide insight for police psychologists and other mental health practitioners about SMS.

A substantial body of scientific and medical research has examined the relationship between conductive energy devices and their physical risk to humans. This phenomenological study focused on the psychological impact of Taser utilization in police officers. This research explored how the experience of using a Taser in the line of duty affected officers from the conceptual framework of stress inoculation training and its applicability to Taser certification; the typical mental processes associated with using less-lethal weapons, perceptions of Taser training; and, the preparation provided in training for citizen injuries and deaths. Fifteen officers who had deployed a Taser were included as participants. The sample consisted of 2 randomized groups of 5, and 1 convenience group of 5 officers involved in Taser-related deaths. Data were collected through digitally recorded interviews of the officers' lived experiences. Data were analyzed using a 5-step method of constant comparison to develop and code themed clusters using the officers' own words. Findings showed officers believed the Taser was the best non-lethal device available but they preferred not using a Taser on citizens. In addition, Taser training may not be legally sufficient as defined in relevant court cases. A recommendation is that stress inoculation segments should be included in Taser training courses. Findings indicate Taser-related deaths have the potential to cause extreme stress and trauma in the officers, changing their lives and that of their families forever.

Policing has long been recognized by experts in the field as a stressful, unpredictable, emotionally exhausting, and dangerous occupation. Stress and contributing risk factors have lasting and sometimes fatal results among police officers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a relationship between symptoms of depression and 3 constructs of the Personal Observation Wellness and Evaluation Report--Power Portfolio (PP) survey, specifically administrative and organizational pressures, emotional, physical, psychological threats, and lack of administrative support. Archival data from the National Police Suicide Foundation were used. The independent variable was symptoms of depression as measured by the PP. The dependent variables were administrative and organizational pressures, physical and psychological threats, and lack of support as measured by the work-related problems domain of the PP. The participants (N = 150) consisted of officers employed by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. The results of the regression analysis and ANOVA were significant for the 3 research questions. The independent variable depression was related to work-related problems, work-related punishments, and the overall score reflecting participants feelings about their work as police officers. The results illustrate that police officers encounter organizational/administration demands with added stressors that accumulatively can develop into maladaptive coping mechanism and skills. Implications for positive social change include the development of mandatory interventions tailored to meet the need of individual police officers. These and other regulations, training, and protocols may reduce officers' work-related stress and improve the relationship between line and administrative personnel.

Thesis (LL.M.) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Refer to document

<p>The police interview is one of the most important investigative tools that law enforcement has close at hand, and police interview methods have changed during the twentieth century. A good police interview is conducted in the frame of the law, is governed by the interview goal, and is influenced by facilitating factors that may affect the elicited report. The present doctoral dissertation focuses on police interviews in cases of very serious crimes of violence and sexual offences. Results reveal crime victims’ and perpetrators’ experiences of being interviewed and police officers’ attitudes towards conducting interviews related to traumatizing crimes. Study 1 revealed that when police officers interviewed <i>murderers</i> and <i>sexual offenders</i>, the interviewees perceived attitudes characterized by either <i>dominance</i> or <i>humanity</i>. Police interviews marked by dominance and suspects’ responses of <i>anxiety</i> were mainly associated with a higher proportion of denials, whereas an approach marked by humanity, and responses of being <i>respected</i> were significantly associated with admissions. In line with Study 1, the victims of rape and aggravated assault in Study 2 also revealed the experience of two police interview styles, where an interviewing style marked by <i>dominance </i>and responses of <i>anxiety</i> was significantly associated with crime victims’ omissions of information. Moreover, a <i>humanitarian</i> interviewing style, and crime victims’ feelings of being <i>respected</i> and <i>co-operative,</i> was significantly related to crime victims providing all information from painful events. Special squad police officers’ attitudes towards<i> interviewing</i> <i>crime victims</i>, in Study 3, also showed a <i>humanitarian</i> approach and <i>two dominant approaches</i>, one affective and the other refusing. The attitude towards <i>interviewing suspects</i> of crimes in focus revealed <i>humanitarian</i> and <i>dominant</i> interviewing attitudes, and an approach marked by <i>kindness</i>. The present thesis shows that, during their entire career, an overwhelming majority of the special squad police officers have experienced stressful events during patrol as well as investigative duty. Results show that symptoms from stressful event exposures and coping mechanisms are associated with negative attitudes towards interviewing suspects and supportive attitudes towards crime victim interviews. Thus, experiences from stressful exposures may automatically activate ego-defensive functions that automatically generate dominant attitudes. Moreover, it is important to offer police officers who have been exposed to stressful events the opportunity to work through their experiences, for example, through debriefing procedures. After debriefings, police officers are better prepared to meet crime victims and suspects and, through conscious closed-loop processes, to conduct police interviews without awaking ego-defensive functions. </p>

<p>Krisstöd som syftar till att lindra stress för poliser i yttre tjänst är en förutsättning för att uppnå en god arbetsmiljö. Enligt tidigare forskning bör personers behov och inställning tas i beaktande vid planeringen av krisstöd. Vad personer har för inställning till krisstöd kan studeras i form av attityder. Personers självkänsla är besläktat med känslighet för stress vilket kan påverka behov av krisstöd. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om copingresurser och självkänsla hade någon betydelse för attityd till krisstöd. Poliser i yttre tjänst deltog (<em>N</em> = 101, varav 29 kvinnor). Coping Resource Inventory (CRI), två skalor av självkänsla samt ett eget konstruerat frågeformulär för mätning av attityder till krisstöd användes. Resultaten visade att copingresurser och självkänsla hade betydelse för positiv attityd till krisstöd. Detta indikerar att högre bassjälvkänsla och högre copingresurser, via mer positiv attityd, utgör en nyckel till ett mer lyckat krisstöd.</p>

