It had to be a program that officers could trust, one that provided real help as well as confidentiality. This new option to combat personal problems is a pioneering effort to provide officers with a peer support program, with officers helping brother and sister officers. Peer supporters serve as a first line of defense and a bridge to outside professional help when necessary. The MCPA training staff are credentialed mental health practitioners who have experience working with police officers and their families. The training follows the 1993 Peer Support Guidelines issued by the Police Psychological Section of the International Association of the Chiefs of Police.
Police officers are more willing to trust and confide in a fellow officer.
They will use a peer support officer as a sounding board to ventilate and explore problems if they feel safe and trust they are not being judged. To be helped, it is vital for officers to know and believe that what they say will be kept confidential. A peer support team can reduce the daily stress of police work and the emotional impact of critical incidents, as well as prevent the build-up of anger, frustration, and despair that often leads to alcohol abuse and suicide. One of the primary objectives of the program is to change the culture within the department so that voluntarily seeking help in addressing a personal problem is seen as a sign of strength rather than weakness. Although this training model is being utilized to train a peer support team for one of the largest police departments, it is applicable and adaptable to departments of any size, including even small suburban forces.