ABSTRACT
Critical incidents in law enforcement, especially officer-involved shootings, may attract negative media and community reactions that can cause distress to involved personnel and their families. When examining officers’ self-identified worst police experiences, two broad categories of critical incident types emerge: active participation in a very violent incident that carried a high level of personal threat and confrontation with a very depressing or otherwise disturbing incident that did not involve a direct threat of personal death or injury. Perceptual and memory distortions at the time of a critical incident may, however, be evoked or enhanced by emotional reactions. Behind every law enforcement officer who experiences a shooting or other critical incident is a nearly invisible family whose lives can be deeply affected by the trauma but for whom few services exist. Peer support in the aftermath of critical incidents is helpful to involved personnel, especially when it is provided by those who have been through a similar experience.
