specific members of the section who have experience
in the assessment, treatment, and referral (if clinically
necessary) of these more complicated and long-term
issues. Many departments have developed peer-
support aftercare groups for long-term maintenance
and groups for substance abuse and gambling cases.
A final matter of profound significance for the
police psychologist’s unwavering attention is police
suicide. Some experts in police psychology claim
that the incidence of suicide among police officers
is approaching epidemic proportions. Therefore, it is
incumbent on the police psychologist to develop and
maintain an effective training and intervention program
focused on ameliorating the incidence of police suicide.Crisis and Hostage Negotiation
Many police psychologists have become actively
involved in the operational responsibility of assisting
law enforcement tactical teams (SWAT teams) in the
area of crisis and hostage negotiation. A hostage situa-
tion is defined as any situation in which individuals are
being held via active coercion by another person or
people and demands are being made by the hostage
taker(s). Typically, the police psychologist maintains
two overlapping roles in the SWAT team. Prior to pro-
viding any information or influence within a police
tactical operation, the police psychologist must always
remain cognizant that he or she is always bound by
federal and state legal constraints, as well as by profes-
sional and ethical standards. In the role of a profes-
sional, the police psychologist provides the general
theoretical and practical applications of behavioral sci-
ence information. In the role of a consultant, the police
psychologist designs and implements negotiator selec-
tion and training. A second function in the role of a
consultant is the provision of specific behavioral rec-
ommendations to the operational chain of command.
Owing to ethical constraints, other than in a rare exi-
gent situation, the police psychologist never actively
speaks with the affected individual.Training for a Career as
a Police Psychologist
At the time of writing, there are no formal graduate
programs specifically for police psychology. It is sug-
gested that psychology students interested in becom-
ing active in this specialty area seek a doctoral degree
(Ph.D. or Psy.D.) within the established fields ofclinical, counseling, forensic, or industrial/organizational
psychology. For those students with a preference for
the role of the internal staff psychologist, it is highly
recommended that they become experienced in the
clinical areas of individual, couples, and marital ther-
apy. Special emphasis should be directed at didactic
and experiential training in crisis intervention. Once a
psychologist is hired by a police department, crisis and
hostage negotiation training is usually extended
through a basic, introductory course on crisis and
hostage negotiation facilitated by the Behavioral
Sciences Unit of the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. Paren-
thetically, it should be mentioned that the position of
psychological profiling is rarely offered as a freestand-
ing occupational position within the law enforcement
community. Psychological, criminal profiling is only
one job task within the overall occupational realm of
the police psychologist. For the doctoral student who
endeavors to become an external consulting psycholo-
gist, it is clearly recommended that the area of psycho-
logical assessment be an educational and experiential
imperative. Along with a clear understanding of all
aspects of personality assessment, organizational con-
sultation and crisis intervention should also be areas
of competency. Some universities are affiliated with
police departments for either a predoctoral practicum
or predoctoral internship experiences, although such
programs are very limited in scope. Regardless of
either a practicum or an internship placement, how-
ever, it is important for anyone interested in a career in
police psychology to become familiar with the dynam-
ics and culture of law enforcement. As such, it is
highly recommended that during the doctoral experi-
ence, the student actively seek membership in the
Psychological Services sections of both the APA and
the IACP. Finally, it is suggested that, if possible, the
doctoral student seek out an established police psy-
chologist in the vicinity of the campus of doctoral
study, in the hope that this police psychologist will
agree to provide information regarding the field of
police psychology and also to establish a doctoral
practicum at his or her professional practice. Ulti-
mately, the goal for the doctoral student would be to
develop a mentoring relationship with the police psy-
chologist. Such a relationship would greatly facilitate
the attainment of career goals for the doctoral graduate
student and would include the actual experience of the
practicum placement in police psychology, consistent
interaction with a police psychologist to answer vari-
ous occupational questions and career developmentPolice Psychologists——— 579P-Cutler (Encyc)-45463.qxd 11/18/2007 12:43 PM Page 579