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the 30 years that Chief Raymond Crawford has been
a member of the Nassau County Police Department,
his experiences have been diverse and abundant.
As the four star Chief of Operations and leader
of a 4000 member police department, his contributions
are significant. Chief Crawford has been active
in the development of policy involving domestic
violence and was recently appointed to the Commission
on Domestic Violence Fatalities by New York State
Governor George Pataki. He has overseen the rescue
effort of many tragic events including the Avianca
plane crash. Chief Crawford serves as an adjunct
professor at Long Island University (C.W. Post)
in the Criminal Justice Department. His sincerity
and genuine commitment to the police department,
and society in general, were most evident.
JSV: I know that you work closely
with Police Commissioner Kane and County Executive
Gulotta. Could you tell me about your role as Chief
of Operations with the Nassau County Police Department?
RLC: To do that, first, let me
give you a sense of the structure of the police
department. The department is divided into three
divisions - the Patrol, Detective and Support divisions.
The Patrol division includes the precincts, uniformed
police officers on patrol, special units such as
the mounted horse patrols, bicycle patrols, helicopters,
boats, motorcycles, highway patrol and traffic enforcement.
The Detective division, which essentially handles
investigation of crimes after the fact. Finally,
there is the Support division which houses the units
that carry on necessary functions which keeps the
organization running. This includes training and
the police academy, the Communications Bureau, 24-hour
ambulance service for the county, data processing
and computer experts, and building maintenance.
Each of those divisions is headed by a chief. I
oversee day-to-day operations and work with those
chiefs as well as consult with them on various problems
and issues (e.g., policy-level issues). My role
is to act as a bridge between the divisions and
the chiefs who are heading those divisions and the
commissioner. I am also involved with some special
projects that are broader-based issues such as domestic
violence. Quite a few years ago, I was appointed
as the coordinator for the department in the area
of domestic violence and policy development, and
coordinate our interaction with other agencies such
as the County Executive's Task Force for Domestic
Violence. Also, overseen by the Operations Department
is the Planning Bureau. This bureau is involved
in planning and research. They handle our grant
applications as well. Currently, we are enjoying
great success in getting funding for a number of
programs such as in hiring of new officers and in
developing partnerships with the community. Recently,
I was appointed to a committee (by State Governor
George Pataki) to work on policies involving domestic
violence so that counties can do more to serve the
victims and the issue.
JSV: There is research suggesting
that work-related trauma is a major contributor
to police stress. Could you comment on some of the
possible factors that you see as having an impact
on a police officer's overall level of emotional
well-being?
RLC: I have always looked at stress
in two ways - the day-to-day, life stressors that
are experienced regularly by most people and the
other being a critical incident or maybe a traumatic
stressor that is typically more intense and perhaps,
localized. (In addition to these types of stressors)
I think that police experience stress that may not
be solely related to the type of work that they
do in this sense. Obviously, there is some risk
attached to police work but, in reality, the risk
is not so high that policing is the most dangerous
occupation. But still, it has that image of heightened
risk, maybe because when police officers get injured,
it is usually in a combat situation. One form of
stress that I am particularly interested involves
the management of authority. Police officers, by
law, have a lot of authority (e.g., to make an arrest,
etc). The police in our society are one of the few
occupations who are empowered to take freedom from
individuals based on some standards being met. They
are visible authority figures in the community.
They are given great power but asked to modulate
or control the use of that power carefully. They
may not only have to make an arrest, but also have
to use deadly physical force legitimized by law.
This I think is a burden, not only one that the
police officer takes seriously but also, most police
departments have policies and guidelines that require
a police officer to carefully assess a situation
before that power is used - either the arrest power
or the use of force power. The stress may come from
having to be an authority figure and also be restrained
at the same time. At given moments, you have to
be the strong, dominant authority figure and control
a situation by voice or physical control. At other
times, you have to be the caring, compassionate
public servant having to restrain your own personal
emotions which may become tested to a great degree.
Stress may also come from the amount of information
that the officer has to know (regarding the law),
the types of human judgments that have to be made
(e.g., who was at fault in the automobile accident?),
and from dealings with a bureaucratic organization.
Regarding this later point, the police department
has a hierarchy including ranks of authority and
sometimes that could contribute to interpersonal
stress. Finally, we have to consider the work schedule.
The police department functions 24-hours a day,
7-days a week which requires the assignment of people
to work day and night. Not only is the biological
clock affected by this, but it also rotates frequently.
From studies that we have looked at, this seems
to have an impact on people.
With regard to traumatic stress,
officers respond as part of their work to a broad
spectrum of events. Some are pleasant experiences
such as delivering babies (especially, after the
fact). But as you know, police officers are more
likely involved in situations where somebody is
suffering a tragedy. This could involve a death
in the street such as an auto accident or homicide.
The situation could also involve notifying the family
that their son, daughter or father has died some
place and the family is first being told of this
news by the police. That happens on a daily basis
where a police officer is assigned to do that kind
of thing. We have to consider auto accidents, maybe
involving multiple deaths - accidental but yet innocent
victims dying, dead or severely injured. The officers
experience that as human beings even though we try
to prepare them for it as professionals. And then
we get to the higher level of critical incident
such as the Avianca plane crash or the TWA crash
where, not only is there a major event, but the
incident itself is so big that it creates stress
because of its size and scope, and because of the
potential for chaos and mismanagement. Of course,
then there is the reason that we are responding.
There are people who are killed, injured, and/or
in the midst of dying or in great pain and in need
of great and quick care. The officers could spend
hours or days at some incidents. My experience is
that it has a human impact. I experienced it myself
at Avianca even though I am aware of it and we try
to make all of our people aware of the possibilities
of the impact of these incidents on their lives.
Sleep difficulties months after the incident were
experienced by many people in the department, as
well as by myself, from having been there.
JSV: Oftentimes, exposure to
tragic and, at times, overwhelming events, can challenge
the coping abilities of even the "strongest"
individuals we know. What have your observations
been regarding the manner in which police officers
and detectives respond to their repeated encounters
with critical incidents of death (e.g., from accidents,
suicide, etc.)?
RLC: My first instinct is to say
that they cope with them by closing them off. It
becomes as if it is "happening in another world."
This seems to be a prime coping mechanism as to
not allow yourself to get emotionally involved in
the incident. You might consciously be aware that
there are emotions involved in the transaction or
event, that is undeniable, but I think that officers
tend to isolate themselves by becoming so objective
that they may seem unemotional. I think that is
a first impression that I would draw from experience
of over 30 years. However, I think that this can
be an ineffective and unrealistic coping mechanism
over time. That facade of objectivity is only a
facade and people are really being affected.
JSV: After involvement in a
critical incident (e.g., near death experience),
what provisions are made for members of the department
to receive support?
RLC: Some of the mechanisms for
support include training in the risks and symptoms
of stress (in the aftermath of a tragic event),
and in-services that are repeated throughout the
officers' career. Also, for a number of years we
have used a peer support program. We activate the
peer support groups at the discretion of the commanding
officer, or even the individual police officer,
when there is an incident that has potential for
traumatic effects. For example, they may be utilized
after the occurrence of major auto accidents, a
police shooting incident, and certainly after major
disasters. Peer support involves other police officers
who have been involved with critical incidents (e.g.,
shootings) going out and communicating with and
making themselves available for advice and support.
As a part of the response package, they go to the
scene and conduct debriefings much like you had
with the TWA disaster. Additionally, because of
the apparent benefit of physical exercise in coping
with many types of stress, we have established a
physical fitness program in the police department.
We also have an employee assistance unit that will
provide officers with professional one-to-one counseling
if they find themselves dealing with not only incident-related
stress, but also substance abuse , marital difficulties,
etc. In special applications such as hostage negotiators,
SWAT team members, where potential exposure to critical
incidents is considerable, we give ongoing education
about the possibilities involved. There is also
a drug-testing program in the department aimed at
monitoring substance abuse; so far, the results
are very encouraging. I think that we are human
beings like all others. If the human experience
is that people break-down under stress and trauma,
and start to behave destructively to themselves
or others, then police officers are prone to these
behaviors as well. We are always looking for that
in the workplace performance and in other ways that
the officers may present it. We recognize that as
a potential problem.
JSV: How does a police officer
and/or detective receive psychological preparation
for the taking of human life in the process of protecting
themself, the public, and/or fellow officers? Some
have suggested that this is one of the most difficult
situations an officer may have to face.
RLC: One of my roles in addition
to what I have described is to head our Deadly Physical
Force Response Team. Whenever a police officer uses
his weapon against a person, a team of people go
out and, in addition to doing the criminal investigation,
look over the case to see if policy guidelines have
been complied with. Also, they will see if the weapons
involved are authorized and operated correctly.
Again, the peer support groups are utilized. There
does seem to be a real reaction by police officers
when called upon to use deadly physical force (i.e.,
shoot somebody). Even with justification, after
the fact, police officers may review their actions
and feel as if things may have been done differently.
All of the training that we give police officers,
ironically, is to help people. The main reason most
of our people are out there is to help people. When
you take that and contrast it with taking someone's
life, I think it goes against the instinct of most
of our people - even if it is justified. The reactions
to the police officers who get peer support have
been positive. Officers who have been involved in
these situations seem to appreciate this assistance
and I would, therefore, assume that they needed
this type of support.
JSV: There is growing evidence
that domestic violence is a highly probable cause
of traumatic stress and in more severe cases, posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). What do you think could
help the police who respond to such calls to identify
and perhaps, assist survivors of domestic violence?
RLC: I don't think that there is
one specific thing. I think it is important to consider
this simple word - awareness. I believe that society,
and the police as a part of society, are on a learning
curve about domestic violence. Within my career,
we have gone from a time where domestic violence
was seen as a private matter - literally. The police
role was to quiet it down so the neighbors wouldn't
be disturbed and to separate the combatants and
let them, through their own means and devices, work
out their problems. It has gone from that to a point
now where we are taking an aggressive approach with
arrests - but there is also some room for improvement
in where we put domestic violence on the priority
scale. Is it as serious as burglaries and robberies?
I think that some police professions would debate
that. I for one think it's as or more important
because it has a causative influence on stress for
the individuals directly involved in the domestic
dispute and the children in those households. Studies
have shown that these children are more likely to
have difficulties in school and be involved with
criminality in the future. Also, one other interesting
finding suggests that girls who are in households
where there is violence, are more likely to become
involved in relationships that become violent. Apparently,
ways to cope and deal with anger and (how we manage)
stress in a household are learned behaviors. If
you look at policing as not only arresting people
but also as a way to prevent crime, the long view
would suggest that if we can reduce domestic violence,
then we could prevent crime and violence in the
future as these children grow up in better households.
Again, not to be social engineers, we are police,
but I think there is an important role to be played
in that arena. I think that awareness and the recognition
by the police and by the greater society is probably
the key to making things better. I think that more
research on the long term effects of domestic violence
and family dysfunction (is needed). The family is
where it all starts whether it is good or bad. It
is where success is rooted and it is where failure
is rooted. If we could try to develop some standards
for family success or effectiveness, that does a
lot for our society.
JSV: I know that you were quite
involved with the rescue effort of Avianca (Flight
52) that crashed in 1990. In what ways are police
who respond to disasters such as TWA (Flight 800)
or Avianca, prepared for what oftentimes becomes
a gruesome and painful experience? Do officers receive
formal training and/or education about traumatic
stress and how it can affect them and their families?
RLC: They are prepared through
training but I would have to admit that their training
is probably not adequate for the most extreme disasters
that sometimes occur. Obviously, police officers
are trained to deal with death and to handle those
crisis when they occur. I don't think anybody envisions
deaths in the numbers that plane crashes typically
present - and also the physical dismemberment and
body conditions of the injured and deceased are
things that are gripping experiences and certainly
traumatic. Officers do receive training. They are
conditioned to deal with emergencies through that
training and experiences. We certainly advise them
of some of the potential symptoms and effects of
the stress on themselves and on their families so
that they do know notice those posttraumatic symptoms
(e.g., sleep problems, dietary changes, etc.). They
get awareness training on these issues. In fact,
the morning after the Avianca crash, the issue of
peer support was discussed. We had hundreds of police
officers at that crash over the first 12 or 14 hours
or so. We decided to make the awareness process
and peer support available to everyone on a voluntary
basis. Some people voiced their opinion that "it
wouldn't be necessary", "you know, it's
like a big auto accident" and "what's
the big deal." Well, we had almost 300 police
officers on their own time voluntarily come to the
peer support debriefings. To me that indicated something
very real. These people, even though they are police
officers and had awareness training, these people
wanted that and likely needed it. That is an indication
that they needed more support.
