22-08 - Psychological Services Bureau Deputy-Involved Shooting Team
PURPOSE
The purpose of this newsletter is to advise Department personnel of the capabilities and resources available through the Department’s Psychological Services Bureau (PSB) Deputy-Involved Shooting (DIS) Team.
Deputy-Involved Shooting Team
The DIS Team is a specialized group of volunteer deputies, within the Peer Support Program (PSP), who provide confidential peer support to LASD personnel involved in shootings. DIS team members (who have previously been involved in a deputy-involved shooting) must not have a pending criminal case, civil case, or Department investigations related to their shooting incident.
The DIS team is managed by PSB and is directly overseen by the PSB Peer Support Program Deputy Coordinator, PSB Peer Support Program Psychologist, and PSB Psychologist-Managers. The DIS team operates under procedures as outlined in the Department’s PSP Manual and MPP 3-02/040.55, Peer Support Program.
PSP is a nationally recognized and effective resource to enhance the normal recovery process and bolster resiliency for law enforcement personnel who have been involved in critical incidents.
The DIS team serves a vital role by offering immediate, twenty-four hours a day/seven day a week on-site support following a shooting incident. There are two DIS team members on-call per week (one in the North County and one in the South County). DIS team members explain Department procedures and common reactions to personnel involved in critical incidents. They also discuss healthy coping skills for both the involved deputies and their family members.
The supportive interventions this team provides are consistent with the recommendations outlined in the International Association of Chiefs of Police Officer-Involved Shooting Guidelines.
The DIS Team is comprised of sworn volunteers who receive training through PSB. The training consists of twenty-four hours of General Peer Support, and an additional eight-hour DIS course. In addition, DIS team members attend an eight-hour yearly training meeting and engage in periodic in-service training.
PROCEDURE
When a deputy-involved shooting occurs, the incident commander notifies the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, who will make the appropriate notifications to both the Psychological Services Bureau’s on-call psychologist/back-up manager, and the on-call DIS Team member (North or South Team).
DIS team members utilize supportive interventions that focus on reducing physical and emotional stress and restoring and/or reinforcing a sense of safety and control. Once a DIS team member arrives:
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The incident commander and/or involved supervisor(s) should provide the DIS team member access and opportunity to speak with involved personnel in an area that reasonably affords privacy;
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Involved personnel who choose to decline peer support services should express this directly to the DIS team member; and
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If needed, the DIS Team member will contact the PSB’s on-call psychologist for additional resources such as psychological, spiritual, or peer support services.
CONFIDENTIALITY
All Peer Support communications, including DIS contacts, are confidential with some exceptions. (See MPP 3-02/040.55, State Assembly Bill 1117, and the Department Peer Support Manual). DIS team members do not inquire or discuss details of the incident with involved personnel as this is outside their scope.
A roster of current DIS Team members is maintained by the Peer Support Program Coordinator.
For more information regarding the Department’s Peer Support Program and the Deputy-Involved Shooting Team, contact Psychological Services Bureau [REDACTED TEXT]
For information regarding the content of this newsletter, contact Field Operations Support Services at [REDACTED TEXT] or [REDACTED TEXT]
REFERENCES
MPP 3-02/040.55 Peer Support Program
Peer Support Manual