Extending Law Enforcement Reach to Children Exposed to Violence: Police Training Evaluation

Abstract

Failure to immediately identify and support children exposed to violence (CEV) places them at great risk for traumatic dysregulation and long-term mental health difficulties. Police officers are in a unique position to identify and assist CEV in the immediate aftermath of exposure. Yet, law enforcement professionals do not typically receive training tailored towards effectively identifying and responding to the emotional needs of CEV. Protecting and Serving is a police training curriculum based on over two decades of successful mental health and law enforcement collaboration. The current study examined 152 police officers’ perceptions of, attitudes toward, and understanding of the training delivered at six police departments. Pre- and post-training surveys assessed the current state of practice and the effectiveness of the program presentation in three content areas: knowledge, practice, and attitude. McNemar’s test was used to evaluate pre- to post-change, chi-square analyses and one-way ANOVAs were used to assess variation associated with demographic variables, and qualitative analysis was conducted by two independent judges. Findings reflect strong officer motivation, coupled with specific gaps in knowledge and practices. Post-training results demonstrate significant gains in all three content areas. Findings underscore the need and potential utility for specialized training designed to better equip officers to respond effectively to CEV.