NCJ Number
216386
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 524-540
Date Published
2006
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Eleven Swedish police officers were surveyed 3 times over a period of 9 years in order to assess their reactions to and memories of their investigation of a mass shooting that killed 7 civilians.
Abstract
Ten months after the killings, the officers reported vivid memories of events. Visual and auditory memories remained strong even 5 years after the incident. The officers had not been offered professional help in dealing with their reactions to the mass shooting incident, and support from superiors was limited. The authors suggest that if the officers had participated in an organized debriefing on the event and had received social support from superiors, they might have more easily and quickly integrated the trauma memories into their cognitive and emotional state. There were only small differences between the 10-month and 5-year ratings of these visual, auditory, and emotional sensations. Officers rated their psychological stress as very high and reported various stress symptoms associated with the event. After 9 years, memories of the event had changed from sensory and emotional memories to a more integrated experience. Eleven police officers completed the questionnaire the first time it was distributed. Of these, 10 were on patrol duty and participated in the hunt for the killer in the hours immediately after the shooting; 1 participated in the manhunt as a frontline supervisor. All patrol officers saw the dead bodies either up close or from a distance. One of the officers shot the killer. Nine of the respondents were men and two were women. The initial questionnaire was distributed in April 1995, and the same questionnaire was again distributed in May 1999 and in May 2003. 4 tables and 57 references