Course Details
Course Description
Please note: This 10 hour CE course is being offered for 4 hours of POST CPE credit.
This training program provides core knowledge, with a sample of applications, of the police and public psychology specialty. Police and public safety psychology (PPSP) is concerned with assisting law enforcement and other public safety personnel and agencies in carrying out their missions and societal functions with effectiveness, safety, health and conformity to laws and ethics. It consists of the application of the science and profession of psychology in four primary domains of practice: Assessment, Intervention, Operational Support and Organizational consultation. This program begins with a history of the specialty followed by descriptions of many of the core proficiencies that define the practice. The course includes examples of PPSP practice such as crisis/hostage negotiations, employer-mandated psychological evaluations, interventions following officer-involved shootings and other activities. Importantly, the course promotes the cultural competence concepts necessary for a psychologist to work effectively with first responders.
Course Objectives
- Describe the core domains of police and public safety psychology
- Describe the police cultural milieu
- Describe how police are trained to respond to threats and describe
at least three misconceptions about police use of deadly force
- Describe the differences between a pre-employment psychological
screening and a fitness-for-duty evaluation of a law enforcement officer
- Describe three examples of police training and consultation topics