Police Psychology: A New Specialty and New Challenges for Men and Women in Blue

by David J. Thomas

Overview

Go behind the scenes of police work with this unique book that opens the door to the psychological side of policing.

Police Psychology: A New Specialty and New Challenges for Men and Women in Blue offers readers the opportunity to examine two different aspects of police psychology: psychology as it pertains to the personality of police officers and the application of psychology in police practices. The book takes readers inside the lives of real officers struggling with the daily quest to remain mentally healthy in the face of often-gruesome crime scenes. The actual experience of police work is illustrated through case studies and vignettes, and the text offers a template of best practices for those who practice police psychology.



Other insights in this book reveal the practical side of policing, examining the use of psychology in hostage negotiation, interview and interrogation, threat assessment, and criminal profiling. Readers go behind the scenes to watch as police apply psychological principles in actual cases, and then are given the opportunity to match wits with a simulated foe themselves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313387289
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/03/2011
Series:	Forensic Psychology
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

David J. Thomas, PhD, a retired police officer, is associate professor of criminal forensics in the criminal behavior analysis program at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Table of Contents

1 The History and Application of Police Psychology 1

A Brief History of Police Psychology 1

Defining Police Psychology 3

2 The Police Personality 7

Why Would Anyone Want to Be a Police Officer? 8

The Socialization Process 9

The Field‐Training Officer (FTO) Program 11

A Brief History of Bias in Policing 13

Camaraderie of the Badge 14

The Police Personality 18

The Impact of Generational Differences 19

3 Police Trauma, Critical Incidents, and Stressors 27

Psychological Trauma and Critical Incidents 27

Case Studies 30

Sense of Powerlessness 42

4 Critical Incident Stress Management/Psychological Services 45

The Police Personality 45

Psychotraumatology 46

Police Suicide 50

Critical Incident Stress Management 51

The Role of EAPs in Policing 53

The Role of Police Psychology 54

Agency Responsibility 56

Agency Best Practices 57

5 Hostage Negotiation 61

A Brief History of Hostage Negotiations 61

Team Member Selection and Structure 63

Team Diversity 64

Negotiator Skill Sets 65

The Importance of Training 69

The Psychology of Hostage Negotiation 72

The Psychology of Hostage Takers 74

6 Interview and Interrogation 81

Interview versus Interrogation 81

The Miranda Decision 82

The Investigative Interview 84

The Psychology of Interviewing 87

False Confessions 91

Eyewitness Testimony 92

7 The Psychology of Threat Assessment 97

Targeted Violence 98

Motivations 98

Terrorism 99

Stalking 105

School Shootings 110

Threat Assessment 114

8 The Psychology of Profiling 125

What Is Criminal Profiling? 125

Understanding the Criminal Mind 126

Motivations 131

Case Studies 132

Crime Scene Behavior 138

Constructing a Profile 145

9 Conclusion 155

A New Specialty: Defining Services 155

The Application of Psychology to Policing 156

The Future 157

Appendix A Triple Homicide Interview 159

Appendix B Criminal Profile of the Mack 163

Index 169

About the Author 173

Editorial Reviews

The information should also be useful to sources in law enforcement training, academics, and agency administration.” —PsycCRITIQUES

From the Publisher