Line-of-Duty Deaths: Survivor Responses and Departmental Policies Study II: 1997

• NCJ Number: 181796
• Author(s): John M. Violanti Ph.D.
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 4 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-MU-MU-0002
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/NCJRS; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Research in Brief

Annotation

This 1997 police spouse survivor study was sponsored by Concerns of Police Survivors, a non-profit organization offering support to spouses, parents, children, siblings, and other family members affected by police line-of-duty deaths.

Abstract

Data for the study came from surviving police spouses, police departments that had lost a police officer during the past 10 years, and a control group of spouses of police officers who had not died. The sample of police spouse survivors and police departments was drawn from the U.S. Department of Justice Public Safety Officer Benefits data base. The study surveyed 256 surviving police spouses to measure grief, coping strategies, self-esteem, and physical health. An additional 63 police spouses made up the control group. Information on line-of-duty death policies was collected from 298 police departments. Results showed that survivors experienced heightened symptoms of psychological distress after the death of a police officer; 32 percent met criteria for having post-trauma stress disorder. Most police departments responded informally to survivors of line-of-duty deaths rather than according to formal policies. Only 39 percent of police departments reported any type of general orders in place for handling line-of-duty deaths. About 80 percent of police departments handled death notification; more than half sent more than one police officer to the survivor's residence and 77 percent sent the police chief or a high ranking official. Almost 75 percent of police departments assigned a family liaison officer following a police officer's death, but only 39 percent reported policies to maintain contact with survivors after the funeral. More than 90 percent of police departments said the death of a police officer had an emotional impact on other police officers and resulted in trauma among those close to the scene. For the most part, survivors reported satisfaction with death notification but were less satisfied with support after the death. Recommendations are offered on the development of appropriate policies and support mechanisms to help police spouse survivors of line-of-duty deaths. 3 notes and 2 tables