CAHSS Faculty Articles
Officers in Crisis: New York City Police Officers Who Assisted the Families of Vicims of the World Trace Center Terrorist Attack
ORCID ID
0000-0002-5518-4762
Publication Title
Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations
ISSN
1533-2594
Publication Date
2011
Abstract
Following September 11, 2001, considerable research focused on the well-being of disaster and recovery workers at the World Trade Center in New York. Yet police officers who assisted the families of victims have been neglected. These officers worked long shifts escorting families to the site of the attack, reviewing lists of the deceased, distributing death certificates and memorial urns, and collecting materials for DNA sampling. Intense work with traumatized individuals can result in secondary traumatization. Six months after the attack, 23% of a convenience sample of these officers (N = 74) had possible posttraumatic stress disorder, as measured by the Posttraumatic Symptom Checklist (Weathers, Litz, Herman, Huska, & Keane, 1993). Additional exposures to the attacks and being Hispanic were associated with more severe symptoms, while years of experience as a police officer with the NYPD had no effect. Recommendations for preventive preparedness training and early intervention for police officers who assist victims’ families following disasters are presented.
DOI
10.1080/15332586.2011.523310
Volume
11
Issue
1
First Page
40
Last Page
56
NSUWorks Citation
Piotrkowski, C. S., & Telesco, G. A. (2011). Officers in Crisis: New York City Police Officers Who Assisted the Families of Vicims of the World Trace Center Terrorist Attack. Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations, 11 (1), 40-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332586.2011.523310