JSV: In your varied experiences
with the police department over the years, which
traumatic event or events would you consider as
having made the most significant impact on you,
personally?
RLC: Certainly, the Avianca plane
crash was one that I would have to mention both
by its scope as a tragedy for human beings and by
its scope as a police response incident. Although,
when I was a new police officer, literally two weeks
on the police department, there was a head-on collision
on the parkway with six people killed and cars bursted
in flames. People were still alive as the first
police responded. As somebody who was 21-years old
and not really familiar with the realities of life,
sometimes the tragic realities, that is one that
still sticks in my memory. I think that these experiences
have an impact on us as people. Just as (those events)
are in our memory, you think of your own children,
your own life and how fragile it can be. It makes
you more aware of those realities in life and also
the risks and uncertainties in life.
JSV: What things do you like
to do to relax after leaving a particularly difficult
day at Police Headquarters?
RLC: Police Headquarters is a pretty
exciting and interesting place. I try to exercise
regularly. I run 25 miles a week or so and try to
keep somewhat fit. I have not yet found the Fountain
of Youth but what are you going to do? I like to
garden, read, usually nonfiction, about societal
issues, politics, sociology, history, etc. I also
teach at Long Island University/C.W. Post Campus
where I am an Adjunct Professor in the Criminal
Justice Department. I teach courses at the graduate
level. I enjoy that very much and find it relaxing.
I have some family interests. I have a grandson
who is four years old now and I enjoy that time.
JSV: Are there any suggestions
that you could give to fellow law enforcement officials
- police officers, detectives, etc. - regarding
the management of their own thoughts and feelings
surrounding trauma and their exposure to traumatic
events?
RLC: Never assume that you know
it all. Always assume that you are not totally prepared,
and need to explore, research and learn a little
bit more, not only in individual decision-making,
but in your approach to things in general. The status
quo is usually way behind the times. Taking that
approach may be healthy and can keep you alive -
to some degree.
JSV: The American Academy of
Experts in Traumatic Stress is truly a multidisciplinary
association comprised of nearly 100 different specialties.
Do you see an advantage of including police officers
and other emergency services personnel under the
same umbrella as physicians, psychologists, dentists,
etc.?
RLC: I see it as a very positive
step. My experience in other groups where many disciplines
are brought together is that the exchange of information
avoids duplicity and misunderstanding. It allows
for people to deal with the resources that are available
and get advice from experts. The absence of those
experts may cause people to deal with the problems
intuitively and sometimes you won't always get the
best results, or deal with the problem by not dealing
with the problem as to avoid opening a Pandora's
Box. We may not know what to do, so we would rather
not do anything than do something wrong. This paralyzes
the process. So I think that any time that you can
bring experts together who have experiences across
the board and expertise to contribute (as the Academy
does), all people will benefit.
JSV: As you are aware, the Academy
has recently introduced a new level of membership
- Associate Member. This category aims to include
professionals such as police officers, paramedics,
firefighters, etc. who may not have received graduate
degrees (e.g., Masters, Doctorate), but have extensive
experience in working directly with survivors of
traumatic events. What do you see as the benefits
of including these professionals?
RLC: Certainly, awareness would
be enhanced and there would be a sharing of information
with people who might have a more specific expertise.
I have seen in the literature that stress is being
attributed as a causative factor for disease (e.g.,
cancer), certain emotional disorders, personality
disorders and marital break-ups. Stress may not
be the only factor involved, but we still see these
things and more - such as immune system breakdown,
etc. When our people (at the police department)
are made aware and involved in an educational and/or
professional experience that not only acknowledges
that but works toward dealing with ways to reduce,
minimize, or eliminate those stressors - to me that
is all good.
©1996 by The American Academy
of Experts in Traumatic Stress, Inc.
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