Preventing Police Misconduct and Promoting Wellbeing: Part 2

Misconduct in police forces can have far reaching consequences. In the second of two articles, and of interest to all SCT readers, Mario Pierobon investigates training to counter police misconduct, the role of active bystanders, wellbeing support and assessment, and the functioning of early intervention programmes.

The role of the police officer is very a critical one to ensure the living of a safe and secure society. Policer officers, however, are often exposed to extreme circumstances and, in particular in areas with high crime rates, they are required to handle difficult situations which are unpredictable and can easily escalate. This distinctive and sometimes highly stressful working environment can lend itself to police misconduct.

The Role of Training

The role of training is particular important in preventing police misconduct. “Poor or ineffective training may be viewed as contributors to misconduct. This could also include insufficient academy or in-service training. Generally speaking, academy training alone is inadequate and must be combined with ongoing reinforcement of the agency mission and values. Most jurisdictions mandate that officers receive a specific number of hours of training annually or bi-annually to maintain their certifications,” commented Second Lieutenant Julian Berger III of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Present day law enforcement training differs from what was provided in the past, observed Berger. “Advances continue to be made in law enforcement problem-solving, de-escalation strategies, professionalism, and placing greater emphasis on providing resources for mental health consumers. Further, undergoing a rigorous accreditation process every four years ensures that the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is employing national best practices in every area, including training. The agency, once again, successfully completed this process in December 2020,” he said.

Training delivery methods can vary greatly depending upon factors such as the complexity of the topic, class size, and available venue. “Proper training must comport with the realities of twenty-first century policing and by leveraging rapidly evolving technology. For example, deputies in the field have access to agency general orders through their mobile devices,” said Berger. “As our nation becomes more pluralistic and the scope of law enforcement’s responsibilities and expectations expands, so too must the training. The knowledge, skills, and abilities to effectively manage crisis situations is dependent upon the layering of skills.”

The Role of Bystanders

There is significant focus now on training police officers prohibiting certain practices like chokeholds, observed Ervin Staub, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and founding director of the Psychology of Peace and violence programme. “But there are many ways to harm people and stopping fellow officers from harming people is much more effective than prohibiting any particular practice,” he said.

Another element of training is talking about what inhibits people from being active bystanders, said Staub. “One of the inhibiting factors is cost. When officers believe that fellow officers may turn against them later for having intervened or their superiors may punish them, that is a very significant cost, and it makes it much less likely that people will intervene. To address this kind of cost requires culture change. Training addresses this in a variety of ways, one of which is to train superior officers in a department first. Another is to point out how active bystandership benefits not only citizens but also fellow officers, who will not experience negative consequences for having done unnecessary harm. There is also diffusion of responsibility when there are a number of officers present. Any one officer might think, ‘well somebody else can intervene’.”

One more topic to address is what researchers in this area have called ‘pluralistic ignorance’, highlighted Staub. “This means that people in a public setting, including police officers, tend to put on a poker face. They do not show their reactions. And so, if there are several officers and they look around that they see that everybody looks unconcerned, they decide that there is no reason for them to act. A single person who indicates that there is a problem can make a difference and make it more likely that other officers will intervene.”

There are also some elements of devaluation of the people who are being harmed at work, according to Staub. “If somebody who is being harmed is looked at as a member of a negative group and probably a bad person, one less likely to take action. Just because some people in one group might engage in criminal behaviour, that does not mean that other members of the group are either criminal or bad people. There are many things which can be done to overcome such devaluation. One of them is joint projects. For example, people in the community can build a playground around the YMCA or a school and members of the community and police officers both engage in this. Doing this can be a deeply satisfying experience for everybody and can lead members of different groups - who may at times be conflict – to come to see each other in a more positive light.”

Supporting Wellbeing

The recognition of the mental wellbeing of police officers is also very important to prevent police misconduct. “Policing is a unique profession. It is both physically and mentally demanding, highly visible, unpredictable, and requires a great deal of resilience. Given our mandate in policing and the evidence supporting the First Responders First Act, we understand that our work realities expose us to critical incident stress. This exposure may, potentially, have significant impact on the well-being of our members,” said the Ottawa Police Service (OPS). “As first responders, if wellness is not properly managed, the challenging job of policing can lead to health issues that can affect an employee’s overall well-being, impacting not only the individual employee but also the workplace, their families and the community.”

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office provides several resources to employees as part of its wellness programme. “The objective of the wellness programme is to provide available resources to agency personnel who may have been involved in a critical incident or may have personal matters in which assistance is needed,” said Berger.

Enjoying this article? Read  Part 1 of this two-part report.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office makes available several wellness resources. “The Critical Incident Stress Management/ Peer Support provides confidential assistance to employees involved with a critical incident in order to lessen the emotional impact and to provide appropriate support services,” said Berger. “The chaplain unit provides employees with spiritual guidance, comfort in times of crisis, and such assistance as the Chaplain is able to render in times of emergency. The Employee Assistance Programme is a resource for County employees and their families and offers free counselling sessions in order to maintain appropriate work/life balance.”

The Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Programme is committed to serving law enforcement professionals and first responders who have undergone traumatic critical incidents in the line of duty or in their personal lives. “In addition, the Loudoun First Responders Foundation has the mission to financially support active Loudoun County first responder personnel facing needs arising from injury, illness and conditions in the line of duty, and/or loss of active duty approved under the county’s Family Medical Leave Act or bereavement policy,” commented Berger. “The Boulder Crest Retreat provides progressive and alternative training for healing heroes based on the science of post-traumatic growth. Trainings are provided at no charge for combat veterans and first responders, couples, caregivers, and families. No clinical diagnosis is required to attend. Other wellness resources comprise access to a police psychologist to include periodic wellness training classes and confidential access after a traumatic event.”

The commitment of OPS to supporting all members from pre-hire to post-retire includes training and support sessions when members are first hired, receiving a promotion and at various times throughout their career. “We continue to build on the wellness supports and programs for their members, families and retirees. Publications like the Ontario Ombudsman report ‘In the Line of Duty’, ‘Staying Visible, Staying Connected for Life’ and the National Consortium for Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide are publications that help guide law enforcement agencies to build their own program for their own service”, said OPS.

Assessment of Wellbeing

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office requires sworn candidates to undergo a psychological evaluation as part of its vetting process. “Evaluations involve five psychological tests which measure the broad base of characteristics required for law enforcement duty, as well as contraindicated features that offset that limit or disqualify candidates. The tests are standardised instruments that have long been used in clinical, occupational, and emergency service settings,” said Berger. “After completing testing, psychologists review test results. Each candidate is then interviewed using a structured, or standardized, interview protocol. This interview is an essential element that permits a defendable recommendation. Law enforcement personnel must be effective interacting with others. Without a sample of interaction, the evaluating psychologist cannot effectively assess candidates’ interpersonal skills. Standardisation is essential because the interview is in every way a performance test. Law enforcement candidates are rated using a five-point rating scale. The final recommendation is formed from test results, history, and interview behaviour.”

Staub believes that assessing how a police officer sees groups whom they may have power and authority over is very important. “It is also important to assess their past history in the community, and if they have engaged in fights and violent behaviour. An important issue is past trauma, i.e., if they have experienced past trauma – e.g., child abuse or violence against them through a problematic history in the past - and if they have engaged in anything to deal with such past trauma. These things can make a difference in selecting police officers.”

In the research Staub conducted in the past on what is more likely to lead people to harm others, he found that among the leading factors of misconduct is a negative view of human beings. “If one carries such a negative view of human beings in general or for particular groups, one may be more likely to engage in this kind of behaviour.”

Early Intervention

The OPS has developed an early intervention programme (EIP) whose purpose is to identify members who may need support and to provide resources to assist the member at the earliest stages of an issue. “EIP is a confidential process to identify members using specific criteria and offer assistance. The EIP is only one of the methods available by which members are identified as possibly needing assistance” said OPS. “The EIP is intended to serve as a data driven systematic approach to highlighting members that might need assistance that might otherwise have been missed. This programme is particularly helpful with intervention and prevention before an officer’s behaviour rises to the level of misconduct.”

Early intervention programmes have seen an increase as agencies seek to proactively assist employees that may require assistance or intervention, observed Berger. “These programmes are intended to be non-punitive; they identify at-risk employees early and addresses problematic behaviours to prevent future adverse events that may have otherwise been preventable. We utilise this programme to support a variety of intervention options that address the underlying causes of such behaviours.”

The Active Bystanders for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training programme helps police officers to engage with other officers when they seem emotionally stressed, said Staub. “If an officer is emotionally stressed, that makes it more likely that they are activated by events out there and it just makes their lives and their functioning better if fellow officers support them when they are emotionally stressed. Part of the training now is an awareness of fellow officers, how they may be stressed, and reaching out to such officers by beginning to engage with them in a conversation and trying to help them deal with whatever stresses they may be dealing with.”

According to OPS there is no single answer or approach for assisting someone with their own wellness path or what may contribute to misconduct. “We recognise there is also a consideration which surrounds ethical decision making/respectful workplace. Risk mitigation and early detection for misconduct is key. Working together to support members will aid in supporting member wellness and getting ahead of an issue. It all ties together in supporting wellness.”

New hires at the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office are provided training on wellness resources and the value of wellness is reinforced. “In 2019, supervisors received wellness and resilience training. The agency partnered with an established and licensed public safety wellness instructor to focus upon how law enforcement professionals can better maintain healthy work/life balance,” concluded Berger. “As it applies to wellness, a cultural shift has taken place within the agency. Support for wellness has been expressed through changes in procedures, requirements, and behaviours. This transformation has overturned the profession tradition of silence on psychological struggles. Employees requiring assistance are supported and encouraged to seek the resources they need.”

References

The quotes by Second Lieutenant Julian Berger III of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office are based on the publications below: