THE PSYCHOLOGY OF USE OF FORCE/CRITICAL INCIDENTS:
BEFORE AND AFTER
Preparing to Win, Emotionally Surviving the Aftermath, Investigations
ALEXIS ARTWOHL, PH.D.
www.alexisartwohl.com
alexisartwohl@msn.com
520-834-7468
Class Outline
(Two Day Class)
During this two day class Dr. Artwohl will present a detailed analysis of the psychology of high threat and combat situations and the implications for physical, legal, and psychological survival. This class is appropriate for anyone concerned about police use of force including police managers and supervisors, officers, trainers, other government officials, attorneys, and mental health professionals.
She will review survival research from the areas of psychology, sociology, law enforcement, investigations, and her experience talking with hundreds of officers involved in critical incidents and use of force situations. This will include her research on “Perceptual and Memory Distortions in Officer Involved Shootings” published in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin in October 2002, and her article “No Recall of Weapons Discharge” published in the Law Enforcement Executive Forum in May, 2003.
In addition to reviewing the research, she has drawn together the experiences of officers, their family members, investigators, attorneys, union officials, and command staff, and will pass on to you their collective wisdom about what works well in preparing for, dealing with, and investigating these complex, high profile events. Besides helping officers, this will help supervisors and managers avoid mistakes that can lead to liability issues such as disability claims and lawsuits.
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Participants will be given the information they need to help them design and evaluate their own training programs that will enhance peak performance of officers during critical incidents and help ensure their physical, emotional, and legal survival.
Dr. Artwohl will discuss recommendations of how these incidents can best be handled by all concerned to help minimize the emotional impact on the community, officers, family members, and the agency. This will include a review of the IACP recommendations about how to help minimize psychological trauma to officers and family members in the aftermath of officer involved shootings.
She will review the research on critical incident debriefings and discuss the types of debriefings that may help officers and agencies emotionally survive the aftermath.
Dr. Artwohl will provide suggestions for investigators on how to take into account the psychology of human performance to help ensure the accuracy and thoroughness of the investigation and thus maximally benefit the agency, officer, and the community.
Class Outline
The Responsibility Triad
Qualities of the Successful Professional Warrior
The Survival Triangle
FBI Wound Ballistic Studies – The Psychology of Combat
The Psychobiology of Fear
Stress Inoculation Training
State Dependent Learning
Research on Perceptual and Memory Distortions during Officer Involved Shootings – Multiple Studies
Epstein’s Research on Thinking Processes during High Stress Events
The 4 R’s of Peak Performance Training – Designing and Evaluating a Training Program
Preparing to Win High Threat Situations
The Aftermath of Officer Involved Shootings and Critical Incidents – Multiple Studies
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
IACP Administrative Guidelines for the Aftermath of Officer Involved Shootings
Re-entry Program for Returning Officers to Duty
Post-incident Debriefings – Research and Recommendations
Suggestions for Supporting Fellow Officers after a Critical Incident
Suggestions for Investigators: The Impact of the Psychology of Human Performance on Investigating Officer Involved Shootings
Dr. Artwohl is co-author of DEADLY FORCE ENCOUNTERS, written with Loren Christensen
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