NCJ Number
216973
Editor(s)
Kathleen P. Decker M.D.
Date Published
2006
Length
282 pages
Annotation
This book discusses why and how to conduct fitness-for-duty (FFD) evaluations of law enforcement personnel.
Abstract
Chapter One explains the process of administering fitness-for-duty (FFD) evaluations and presents reasons why performing these evaluations is important. Chapter Two identifies stressors experienced by law enforcement officers and their responses to them. Chapter Three addresses the common causes of officers becoming unfit with attention to related psychiatric diagnoses. Chapter Four discusses psychological tests for fitness, including their use in pre-employment psychological evaluations and in FFD evaluations. Chapter Five addresses medication issues in FFD evaluations and explores the potential impact medications may have on officers' fitness with a focus on why certain medications are inadvisable for use with law enforcement officers even though they might be acceptable for individuals in other occupations. Chapter Six addresses police officers' expectations of mental health professionals. Chapter Seven focuses on gender and ethnic issues in FFD evaluations, as well as in the hiring process and as a potential cause of officer stress. Chapter Eight covers stressors induced when a fellow officer is killed in the line of duty and issues related to coping with these events. Chapter Nine addresses police officer suicide and presents scenarios that illustrate concepts involved in determining an officers level risk and demonstrate possible outcomes when officers deemed suicidal or high risk are approached and their response to treatment. Chapter Ten addresses the management of officers deemed unfit for duty and explores some of the issues involved when an officer is not mentally ill but has been deemed unsuitable for his/her current position. Chapter Eleven outlines a number of legal considerations and constraints associated with conducting FFD evaluations. Chapter Twelve consists of an editor’s summary of the text presenting the overall perspective on the reasons for performing FFD evaluations, the process of the evaluation, and details some of the problems encountered in officer referrals for FFD evaluations. Chapter references, appended sample notes, reports, and demographics of Washington State studies, and author and subject indexes