|
A police shooting is a traumatic event, no matter whether the officer is on the giving or the receiving end of the gun during what police call a “critical incident.” No one knows this better than CFS doctoral graduate Sarah Van Vulkenburgh – she is, in the words assistant program director Dr. Jana Price-Sharps, “the nation’s most definitive expert on the topic of critical incidents.”
CFS students frequently are placed in the Fresno Police Department for research and field experiences, and from time to time, the police chief will need information on a topic that may range from how to treat abused children to how to handle gang bangers. CFS students research the topic, write a paper and in return, get credit and recognition.
Sarah Van Vulkenburgh, who graduated in June 2007, wrote the most comprehensive paper in existence about what happens with officer stress after a shooting. Soon to be published, the paper cites more than 1500 references!
The materials for Ms. Van Vulkenburgh's study take up 12 two-to-three inch binders containing shooting reports and research about critical incident stress from the government, the military and magazines. “The military is the only other type of profession close to police,” comments Van Vulkenburgh, “But I read that law enforcement is more difficult, because after awhile, those in the military get to come home. The police have to live with it continually.”
After conducting the research, Van Vulkenburgh made policy recommendations about how much time off an officer would need off after a shooting, what factors determine the amount of stress experienced and how the department can mitigate that stress.
“I poured through the literature for three or four months,” says Van Vulkenburgh. “I learned not only about critical incident stress but also about general stress. The critical incident itself – the shooting and the injury - is not the only cause of stress. The officer is also affected by the media, family, friends and coworkers, and importantly, the police department itself. One of the most important mediating factors is the feeling of social support the officer receives from peers and department.”
“I worked from a desk in the felony theft unit,” says Van Vulkenburgh. “The police would stop by and ask questions related to their own mental health... It took a few months for them to warm up for me. They would tell me about their lives and their own critical incidents. They do a dirty job, and most of time, they do it without batting an eye.” Ms. Van Vulkenburgh says she was particularly motivated by watching the physical and emotional toll stress was exacting from one officer during the time she wrote the report.
Dr. Jana Price-Sharps, who has a long and continuing relationship with the Fresno police, reports that Van Vulkenburgh's paper has formed the basis for a new policy about the treatment of critical stress incidents.
Of the report, Van Vulkenburgh says, “It took a lot out of me, but it’s the thing I’m most proud of. Having been here at Alliant, I had the opportunity to do a lot of things. But this will be useful for a lot of people, and it will benefit people for a long time.” | 
