Police Psychology

Police Psychology: New Trends in Forensic Psychological Science is a relatively new specialty that can be broadly defined as the application of psychological principles and methods to assist law enforcement. This publication aims to bring together the contributions of some of the most prolific authors in the field to bridge the gap between the knowledge base of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers regarding the interface of psychological sciences and law enforcement.

"Police Psychology examines the latest research in psychology applied to the criminal justice system. Paulo Barbosa Marques and Mauro Paulino collaborated and brought together a diverse group of researchers, academics, and working professionals to cover and update the most recent and important aspects surrounding police psychology. With topics covering PTSD, law enforcement culture, and many of the psychological demands officers deal with throughout their careers, this text does a great job in allowing a deeper dive into this field. The evidence-based approach helped to give application to the reader which allowed for a deeper appreciation of the topics they covered. This text is a great addition to those researching, working, and learning or teaching about police psychology."—Springer Link

"The chapters are compelling and tell a story of the great psychological demands placed upon our law enforcement officers. Each chapter goes into descrip- tive detail on how the law enforcement professionals face threatening situations that present significant risk of physical and mental injuries. The approach taken by editors descrip- tively identify these critical incidents that can have a variety of effects on the officers from both verbal and non-verbal reactions to the most severe cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This innovative approach of addressing law enforcement mental health for a few agencies is the latest approach in protecting those who protect the community, while for oth- ers, they are just learning of best practices and prevention methods to keep their men and women in blue safe. Despite the side you may be on, these chapters have useful informa- tion supported by evidence-based research that can give the reader an in-depth appreciation of trauma and police suicide. Just like other changes in law enforcement, the full accept- ance will take time and effort by law enforcement execu- tives as they move forward to change this portion of police culture. For those who are interested in learning the finer details of police psychology and how it relates to the well- ness of officers who suffer from traumatic events can begin to find their answers and have a much better understanding of the trauma an officer endures, the measures that are taken to ensure they stay well and the associated factors that could contribute to their own demise outside of the psychological trauma are endured during the course of their career."—Springer