90 4 Police and Law Enforcement—Family Forensics
strife. What police methods are used to mediate family squabbles? What are the
prevention strategies officers employ to quell protracted domestic violence?
Police work is stressful. This stress assumes many forms and impacts the family
of which the officer is a member. How does substance abuse, the use of a firearm,
work violence, and stigma contribute to an officer's experience of stress? How if at
all, do law enforcement personnel express their concerns about these experiences
in their home life?
The stress of police work also directly impacts an officer's family members. This
is not surprising since crime, suffering, and death are routine components of law
enforcement. How do occupational stressors (e.g., shootings) create family trauma
and turmoil? What is the impact of an officer's authoritarianism, cynicism, and
violence on his/her family members? What support, if any (e.g., grief therapy), is
provided to surviving spouses of officers killed in the line of duty? How do family
members cope in the aftermath of an officer's suicide?
Increasing numbers of police officers identify themselves as gay or lesbian. Ho-
mosexual officers face obstacles that affect their status on the force as well as then-
role in the gay and lesbian community. In a manner of speaking, affiliations in
both represent extended "families" for the homosexual officer. What is the level of
stigma tor gay versus lesbian police officers in the workforce? How do homosexual
officers deal with conflicts on the job with other professionals? How do they deal
with conflicts between other gay or lesbian citizens?
The controversies considered in this section suggest that law enforcement and
psychology are undeniably linked in matters that affect the domestic life of officers,
their families, and the public. As the specific topics collectively disclose, it is also
clear that little attention has thus fir been given to this important, though underex-
amined, area of forensic psychology. In an era where much is made about violence,
crime, and our law enforcement response to it, it is essential that we not forget
or overlook how matters of peace and justice also operate at the intersection of
policing and psychology. As described in the pages that follow, the family forensic
domain is evidence there is much to learn about the intricacies of this specialized
field.
POLICE AS MEDIATORS IN DOMESTIC DISPUTES
Introduction
Domestic violence has occurred, and even been condoned, among certain cultures
throughout history. In fact, the often-heard phrase "rule of thumb" actually refers
to the old practice that a man could not beat his spouse with an object greater than
the width of his thumb. It is unarguable that domestic violence is a pervasive societal
problem and effects not only victims and their offenders, but also the police, who
must deal with such a delicate, emotionally laden, and often controversial subject.