NCJ Number
188993
Journal
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2000 Pages: 1-7
Date Published
2000
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This paper provides a framework for viewing both new and old roles for the police psychologist and argues for an expanded and better defined role within the policing profession.
Abstract
The past two decades have seen major transformations in the way police departments conduct business. These transformations have impacted all aspects of policing, from evidence collection to how officers perform their duties while on patrol. One aspect of policing that is still in the throes of transformation is the role of the police psychologist. Police psychologists have moved from the primary task of counseling police officers involved in critical incidents to a broad range of law enforcement-related activities. The traditional aspects of their jobs -- such as providing assistance to crisis negotiation teams, conducting counseling sessions for officers, and developing and presenting in-service and cadet training -- are part of an ever-changing picture of the police psychologist. Today's police psychologists operate at all levels of police department functions. Some of the newer roles to emerge in recent years are organizational and management consulting, counseling crime victims, and coordinating community involvement. Another operational support role that has begun to appear in many large police departments is criminal activity assessment. In this role, the police psychologist works with criminal investigation units to identify, understand, and help explain crime patterns. 2 tables and 8 references