The police interview is one of the most important investigative tools that law enforcement has close at hand, and police interview methods have changed during the twentieth century. A good police interview is conducted in the frame of the law, is governed by the interview goal, and is influenced by facilitating factors that may affect the elicited report. The present doctoral dissertation focuses on police interviews in cases of very serious crimes of violence and sexual offences. Results reveal crime victims’ and perpetrators’ experiences of being interviewed and police officers’ attitudes towards conducting interviews related to traumatizing crimes. Study 1 revealed that when police officers interviewed murderers and sexual offenders, the interviewees perceived attitudes characterized by either dominance or humanity. Police interviews marked by dominance and suspects’ responses of anxiety were mainly associated with a higher proportion of denials, whereas an approach marked by humanity, and responses of being respected were significantly associated with admissions. In line with Study 1, the victims of rape and aggravated assault in Study 2 also revealed the experience of two police interview styles, where an interviewing style marked by dominance and responses of anxiety was significantly associated with crime victims’ omissions of information. Moreover, a humanitarian interviewing style, and crime victims’ feelings of being respected and co-operative, was significantly related to crime victims providing all information from painful events. Special squad police officers’ attitudes towards interviewing crime victims, in Study 3, also showed a humanitarian approach and two dominant approaches, one affective and the other refusing. The attitude towards interviewing suspects of crimes in focus revealed humanitarian and dominant interviewing attitudes, and an approach marked by kindness. The present thesis shows that, during their entire career, an overwhelming majority of the special squad police officers have experienced stressful events during patrol as well as investigative duty. Results show that symptoms from stressful event exposures and coping mechanisms are associated with negative attitudes towards interviewing suspects and supportive attitudes towards crime victim interviews. Thus, experiences from stressful exposures may automatically activate ego-defensive functions that automatically generate dominant attitudes. Moreover, it is important to offer police officers who have been exposed to stressful events the opportunity to work through their experiences, for example, through debriefing procedures. After debriefings, police officers are better prepared to meet crime victims and suspects and, through conscious closed-loop processes, to conduct police interviews without awaking ego-defensive functions.

The police interview is one of the most important investigative tools that law enforcement has close at hand, and police interview methods have changed during the twentieth century. A good police interview is conducted in the frame of the law, is governed by the interview goal, and is influenced by facilitating factors that may affect the elicited report. The present doctoral dissertation focuses on police interviews in cases of very serious crimes of violence and sexual offences. Results reveal crime victims’ and perpetrators’ experiences of being interviewed and police officers’ attitudes towards conducting interviews related to traumatizing crimes. Study 1 revealed that when police officers interviewed murderers and sexual offenders, the interviewees perceived attitudes characterized by either dominance or humanity. Police interviews marked by dominance and suspects’ responses of anxiety were mainly associated with a higher proportion of denials, whereas an approach marked by humanity, and responses of being respected were significantly associated with admissions. In line with Study 1, the victims of rape and aggravated assault in Study 2 also revealed the experience of two police interview styles, where an interviewing style marked by dominance and responses of anxiety was significantly associated with crime victims’ omissions of information. Moreover, a humanitarian interviewing style, and crime victims’ feelings of being respected and co-operative, was significantly related to crime victims providing all information from painful events. Special squad police officers’ attitudes towards interviewing crime victims, in Study 3, also showed a humanitarian approach and two dominant approaches, one affective and the other refusing. The attitude towards interviewing suspects of crimes in focus revealed humanitarian and dominant interviewing attitudes, and an approach marked by kindness. The present thesis shows that, during their entire career, an overwhelming majority of the special squad police officers have experienced stressful events during patrol as well as investigative duty. Results show that symptoms from stressful event exposures and coping mechanisms are associated with negative attitudes towards interviewing suspects and supportive attitudes towards crime victim interviews. Thus, experiences from stressful exposures may automatically activate ego-defensive functions that automatically generate dominant attitudes. Moreover, it is important to offer police officers who have been exposed to stressful events the opportunity to work through their experiences, for example, through debriefing procedures. After debriefings, police officers are better prepared to meet crime victims and suspects and, through conscious closed-loop processes, to conduct police interviews without awaking ego-defensive functions.

Krisstöd som syftar till att lindra stress för poliser i yttre tjänst är en förutsättning för att uppnå en god arbetsmiljö. Enligt tidigare forskning bör personers behov och inställning tas i beaktande vid planeringen av krisstöd. Vad personer har för inställning till krisstöd kan studeras i form av attityder. Personers självkänsla är besläktat med känslighet för stress vilket kan påverka behov av krisstöd. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om copingresurser och självkänsla hade någon betydelse för attityd till krisstöd. Poliser i yttre tjänst deltog (N = 101, varav 29 kvinnor). Coping Resource Inventory (CRI), två skalor av självkänsla samt ett eget konstruerat frågeformulär för mätning av attityder till krisstöd användes. Resultaten visade att copingresurser och självkänsla hade betydelse för positiv attityd till krisstöd. Detta indikerar att högre bassjälvkänsla och högre copingresurser, via mer positiv attityd, utgör en nyckel till ett mer lyckat krisstöd.