1. Police Officers Safety Assoc.
SURVIVING AFTER THE SHOOTING

2. Permission
Permission is granted to reproduce or distribute this material so long as the Police Officers Safety Assoc. is credited as the source.

3. About POSA
The Police Officers Safety Association’s primary mission is to develop, produce and distribute training programs to law enforcement professionals. All of our programs are distributed free of charge.

4. Program Organization
This PowerPoint presentation accompanies the video presentation of the same title.

5. Presenter
Sergeant Perry Bartels is a 23 year police veteran on a 400 officer agency in South East Virginia. His past assignments include Patrol, Field Training Officer, Academy Staff Instructor, Field Supervisor, Street Team Supervisor, Training Supervisor/Range Master. He has been on the SWAT team for 18 years and held several positions. He is currently an Assault Team Leader. Sergeant Bartels is a certified Firearms Instructor, Defense and Control Tactics Instructor, SWAT Instructor, is a certified Force Analyst by the Force Science Institute and has also attended the Force Science Institute’s Video Analysis class. He is the force and legal expert on his agency where he assists with force investigations, to include Officer Involved Shootings.

6. Why is this important?
Much of our training as police officers tends to focus on how to survive a physical encounter. But did you know that much of the resulting emotional trauma can come from the process that follows the incident rather than from the incident its self? In my experience with talking to officers about their incidents and the events that follow, I have learned what causes much undue stress that we can likely avoid. We are going to look at how to prepare for these issues and put on a psychological armor that will protect us emotionally. But like other ballistic protection, it does not guarantee that we will not suffer injury.

7. Objectives
In this class we will; Identify what a critical incident is. Identify your rights after a shooting (critical Incident) Identify the physiological effects of critical incident stress Identify some of the emotional responses that follow critical incident experiences. Identify some of the primary factors that reduce stress after a critical incident.

8. What is a critical incident?
Different agencies may have different policy definitions of what constitutes a critical incident. Generally, it can be any event or incident that shocks and traumatizes an individual emotionally and/or psychologically. Examples may be; being involved in a serious vehicle crash, witnessing a death, a traumatic incident that relates to our personal life or being involved in a shooting incident. For purposes of this class, we will use the shooting scenario.

9. Your Rights
Even as a police officer, you still have constitutional rights. There are also administrative requirements that are in play according to your employment contract. After any critical incident that will be investigated criminally, such as a shooting, you have the same rights as anyone else.

10. Your Rights - Criminal
You cannot be forced to make a statement to criminal investigators. You are entitled to consult an attorney prior to giving a statement to criminal investigators. If you chose to speak to criminal investigators, you can stop your statement if you chose to. You can also request an attorney at any time during your statement. Basically, you have all the same Miranda Rights as anyone else.

11. Your Rights - Administrative
You may be compelled to give an administrative statement. You must be truthful You will likely be placed on administrative leave. You may be required to submit to a drug test If involved in a shooting, they will likely collect your firearm. You should be allowed to contact your family. The compelled administrative statement can not be shared with criminal investigators. The voluntary criminal statement may be shared with administrative investigators.

12. The Limbic System
When we encounter a threat to our life, our Limbic System begins to take over our response to that threat as a built-in defense mechanism. Some of our training kicks in at this point, but some may not. Regardless, stress increases rapidly and as the Limbic System takes over, it causes a chain of physiological effects to occur. These effects perceive how we see, hear, remember and respond to the event. Understanding these effects prior to experiencing them can answer some questions before they are generated.

13. Physiological Effects
Since the Limbic System is efficiently designed to handle a threatening situation, the following experiences may occur: Tunnel Vision Auditory Exclusion Distorted perception of time Inability to remember parts of the event or your actions. Attention focused on the threat causes officers to miss other information. Such as, where your partner is and what they are doing. Also, the presence or location of other subjects.

14. Parasympathetic Backlash
The physiological effects occur when stress hormones are dumped into the body by the Limbic System during a critical incident. The purpose is to prepare for battle. The capillaries restrict to control bleeding in the event of an injury, respiration and heart rate increases to deliver oxygen to the large muscle groups, glucose fuel is also dumped into the system for additional energy and stress hormones like Adrenaline will mask pain so that we can continue to fight. Once the confrontation is over, you may begin to become consciously aware of these effects. The body might not have metabolized all of the fuels and hormones from the dump and now they are still in the system. Your hands might be shaking, legs feel weak, you might be light headed, nauseous or even vomit. This happens from the mixture of hormones that are still in the system. And remember, what goes up, must come down.

15. Emotional Reactions
All individuals react differently to critical incident experiences. Many question what will happen, emotionally, after a shooting incident. Particularly if a death is involved. What is a normal reaction? There really is no “normal” reaction. Here are some of the common emotional responses; officers may feel – Angry Distraught, Upset or even Depressed Happy or Elated Excited You might not feel much of anything beyond the initial experience.

16. Other Effects
Trouble Sleeping Second Guessing your or your partners’ performance Replaying the event in your head Reoccurring dreams Jumpy or hyper-vigilance

17. Do I need counseling?
If you experience disruptive symptoms 1 to 2 months past the event, you may want to seek professional counseling. Do NOT let someone else tell you that will get or have PTSD after a critical incident. The vast majority of the general and police population are very resilient and fully recover from critical incidents without any lasting disruptive effects.

18. How can I protect myself emotionally and psychologically?
Support from family and peers. Understanding the physical effects of a critical stress (Limbic) response. Understanding the physiological effects of a critical stress (Limbic) response. Avoid negative media coverage Knowing about your agency’s investigative process and what to expect. Participate in incident debriefs if they are offered. Talk to others who have been through the process. Understand your agency’s policies and procedures for the handling of critical incidents. Don’t wait till it happens!

19. Protect Yourself
Know what to expect procedurally, physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Prepare yourself and your family for a realities of your profession. Continue to learn about many of the topics we discussed here and more by reading – Deadly Force Encounters, Alexis Artwhol Into the Kill Zone, Dave Klinger On Combat and On Killing, Lt. Col. (ret) Dave Grossman

20. Instructor Contact Information
Perry Bartels Cell Phone E mail – bartelspaAnnva.gov Thank you!