Oregon Law & Mental Health ConferenceMarch 2, 2018, Portland, Oregon

(Edited by Ron Louie for Conference Presentation)

Session 11: Police Chiefs’ Perspectives on What Impacts Police Officer Behavior and Performance

Learning Objectives

Chief Ron Louie, (Ret.) MA, MPA Portland State University Portland Community College

✓ How to nurture a value-driven police organization? [Chief Kerns: Through Compassion, Humility and Empathy.]

✓ Identify Police Officer Impairment Factors [misuse of force, domestic violence in their personal lives, suicide, citizen complaints, career self-sabotage, absenteeism, substance abuse, failed relationships]

✓ What are some effective strategies to intervene and reduce police officer impairment? [Recognizing Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness-based training and experiences]

✓ Which training models shows the most promise in preparing police officers for the uncertainties of a crisis intervention call? [Tactical Communication skills designed to de-escalate Crisis Intervention incidents]

✓ Why is Post Traumatic Stress Injury, as a term, more acceptable to the police and military culture? [“Disorder” is more of a label and “Injury” clarifies that the person has experienced something horrifying or traumatic…and can recover from it.]

Research findings mark the dismal toll of police stress Force Science News #213 Sept. 19, 2012

What are the Impairment Factor Symptoms?

A significant amount of police stress comes from within the organization…usually caused by poor leadership (and dumb rules and policies)

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Suicide rates are 8.4 times higher in working

officers, compared to retired officers or those

who left law enforcement.

"The risk of brain cancer [among officers], although only slightly elevated relative to the general population, [is] significantly increased with 30 years or more of police service."

In-depth examinations of obesity and of the metabolic syndrome reveal an association between obesity and depression in male officers and a link between stress and metabolic symptoms in female officers. Females seemed particularly susceptible to stress from "administrative and organizational pressure and lack of support.

Four times more likely to sleep less than six hours out of every 24; • Sleep problems deepen as

stressful feelings intensify

Increase the risk of cardiovascular

disease and diabetes

Officers are nearly twice as likely as civilians to suffer

symptoms of depression

In "fast-paced situations with uncertain outcomes and imperfect information," good decision-making is "significantly hampered" by sleep deprivation, according to a new study by researchers from Washington State University and the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Force Science Issue #284 June 17, 2015 New study: Sleep loss impairs critical police-type decision-making

Identify Impairment Factors

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The leading cause of police death: Post-traumatic stress disorderNearly a fifth of all active duty police officers suffer from PTSD but many aren’t getting the help they need (I prefer PTSInjury) November 9, 2015 4:15PM ETby Betsy Kulman @BetsyKulman & Adam May @adammaytv The leading cause of police death: post-traumatic stress disorder America Tonight | October 20, 2015

When you’re a police officer, a traffic stop can mean a routine exchange — or it can mean an attack on your or your partner’s life.

Being first on the scene, whether for gruesome murders, suicides, plane crashes or car accidents, is all in a day’s work for police officers. But for many, there’s a limit to how much tragedy they can take.

The tipping point for many cops — whether it comes as they witness their first or hundredth incident — can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

But many police officers with PTSD aren’t even

aware they have a problem; they remain on the street,

doing their job, often without help or support. It’s part of many departments’ cultures to “just deal” with what happens on the job.

The consequences of not dealing with the disease can be explosive, to the officer,

the officer’s family and potentially, people on the street. There's a risk to

society. Because these police officers are, are highly

stressed out…

Identify Impairment Factors

Referring to “The Pain Behind the Badge”

“In a typical year, an estimated 400 of the 870,000 LEOs in the U.S. take their own lives.”

• But many more are committing what the legendary psychiatrist Karl Menninger called ‘suicide by inches,’ Bill Lewinski of FSN points out. This refers to more gradual behaviors of self-destruction, like excessive spending in an effort to buy happiness, excessive drinking or compulsive adultery as means of escape, addictively overworking at the cost of relationships with spouse and kids.”

