ABSTRACT
In ordinary citizens, the occurrence of severe stress reactions, in the form of nightmares, flashbacks, sleep disturbances, and anxiety, after involvement in major disasters is well known (Frederick, 1977; MacHovec, 1984; van der Kolk, 1984). That similar reactions could occur in police officers involved in shootings or other highly disturbing situations was not widely recognized until recently. What prevented any recognition of the degree to which police officers were at risk for the development of severe stress reactions was the fact that two assumptions were made. The first was that, because they are trained to deal with emergency situations and do so on a more frequent basis than ordinary citizens, police officers are not vulnerable to the development of the kinds of stress responses seen in civilians. The second assumption was that if stress symptoms occurred, they did so in a limited number of individuals, and no special attention needed to be paid. Police officers were tough and, as Reiser and Geiger (1984) put it, “time would heal” (p. 317).
