About the Metropolitan Police Employee Assistance Program (MPEAP)
The MPEAP is a free, confidential counseling program for police officers, police officials and family members. Since it began officially in 1988, thousands of officers, officials and their families have used our services. Contracted through the FOP Labor Committee and the Metropolitan Police Department, the MPEAP is located in a private townhouse on Capitol Hill, far from any police facility. The records are completely confidential, with neither the Department nor the Labor Committee having access to them. There are four full-time, licensed therapists who have many years of expertise working with law enforcement families. The MPEAP was chosen as a model for law enforcement agencies in 1991 by the U.S. Congress Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families in the hearing “On the Front Lines: Police Stress and Family Well-Being.”
Who Can Use the MPEAP?
Any officer, official or family member can call the MPEAP at (202) 546-9684 for a confidential meeting. You can call this number seven days a week, 24 hours a day. There will always be someone to take your call. Any supervisor can call about an employee with persistent job performance problems and make a referral. A family member or friend can also call to learn the best way to approach a troubled officer to encourage him or her to seek help.
What Does the MPEAP Cost?
There is no charge for the services provided directly by the MPEAP staff.
Is the MPEAP Confidential? Yes!
This program is strictly confidential, as protected by federal and D.C. laws. No one, including your family, your supervisor or anyone in the Department, is notified or given any confidential information unless you request it. The only exceptions are:
- Life-threatening situations
- Involvement with illegal drugs
- Child abuse
Why Is the MPEAP Provided?
We all have personal problems from time to time in our lives. Usually, we can solve these problems without assistance. However, exposure to violence, death and human suffering places officers under increased levels of stress, which can also affect their personal and family lives.
The MPEAP is a professional, confidential service devoted to helping officers, officials and their family members deal with stressors both on and off the job.
What Kinds of Problems Can the MPEAP Help With?
- Family, marital and relationship problems
- Alcohol-related problems
- Emotional problems/depression
- Grief and loss
- Critical incidents/trauma
- Job stress
- Post-shooting trauma
Critical Incidents and Law Enforcement
What Is a Critical Incident?
A critical incident is a traumatic event that involves the death, serious injury or threat to the physical integrity of officers and/or citizens. Exposure to traumatic events can be so intense that they overwhelm an officer’s normal coping mechanisms.
Examples of critical incidents in policing include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Police-involved shootings
- Death or injury of a fellow officer
- Serious injury or death of a child
- Gruesome homicides
- Natural, accidental and man-made disasters
- Failed or prolonged rescues
- Viewing and handling decomposing bodies
- Police officer suicides
- Automobile accidents resulting in serious injuries or death
- Performance-of-duty injuries that are serious/life-threatening
While the law enforcement profession demands emotional stamina and resilience, shootings and other critical incidents can be traumatic even to the most experienced officers. No one, no matter how healthy, well trained or well adjusted, is immune to the normal reactions following a critical incident. Repeated, cumulative exposure to victims of violence, natural and man-made disasters, and the threat of personal assaults and death places police officers at risk for developing stress-related problems that can affect them personally and professionally. No matter how “numbed out” police officers appear, they are not impervious to the psychological assaults of their work. Reactions to critical incidents can last anywhere from a few hours to several weeks, months or even years after the event and may include any of the following symptoms:
Emotional Signs
- Impatience, irritability, anger, aggression
- Depression, anxiety, guilt
- Emotional numbing
- Feeling hopeless and/or powerless
- Feeling vulnerable
Physical Signs
- Headaches, indigestion, tightness in the chest
- Hypervigilance, easily startled
- Dizziness, trembling, excessive sweating
- Sleep problems, nightmares, loss of appetite
- Fatigue, muscle aches, hypertension
Behavioral Signs
- Tearfulness, angry or violent behavior
- Avoidant behavior, withdrawing from friends and family
- Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, food or medication
- Increase in risk-taking behavior, recklessness
- Changes in work habits
- Under-reacting or over-reacting on the job
Cognitive Signs
- Problems with memory, attention and concentration
- Recurring thoughts about the event
Police Use of Deadly Force
Influenced primarily by contemporary media, there is a misperception by the public that police-involved shootings are a routine part of police work. In reality, however, they comprise a very small part of the police experience. Nonetheless, when an officer uses his or her weapon in the line of duty, the scrutiny devoted to the shooting is significant. In the weeks and months that follow, the criminal justice system and the Department will decide if the officer’s “split-second” decision to shoot was justified. This adds additional stress for the involved officer.
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing: General Order 201.28
Critical incident debriefing provides prevention and early intervention strategies to ensure that officers have the proper tools to cope with the stress of critical incidents.
General Order 201.28 requires that the Department provide six mandatory debriefing sessions through the MPEAP to officers who have used their weapons in the line of duty or have experienced some other traumatic event.
Critical incident debriefing is most effective when it takes place as soon as possible after the incident (ideally within the first 24 hours post-incident) before officers isolate and suppress the thoughts, emotions and reactions that occur naturally after a critical incident. The goals of critical incident debriefing are:
- To mitigate the painful effects of the incident. (Debriefing allows officers the opportunity to vent their feelings in an atmosphere of support and understanding.)
- To provide valuable education about critical incident stress and how to inoculate against cumulative stress.
- To normalize the many reactions that officers experience after a critical incident.
- To offer a safe, confidential environment where officers can share their experiences with other officers who have experienced a critical incident.
- To communicate to officers that they are the most valuable resource the Department has and that the police family takes care of its own.