Suicide by InchesForce Science News #101 Oct. 6, 2008 (Not in Text)

✓ Identify Police Officer

Impairment Factors [misuse of

force, domestic violence in their personal lives, suicide, citizen

complaints, career

self-sabotage, absenteeism,

substance abuse, failed

relationships]

Identify Impairment Factors

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It’s no secret that more and more marriages are failing these days. Stress comes from innumerable sources: work, children, health, finances, neighbors, supervisors,

and spouses. The list continues to grow, often against the willingness of the individual. At times, it’s a wonder that love conquers anything. So how does this

relate to police officers and those in the law enforcement arena? It takes an unusual type of person to be a police officer. More important though, it requires a special kind

of person to be a police spouse. Police marriages are in jeopardy.

The personality traits of police officers are different than those outside the profession. Many come to mind, but it’s safe to say police officers are

accustomed to ‘calling the shots.’ They are accustomed to getting their way. Police officers have the ability to deprive citizens of their freedom if the

circumstances call for it simply based on their word. No other profession can deprive someone of their basic rights.

Type A and CompromisePolice officers are often described as assertive and aggressive. These are not suggested to be negative personality characteristics, but how well do these traits apply to a 50/50 partnership of marriage?

Saving Police Marriages Written by Sanborn, Beth Law & Order Sept. 2014 Beth Sanborn is a 16-year veteran of the Lower Gwynedd, Penn. Police Department and an instructor at Delaware Valley College. She may be reached at sans036@hotmail.com. (Not in Text)

Communication is the KeyRecognize the habits of your partner and investigate the changes. Know when your

partner needs you, and know when your partner needs

space. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Counseling is

not a sign of weakness, rather one showing mental health. Learn to express your wants

and needs and be prepared to do the same for your partner.

Identify Impairment Factors

• “You acknowledge Emotional Intelligence to enhance awareness of self and to avoid posturing and language that riles and agitates those you are

entrusted to help” (Lt. Mike Rouches, Tactical Communication Instructor)

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✓ What are some effective strategies to intervene and reduce police officer impairment? [Recognizing Emotional

Intelligence and Mindfulness-based training and experiences]

Officers need to recognize their “emotional intelligence” (Saville 2006) (Louie 2011)

• This is the “...ability to interpret, understand, and manage one's own and others'

emotions.” Emotional intelligence is a measure of: self-control, conflict management and empathy. Officers become more aware of those emotional triggers that provoke a negative or aggressive response, such as when a disputant challenges the officers or insults them.

• “Becoming more aware of emotional triggers that can instigate an angry violent response, such as when officers are called 'pigs'” (Saville 2006:39).

• This basically is the ability of an officer to understand and manage personal emotions while in the midst of trying to help solve someone else's problems.

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Self Compassion for Police; Instead of understanding the impacts of, anger, or fear, police officers try to tamp down those emotions or ignore them, which keeps them from understanding the effect

of emotion on performance (Lt. Rich Goerling)

Effective Strategies to Intervene and Reduce Police Officer Impairment

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Emotional Intelligence: The Social Skills You Weren't Taught in School Eric RavenscraftLifehacker 4/14/15 8:00amFiled to: MIND HACKS

You’re taught about history, science, and math when you’re growing up. Most of us, however, are not taught how to identify or deal with our own emotions, or the emotions of others. These skills can be valuable, but you’ll never get them in a classroom.

Emotional intelligence is a shorthand that psychological researchers use to describe how well individuals can manage their own emotions and react to the

emotions of others.

People who exhibit emotional intelligence have the less obvious skills necessary to get ahead in life, such as managing conflict resolution, reading and responding to

the needs of others, and keeping their own emotions from overflowing and disrupting their lives.

Many police

officers are not

effectively training in

how to manage conflict

resolution.

This is why so many

police officers

mishandle the crisis

call.

Effective Strategies to Intervene and Reduce Police Officer Impairment

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This mixed model has five key areas:

Self-awareness: Self-awareness involves knowing your own feelings. This includes having an accurate assessment of what you’re capable of, when you need help, and what your emotional triggers are.

Self-management: This involves being able to keep your emotions in check when they become disruptive. Self-management involves being able to control outbursts, calmly discussing disagreements, and avoiding activities that undermine you like extended self-pity or panic.

Motivation: Everyone is motivated to action by rewards like money or status. Goleman’s model, however, refers to motivation for the sake of personal joy, curiosity, or the satisfaction of being productive.

Empathy: While the three previous categories refer to a person’s internal emotions, this one deals with the emotions of others. Empathy is the skill and practice of reading the emotions of others and responding appropriately.

Social skills: This category involves the application of empathy as well as negotiating the needs of others with your own. This can include finding common ground with others, managing others in a work environment, and being persuasive. (End)

What Is Emotional Intelligence? Is this the Ideal Police Officer? How do you select this type of person for the job?

Effective Strategies to Intervene and Reduce Police Officer Impairment

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Can Yoga And Meditation Save America's Police Officers?By BILL RADKE & ALLIE FERGUSON • NOV 30, 2015

Hillsboro Police Department officers participate in meditation training in 2013. Lt. Richard Goerling argues that meditation can help police forces deal with stress that is constantly eroding “our emotional intelligence skill set.” HILLSBORO POLICE DEPARTMENT/DARCI VANDEN HOEK

Mindfulness-based Training and

Experiences

Effective Strategies to Intervene and Reduce Police Officer Impairment

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“Police officers are suffering,” said Lt. Rich Goerling. “There are so many stressors to being a police officer today. The job is incredibly complicated. The organizations are complicated. The legal climate is complicated, and our relationship with our public is complicated. "We know we exist in this crucible.”

Goerling said problems with over aggressiveness by police are “largely driven by the level of suffering behind the badge.” He

said stress is constantly eroding “our emotional intelligence skill set” and hurting decision-making in the field.

“I want to cultivate an empathetic warrior culture … that allows a police officer to see someone holding a sign that says ‘I can't breathe’ and instead of responding with some defensive statement, it’s really an interrogative: Tell me more about that,” he said. He says police forces have traditionally not offered training that considers resilience of both body and mind (Lt. Rich Goerling)

Effective Strategies to Intervene and Reduce Police Officer Impairment

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How Mindfulness is Changing Law EnforcementBy Jill Suttie | May 18, 2016 |

Meditation is helping police officers to de-escalate volatile situations, improve community relations—and

improve their own well-being.

Twenty police officers dressed in sweats and T-shirts lunge on bent knees, arms stretched toward the ceiling. Some are visibly straining as the teacher instructs them to notice their discomfort and to keep breathing. These men and women in El Cerrito, California, are learning new skills, but not ones we typically associate with policing. Instead, they are learning mindfulness—moment-to-moment, nonjudgmental awareness of one’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

“From shift work to disturbing crime scenes to emotional, angry victims

and perpetrators, police face a number of potential daily stressors. It’s no wonder that many lose sleep

or suffer from depression and other mental disorders. They are

frequently cited as one of the professions with the highest suicide rates on the job.” Lt. Dave Hartung

“We as a profession cannot be tactically sound, operationally savvy, guard people, and put our life on the line for people we may not ever meet if we

can’t see or handle the tragedy and heartache that’s part of our

every day job,” Chief Sylvia Moir, El Cerrito police chief)

“Mindfulness opens up the space in which we make decisions—we’re not so linearly focused or so stressed because we are under threat,” he says. “We may still be under threat, but because I’m regulating my stress response and my emotions—anger, fear, and ego, which is a huge problem in our culture—I’m more aware of my options.” (Lt. Rich Goerling)

Effective Strategies to Intervene and Reduce Police Officer Impairment

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In a pilot study conducted by Hillsboro police Lt. Richard Goerling and Michael Christopher of Pacific University, officers who learned mindfulness skills reported:

✓ “significant improvement in self-reported mindfulness, ✓ resilience, ✓ police and perceived stress, ✓ burnout, ✓ emotional intelligence, ✓ difficulties with emotion regulation, ✓ mental health, ✓ physical health, ✓ anger, ✓ fatigue, and ✓ sleep disturbance.”

This echoes some of the research from an earlier study, which found that police officers who went through mindfulness training experienced less depression in their first year of service.

