Peer Support and the NYPD

Police departments, large and small, are instituting peer support programs to help their officers deal with stress and emotional difficulties. In November, 1995, such a program was initiated by William Genet, the City-Wide Trustee of the NYC Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA), and the director of the Members Assistance Program (MAP), to train fifty peer support officers per year within the NYPD. With two hundred fifty officers already trained, the program has now begun its sixth year of training NYPD officers as peer supporters.

The twenty-one suicides in the NYPD during 1994 and 1995 provided a major impetus to the development of this program. The suicides made it very clear that there was a severe problem; officers were not reaching out for the help that they needed. This resulted in their problems growing to crisis proportions. The psychological services provided by the department were not being utilized by officers because of the fear of being stigmatized and disciplined, and having career goals disrupted or destroyed.

In 1995, the number of suicides in the NYPD caught the attention of the City Council of New York. The Council saw the need for an independent peer support program to help officers cope with job stress and other factors contributing to suicide. Hearings revealed that officers wanted an independent, voluntary, and confidential support program where they could talk openly to fellow officers about their problems.

The PBA also realized that more had to be done for officers and their families, that a new option had to be created by the union, with the department's support. It had to be a program that officers could trust, one that provided real help as well as confidentiality. This new option to combat personal problems is a pioneering effort to provide officers with a peer support program, with officers helping brother and sister officers. Peer supporters serve as a first line of defense and a bridge to outside professional help when necessary.

The New York City Council provided funding to begin the program in 1995, and has continuously funded the program in through June 2001! The Peer Support Training Institute of Manhattan Counseling and Psychotherapy Associates, LLC (PSTI) provides the training, helping the trainees develop the knowledge, skills, and techniques necessary to be effective helpers. The MCPA training staff are credentialed mental health practitioners who have experience working with police officers and their families. The training follows the 1993 Peer Support Guidelines issued by the Police Psychological Section of the International Association of the Chiefs of Police.

Police officers are more willing to trust and confide in a fellow officer. They will use a peer support officer as a sounding board to ventilate and explore problems if they feel safe and trust they are not being judged. To be helped, it is vital for officers to know and believe that what they say will be kept confidential. A peer support team can reduce the daily stress of police work and the emotional impact of critical incidents, as well as prevent the build-up of anger, frustration, and despair that often leads to alcohol abuse and suicide.

One of the primary objectives of the program is to change the culture within the department so that voluntarily seeking help in addressing a personal problem is seen as a sign of strength rather than weakness. Another goal is to encourage fellow officers to obtain help at the earliest stage before problems become insurmountable and jeopardize their professional career; and to eliminate future suicides.

Although this training model is being utilized to train a peer support team for one of the largest police departments, it is applicable and adaptable to departments of any size, including even small suburban forces. A smaller group of peer support officers can be trained in a similar manner to the NYPD groups, imparting the same skills and information.