Police Psychology: A New Specialty and New Challenges for Men and Women in Blue

Go behind the scenes of police work with this unique book that opens the door to the psychological side of policing.

Police Psychology: A New Specialty and New Challenges for Men and Women in Blue offers readers the opportunity to examine two different aspects of police psychology: psychology as it pertains to the personality of police officers and the application of psychology in police practices. The book takes readers inside the lives of real officers struggling with the daily quest to remain mentally healthy in the face of often-gruesome crime scenes. The actual experience of police work is illustrated through case studies and vignettes, and the text offers a template of best practices for those who practice police psychology.

Other insights in this book reveal the practical side of policing, examining the use of psychology in hostage negotiation, interview and interrogation, threat assessment, and criminal profiling. Readers go behind the scenes to watch as police apply psychological principles in actual cases, and then are given the opportunity to match wits with a simulated foe themselves.

Case studies that illustrate the impact of psychology on issues such as race, perception, and decision-making

Case studies of officers who have experienced traumatic events, showing how the incidents impacted their personal lives

Samples of a victimology checklist, a crime scene behavior checklist, and an offender characteristic checklist