Additional studies support the use of mindfulness in populations with similar stressors to police, such as those in the military. They’ve shown that mindfulness training in military personnel had positive impacts on working memory and cognitive resilience—the ability to use attention effectively to solve problems when you are under stress. Other studies have found that the training can decrease hostility, improve attention, and increase ethical decision-making.

Is Mindfulness based training

working?

Effective Strategies to Intervene and Reduce Police Officer Impairment

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Canada’s Ontario Peel Regional Police Are Starting to MeditatePosted on Apr 14th, 2016 by Earth We are one

These images will change the way you view our police force! Canadian police officers meditate before hitting the streets to bring peace and justice to the people.

“Considerable research suggests that regular meditation, or practicing the ‘relaxation response’ for 10 to 20 minutes a day, can reverse many of the ill effects of stress. 'It's reasonable to assume that meditation may increase serotonin, a calming neurotransmitter, in the brain.”

A look at the science behind meditation Judy Foreman, Boston Globe Staff, April 22, 2003

Effective Strategies to Intervene and Reduce Police Officer Impairment

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If you are depressed, you are living in the past;

If you are anxious, you are living in the future;

If you are at peace, you are living in the present (Lao Tzu)

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• Police Crisis intervention is narrowly defined as that situation when police officers are called to intervene in the lives of people who are experiencing an emotional or physical crisis.

• (Louie 2011)

• Tactical communication is an inventory of specific words, phrases, and non-verbal and verbal communication techniques utilized to calm and control people who are experiencing some form of personal crisis. (Ron Louie, Tactical Communication in Crisis Incident: Interpersonal Crisis Intervention Skills When Dealing With People in Stressful Situations, Portland State University Odin Ink, Portland, Oregon, 2011)

✓ Which training models shows the most promise in preparing police officers for the uncertainties of a crisis intervention call?

[Tactical Communication skills designed to de-escalate Crisis Intervention incidents]

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1

Intervene

Quickly

2

Stabilize the scene

3

Mediate (if applicable)

4

Facilitate Problem Solving

5

Assist by helping others to accept help

Goals ofCrisis

Intervention

Which Training Models Shows the Most Promise on Preparing Police

Officers for the Uncertainties of the Crisis Intervention Call

Defusing Skills

Communication Skills

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Most police training focuses on tactics and weapons…with far less training time devoted to interpersonal communication skill building…although most of a police officer’s time involves verbal communication. (Photo by Cmdr. J. Wilson)

Which Training Models Shows the Most Promise on Preparing Police

Officers for the Uncertainties of the Crisis Intervention Call

Post-Traumatic Stress Injury

Although the official medical term is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), within the police psychological community we prefer to use the term post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI). As retired General Peter Chiarelli stated, “many service men and women hate the term ‘disorder’ and suffer in silence rather than endure the label.” The same is true in the law enforcement community because labeling something as a “disorder” can suggest something negative about a person’s character or something that can’t be changed. Calling it an “injury” clarifies that the person has unfortunately experienced something horrifying or traumatic, but can recover from it. Breaking the stigma about seeking mental health treatment is our goal as mental health professionals. (Dr. Marla Friedman, Jan. 4, 2018, Public Safety)

✓ Why is Post Traumatic Stress Injury, as a term, more acceptable to the police and military culture? [“Disorder” is more of a label and “injury” clarifies that the person has experienced something horrifying or traumatic…and can recover from

it.]

PTSI is not about what’s wrong with you…it’s about what has

happened to you…

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The culture of police work often goes against improving stress-related health problems. "The police culture doesn't look favorably on people who have problems.” "Not only are you supposed to be superhuman if you're an officer, but you fear asking for help." Officers who reveal that they suffer from a chronic disease or health deficiency may lose financial status, professional reputation, or both, he explains.

The solution needs to start at the academy level, with training that helps new officers understand signs of stress and how to get them treated. Education is also necessary for police leadership and management to accept officers

who ask for help for their health issues. (John Violanti in Force Science News, Sept. 19, 2012)

and finally…

Additional Resource Information

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“The stuff you run into can emotionally

bury you unless you take care of yourself” (Dr. Bill Lewinski in Force Science News #101, 2008)

Funeral for police

officer who killed

himself (Baltimore Sun,

Feb. 12, 2009)

But many more are committing what the legendary psychiatrist Karl Menninger called “suicide by inches.” This refers to more gradual behaviors of self-destruction, like:

•excessive spending in an effort to buy happiness,•excessive drinking •compulsive adultery as means of escape•addictively overworking at the cost of relationships with spouse and kids.”

