Mission Critical
Cop 2 Cop’ s critical and traumatic incident response expertise is giving NJ State PBA members another reason to call
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
So what happens after the call?
In the April issue of NJ Cops Magazine, the NJ State PBA’ s Clinical Services Team, Peer Assistance Response Team( PART) and Cherie Castellano of Cop 2 Cop reinforced the ways and means for law enforcement officers to make the call for help if they were suffering from a range of issues that could lead to drug and alcohol abuse. And worse. Their words were part of the ongoing effort to explain how“ Tough Cops Ask For Help.”
But worse happened again in April with another officer taking his own life. And in addition to spreading more of Cop 2 Cop’ s certified Question-Persuade-Response( QPR) training – which Castellano and the PBA did on April 27 with its biggest session ever – the need for officers and their Locals to reach out following a traumatic or critical incident has moved to the top of the PBA’ s priority list for members’ health and wellness.
And with good reason. Cop 2 Cop reports receiving 300-plus calls in 2015 from Locals or their agencies requesting 52 debriefings following a traumatic or critical incident. That’ s one per week. Additional data indicates it might be double that amount in 2016. Cop 2 Cop has become one of the foremost entities in the nation providing such services in the 24-to-48-to-72 hours following such incidents.
So in the wake of last month’ s report and yet another law enforcement suicide in New Jersey, the PBA and Cop 2 Cop are urging“ Tougher Cops to Make the Tougher Call.”
“ What do we do immediately after an individual on scene has been exposes to a horrific incident or a department has had a traumatic incident?” begins Castellano, a Certified Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress and Program Director for Cop 2 Cop, the first legislated law enforcement crisis hotline in the U. S.
“ Critical Incident Stress Management is a system of a variety of responses based on the criteria of the event and what should be
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NEW JERSEY COPS n MAY 2016
The Cop 2 Cop PEER Support includes from left, retired Union County Prosecutor’ s Office Detective Lieutenant Roy Diaz, retired Newark Detective Fred Mitchell, retired Newark Detective Joseph Orgo, who is a licensed social worker, and Program Director Cherie Castellano.
offered, not necessarily to treat but in terms of psychological firstaid, assessing and directing,” Castellano continues.“ It’ s what you do in the first hour, the first 24 hours, 48 and 72 hours to mitigate the PTSD and some of the symptomology. If we can provide this type of psychological intervention over 25 years, instead of officers sucking it up and going back to work every time and instead of self-medicating to forget all that goes on, they can get the help to maintain and sustain a successful level of wellness.”
Critical Assessment
During a 25-year career, it’ s probable that every officer will be exposed to more than one critical incident, which might include threat of injury or death to yourself, death or injury of a fellow officer, a mass casualty incident, significant events involving children, a shooting incident or officer suicide.
Common signs and symptoms of stress and distress resulting from such incidents would include difficulty sleeping, nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, increased alcohol intake, social withdrawal, decreased personal hygiene, prolonged silences and a change in appetite. Some emotional symptoms might be fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, depressiveness, grief, feeling overwhelmed and agitation; and physical symptoms might be