NYU Researchers Release Groundbreaking Study on NYPD Peer Support Programs
By Barbara Jester
After a three-year study, NYU’s Center on Violence and Recovery concludes that the New York Police Department has taken a leadership role in the U.S. by developing a police preparedness strategy that includes both prevention and intervention services for meeting the mental health needs of police officers.
The 2005-2007 study focused on peer support programs currently in place for NYPD officers. The work was funded with a grant from the Department of Homeland Security and conducted by center founder Linda Mills, principal investigator and senior vice provost for undergraduate education and university life, the center’s Peggy Grauwiler and Briana Barocas.
“We found that police officers were sometimes resistant to getting mental health assistance, understandably so, given police culture, which is typical of first responder agencies across the country,” said Mills. “We learned that, with the help of peers, officers could enter treatment and work through their issues quickly. What is clear is that if they can be encouraged to get the help they need, it can really make the difference.”
Researchers examined the NYPD’s Early Intervention Unit (EIU) and Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance (POPPA), a not-for-profit organization that also serves police officers, both of which use uniformed officers as “peers” who encourage other officers to get the mental health support they need. They studied police attitudes and beliefs about seeking help for work-related and other stress, awareness and utilization of the peer programs, and how police officers manage day-to-day stress.
“The police department today offers a web of officer-support programs that work together to ensure New York City police officers get the help they need as soon as they need it,” New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. “Without question, these programs will benefit from the incisive research and analysis of Linda Mills and her team at NYU.”