Suicide by Inches: Law Enforcement Officers Committing Suicide

(page 85)

A recent study revealed that New York City officers kill themselves at a rate of 29 per 100,000 a year. The

rate of suicide in the general population is 12 per

100,000.

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Spotting the potential signs of officer suicide; Know what to do and where to turn if you do identify an officer who’s walking a fine mental health line Doug Wyllie, PoliceOne Editor in Chief Aug 17, 2010

Sometimes the greatest battle officers find themselves facing is the one you can’t always see being fought. It’s a battle in the

mind and it can be deadly. With increasing job stress combining with escalating stresses in many officers’ personal lives, staying alert for signs of an “internal threat” to your fellow officers can be just as critical as watching for threats coming from the outside. Here are a few things you can do:

1.) Educate yourself on the signs and symptoms of depression. There are many and they can easily be located on the Internet. Just a few of the things to watch for:

• An officer who suddenly begins taking unnecessary risks on and off duty.

• A shift in attitude and demeanor, like a change from motivated and professional behavior to apathetic and flippant.

• Statements of hopelessness like, “None of this really matters anyway. I don’t even know why we try out here. We can’t really do anything anyway. This is a losing battle and I’m tired of it.”

• Loss of interest in recreational things the officer used to like to do previously.

• The sudden use of “terminal”-type comments like, “Hey, you’ll take care of my family if something happens to me and I’m not here anymore, right?” or “Listen, if I end up dead I want you to make sure you tell so and so such and such,” etc.

• Noticeable physical changes: weight loss, lack of usual hygiene, an exhausted appearance, etc.

• Increased drinking or signs of drug use. …

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Where to go from here

Mindfulness is not a silver bullet for solving all problems facing American police, particularly when it comes to strained relations with the communities the officers are supposed to serve. Goerling believes that police can learn from social scientists and others about what is most effective for making the changes police need to make, and that they need to be open to that input. “If you look at a lot of what’s coming into policing now, a lot of that’s coming from incestuous, group thinking,” he says. “We have to link arms with others in the community to lead ourselves out of this crisis. Until we do that, we’re going to keep getting the same results.”

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Officers from Ontario’s Peel Regional Police attended a temple last week for a lecture on mindfulness meditation and Buddhist philosophy.

Meditation is a means of transforming the mind. Buddhist meditation practices are techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature of things. By engaging with a particular meditation practice you learn the patterns and habits of your mind, and the practice offers a means to cultivate new, more positive ways of being. With regular work and patience these nourishing, focused states of mind can deepen into profoundly peaceful and energised states of mind. Such experiences can have a transformative effect and can lead to a new understanding of life.

“They were very nice and they liked it and they think it should be part of their daily practice,” Saranapala told The Huffington Post Canada (End)

“… people who are stressed, anxious or depressed, the right frontal cortex of the brain is overactive and the left frontal cortex underactive. Such people sometimes show heightened activation of the amygdala, a key center in the brain for processing fear. By contrast, people who are habitually calm and happy typically show greater activity in the left frontal cortex relative to the right, according to the theory. These lucky folks pump out less of the stress hormone cortisol, recover faster from negative events and have higher levels of certain immune cells” A look at the science behind meditation Judy Foreman, Boston Globe Staff, April 22, 2003

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Since most police agencies train more for technical skills – such as firearms, driving and equipment proficiency – little or no attention was - and continues to be – paid to building either verbal or non verbal tactical

communication skills.

“The irony is that many major police agencies either provide officers with no communications skills training or the time allocated is inadequate or the method of training proves to be ineffective. Surveys of agencies and academies indicate that typically less than 5% of the available instructional time is spent on communication training, despite the fact that officers will need to display communication competence during 95% of their active duties” (Butler 2007).

Police Need to be Trained for Interpersonal Communication Skills!