Critical Incident Stress Response

By
Dr. Gary Kaufmann, Psy. D.
Dr. Richard G. Smith, Ed. D.
Of the Michigan Department of State Police Office of Behavioral Science

What is a Critical Incident?

A critical incident is an event in people's lives that temporarily overloads their emotional capacity to deal with it. In daily life, a critical incident can be a family death or being a crime victim. Law enforcement examples of critical incidents may be shootings, near death experiences, policing fatal traffic crashes, or other situations involving significant human suffering. In critical incidents, it is common for the officers to perform admirably, despite being confronted with terribly difficult situations. Many times troopers report operating on "auto pilot," with their training taking over and carrying them through these brief but stressful events.

One common thread that runs through critical incidents is that, after the event, responders feel emotionally drained. These incidents give officers pause and, at minimum, are sobering experiences. In other cases, psychological and physical aftereffects may continue for days, weeks, and even longer. Critical incidents do not impact all officers the same way. An observed suicide may be a critical incident to a rookie but may minimally affect a veteran. At other times, small factors that influence an event may change a routine situation into a critical incident. We all know, however, that situations are not just categorized in our minds as either routine or critical. We react with a range of thoughts, feelings, and physical reactions, depending upon our interpretations of situations. What is important is that there is no good or bad, right or wrong, strong or weak reaction to an incident. There is only how each individual feels during and after the situation.

Critical Incident Effects Are Normal Responses To Abnormal Incidents

Most police officers are likely to have a strong emotional response to the serious injury or death of a child. Sometimes mental images of aspects of the scene may be replayed in the minds of officers. Sleep may be affected, and work interest may suffer. Appetite can be altered, and exaggerated feelings about the welfare of the officer's own children may occur. Officers may be more easily annoyed or angered whenever the topic is discussed by friends, family, and especially the media.

It is inevitable that troopers will be exposed to a number of critical incidents over the course of their careers. That is a fact of the work. Fortunately for most officers, the process of talking with co-workers, family, and other good listeners assists in neutralizing the aftereffects of incidents. While every officer has their own way of dealing with these situations, we know that internalizing the feeling and other incident-related issues can either have detrimental results or make it more difficult to get by the incident.

Taking Care of Troopers Following a Critical Incident

Much has been learned in recent years about the ways to help police officers after they have experienced a critical incident. Some of these ways are described in the book that you were given on Family Orientation Sunday, I Love A Cop.

Within the Department of State Police, the Office of Behavioral Science is available and responds to the critical incident needs of troopers. A "Debriefing Team," involving one of the Department's police psychologists and a peer support trooper, will respond, statewide, to any incident at any time.

There are two primary critical incident responses that the Office of Behavioral Science provides: the first, a Defusing, is when the Team goes to the scene of the incident, shortly after it happens, with the goal of providing mental health information to those most affected. Typically, the Team makes personal contact with the troopers to assist and guide them in making sure that their needs are met at that time. These contacts are informal, brief, and usually end with the Team providing the officer with information about what they might experience over the next few days. For some events, this response may be all that is necessary for the officers. Sometimes a telephone call to the involved officers may be all that is necessary. What is necessary is ultimately decided by the trooper and the trooper's family.

The second response provided by the Team is a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. This meeting, which is usually held three to five days after the event, brings together, privately, all responders in one room. The program is an organized series of topics designed to have each person put words to their thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the situation. It is further an opportunity to receive information regarding the broad range of normal responses to critical incidents and for officers to gauge their reactions with their co-workers. The meeting also allows an opportunity to talk to peers who have been exposed to similar situations and who can provide some additional information about how the officer may feel in the time ahead.

Spouses are often encouraged to join couples' groups or individual debriefings. Spouses and family members are also encouraged to consult with the Office of Behavioral Science to guide them in dealing with a critical incident. A trooper's critical incident is a family matter.

In addition to the Defusings and Debriefings, the Office of Behavioral Science provides more traditional counseling services. There have been numerous instances where officers have chosen this additional service to totally reconcile their particular event. With this spectrum of services, we feel that we can address practically any problems that arise out of working as a trooper for the Department of State Police. In the event that family members experience a critical incident, the same range of services are also available to them.