Training Police As Specialists In Family Crisis Intervention

This training was intended to demonstrate innovative methods of crime prevention and preventive mental health. Processing family disturbances constitutes a major aspect of police work. Traditional police approaches to the problem do not reflect the realities of this police experience. There is evidence that a significant proportion of injuries and fatalities suffered by police occur in the highly volatile family conflict situation. The present project attempted to modify family assaults and family homicides and to reduce personal danger to police officers in such situations. The project attempted the development of a new preventive mental health strategy. Assuming that family conflict may be an early sign of emotional disorder in one or all of the participants, the project attempted to utilize policemen as front-line casefinders in keeping with theories of primary prevention. It was proposed that selected policemen could be provided with interpersonal skills necessary to effect constructive outcomes in deteriorating situations which require police intervention. Rejection of an exclusively specialized role for the police officers involved was a major emphasis. The program avoided the conversion of policemen into social workers or psychotherapists. The officers were expected to perform all generalized police patrol functions but were the individuals dispatched on all family disputes in a given geographical area. In addition to continuous group experience, each family specialist was assigned an individual consultant for at least one hour weekly consultation. The individual consultants were advanced clinical psychology students who acquired in this way an unusual community consultation experience. The reciprocal effect of these encounters on the students and upon the policemen is self-evident.

This training was intended to demonstrate innovative methods of crime prevention and preventive mental health. Processing family disturbances constitutes a major aspect of police work. Traditional police approaches to the problem do not reflect the realities of this police experience. There is evidence that a significant proportion of injuries and fatalities suffered by police occur in the highly volatile family conflict situation. The present project attempted to modify family assaults and family homicides and to reduce personal danger to police officers in such situations. The project attempted the development of a new preventive mental health strategy. Assuming that family conflict may be an early sign of emotional disorder in one or all of the participants, the project attempted to utilize policemen as front-line casefinders in keeping with theories of primary prevention. It was proposed that selected policemen could be provided with interpersonal skills necessary to effect constructive outcomes in deteriorating situations which require police intervention. Rejection of an exclusively specialized role for the police officers involved was a major emphasis. The program avoided the conversion of policemen into social workers or psychotherapists. The officers were expected to perform all generalized police patrol functions but were the individuals dispatched on all family disputes in a given geographical area. In addition to continuous group experience, each family specialist was assigned an individual consultant for at least one hour weekly consultation. The individual consultants were advanced clinical psychology students who acquired in this way an unusual community consultation experience. The reciprocal effect of these encounters on the students and upon the policemen is self-evident.

This monograph explains the concept that underlies police family-crisis intervention training and discusses some guidelines and problems in organizing such a program. In order to explain the importance of the term "family crisis intervention" as originally defined, the author discusses two areas of human behavior that relate to this police function: interpersonal conflict management and crisis intervention theory and practice. The second major section of the monograph focuses on organizational and operational considerations in introducing family-crisis intervention training in a police agency. Given that organizational change inevitably stimulates ambivalence in the personnel affected by the change, police managers must respect and address this ambivalence if the change is to be achieved effectively. The change must also have clearly defined incentives and rewards. Means must be found to reward the high degree of competence required in police family crisis intervention. Three models for police family crisis intervention are profiled, followed by descriptions of three training models: intensive training, field training, and combined intensive and field training, which holds the greatest promise if properly conceived and implemented. In discussing police agency relationships with other agencies, the monograph advises that an effective strategy of family crisis intervention requires the establishment of working relationships between the police and other agencies of the helping system.