Peer Support in Law Enforcement
Abstract
Peer support programs have been around U.S. police departments for many years, but little research has been conducted as to whether these programs are effective. To this end, the present research aims to establish whether peer support works in the sense of enhancing recruitment, retention, and overall officer well-being within the field of law enforcement. This project gathered information in the form of a survey from medium-sized municipal police agencies in the western United States, as well as in-person interviews. The overwhelming consensus is the need to "normalize" seeking mental health help within police organizations amid any officer's personal stress, organizational stress, and cumulative stress. Additionally, peer support programs provide a level of assistance that may allow agencies to retain officers, especially women, who value such programs more highly, according to the results. Ultimately, this project finds that officers cannot help others if they do not first have help themselves; peer support programs are a way to provide the help officers need for success at work and at home.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1127074
Entities
People
- Cathy J. Scherer
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School