"We
were very moved by the cops' experiences"It's been a busy year
for eight police psychologists.
The team worked 12- to 16-hour days,
offering support to uniformed and non-uniformed members of the New York Police
Department's 55,000-officer workforce and their families in the days after the
Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack. Twenty-three Police Officers died that day.
In the ensuing weeks, the team, members of New York City Psychologists Local
1189, visited over 100 precincts. In October, the psychologists began running
debriefing groups for officers who were first responders to the attack.
"There was a lot of conjecture that the cops wouldn't deal with us because
they would view us as the enemy, but we didn't find that, " said Chief Psychologist
Dr. Artur Knour, director of the psychological evaluation unit at NYPD. "Most
people were willing to talk," said Dr. Knour, noting that one of the responsibilities
of police psychologists is to determine whether officers are fit for duty.
This summer, the psychologists met with over 650 officers who had worked
at Ground Zero, the morgue or the Staten Island landfill, where evidence was gathered.
The psychologists were pleased to find none exhibited serious trauma.
"Because of the nature of their work, many Police Officers are prepared to
deal with September 11," Dr. Knour said. "It was very moving to hear
their experiences and see how resilient they are."
Most of the Police
Officers who developed severe symptoms were identified within the first month
after the attack, and they often took the initiative in seeking support, Dr. Knour
said. This group typically included officers caught up in the collapse of the
Twin Towers. Often, they had pre-existing problems, such as alcohol abuse or depression.
G.N.H