• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
        California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
        Small town North Carolina police officer rescues man from house fire
        Boulder police recover $400,000 in stolen paintings, drug stash in...
        California police officer rescues three people from car teetering on...
    • Labor
      • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
        San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
        Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
        Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
        Cops leave NYPD in highest number since 9/11
    • Tech
      • Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
        West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
        FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime...
        Wisconsin law enforcement warn of iPhone crash detection feature...
        Snapchat sued for facilitating sale of fentanyl that led to fatal...
    • Training
      • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
        Running your patrol rifle like a champion
        Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
        Defensive tactics
        Mechanics, consistency and aggression
    • Policy
      • Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
        President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
        California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
        Texas law enforcement leaders say the state has too many police...
        Justice Department launches new language initiative after resolving...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
        Coping with internal investigation or legal action
        The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
        What officers love, hope and worry about
        Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
    • Community
      • North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
        “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
        Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
        LAPD chief bans “Thin Blue Line” flag from department use
        Friday Night Lights duty
    • Offbeat
      • Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
        “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
        “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
        Wyoming police officer restores classic Chevy Bel Air as police...
        Santa Cruz police arrest 19-year-old for handing out fake parking...
    • We Remember
      • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
        Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
        Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
        Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
        At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • On the Job
    • “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
      California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
      Small town North Carolina police officer rescues man from house fire
      Boulder police recover $400,000 in stolen paintings, drug stash in...
      California police officer rescues three people from car teetering on...
  • Labor
    • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
      San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
      Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
      Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
      Cops leave NYPD in highest number since 9/11
  • Tech
    • Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
      West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
      FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime...
      Wisconsin law enforcement warn of iPhone crash detection feature...
      Snapchat sued for facilitating sale of fentanyl that led to fatal...
  • Training
    • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
      Running your patrol rifle like a champion
      Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
      Defensive tactics
      Mechanics, consistency and aggression
  • Policy
    • Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
      President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
      California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
      Texas law enforcement leaders say the state has too many police...
      Justice Department launches new language initiative after resolving...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
      Coping with internal investigation or legal action
      The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
      What officers love, hope and worry about
      Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
  • Community
    • North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
      “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
      Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
      LAPD chief bans “Thin Blue Line” flag from department use
      Friday Night Lights duty
  • Offbeat
    • Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
      “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
      “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
      Wyoming police officer restores classic Chevy Bel Air as police...
      Santa Cruz police arrest 19-year-old for handing out fake parking...
  • We Remember
    • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
      Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
      Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
      Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
      At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

On the Job

The Ten Commandments of winning the war against terrorism — 20 years later

Cherie Castellano , MA, CSW, LPC Published September 12, 2021 @ 8:00 am PDT

iStock.com/BrianAJackson

On September 11, 2001, Cop 2 Cop peer support program staff in New Jersey provided peer and crisis support to officers most impacted by the terrorist disaster, which continued for over a decade. There were lessons learned, with officers sharing initial themes of anger, hypervigilance, secondary trauma and grief as common issues for rescuers providing rescue and recovery. Resilience themes emerged, with rescuers strong in their unity, family relationships, self-awareness and spirituality becoming core values as the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) exemplified selfless service and heroism. Twenty years later, we revisit the “Ten Commandments” of responding to terrorism first published in 2001, informed by 20 years of peer support and over 100,000 Cop 2 Cop contacts. 

The Ten Commandments of the psychological response to terrorism  

  1. Know thyself. Never lose sight of the fact that the terrorist act is designed to engender psychological instability, especially demoralization. A terrorist act can induce a state of psychological uncertainty, personal vulnerability, frustration and even demoralization for all affected. Our Cop 2 Cop lesson learned is that it can also highlight your resilience and ability to overcome suffering. The mental health of those fighting terrorism is a crucial resource in your fight. Specialized resilience training in stress resistance may serve as psychological body armor.
  2. “Know thy enemy as you know thyself” (Sun Tzu). While it is essential to know oneself — strengths, weaknesses, normal reactions, more severe reactions — it is also essential to know the enemy. Resources must be allocated to the analysis and prediction of the enemy’s behavior. Another Cop 2 Cop lesson learned for rescuers is that there may be many variables creating challenges for your mission, organizational trauma, politics, funding, etc., which may be perceived as an enemy to your recovery mission.
  3. “And he shall lead them.”
    Crisis leadership aims to foster productivity while encouraging recognition of emotional and psychological implications of terrorist events. The goal is to maximize productivity of the workforce within units or agencies. The lessons learned include that grief leadership skills, suicide prevention and awareness, substance abuse
    issues and practical applications pertaining to policy and logistics to sustain officer wellness are essential.
  4. “It was then that I carried you.” Establish psychological support initiatives utilizing crisis intervention hotlines, outreach personnel and crisis centers as needed. Given that the target of the terrorist is the mind and that terrorism is psychological warfare, any resource directed to support psychological health may not only be seen as fostering health but may be seen as fostering national defense. The lessons learned highlight law enforcement peer support as the ideal approach for counterterrorism agencies, with options for employee assistance programs, spiritual, faith-based resources and psychological first aid as key services.
  5. Honor thy family. For counterterrorism personnel, family is not only a source of support, but they may inadvertently become a target for expressed frustrations. The increased tours of duty, danger, chaos and uncertainty in one’s own life can get transferred to family members, depleting their ability to provide support and making them tertiary victims. The lesson learned is that family discord may be seen to increase as stress increases, so family resilience must be fostered. 
  6. Be your brother’s keeper. Encourage steps that seem to reestablish a sense of physical safety and psychological safety for the public at large. Information is power; rumors can be destructive to the workforce, family and community. Skills in crisis communications are essential. Our Cop 2 Cop lessons learned include the impact of social media, and current public opinion of law enforcement officers may impact officers negatively. Peer support and gatekeeper models like QPR for suicide prevention following any crisis will be most effective.
  7. Foster the familiar. Reestablish normal communication, transportation, economic, educational and work schedules as soon as possible. There is safety in the familiar. The greater the disruption to normal routines, the greater the perceived adversity. Lessons learned include officer wellness as a routine focus for a mind-body-integrated approach to balance in life for resilience. 
  8. Honor the living and the dead — the cross at ground zero. Understand and utilize the power of symbols as a means of reestablishing cohesion. Flags, signs and patriotic slogans can create a universal experience and connection among units, agencies and civilians. Most public safety personnel do not seek recognition but instead shy away from accolades, as humility is a common quality among them. Our Cop 2 Cop lesson learned is that it is imperative to allow for recognition and acknowledgment through ceremonies, symbols and rituals of closure for healing and recovery. 
  9. Start anew. At times, there will be a need to move an organization, community or nation ahead after some catastrophic experience by creating a new epoch or era of rebirth … “a new beginning.” Public safety personnel’s return to “normal” life may be perceived as antithesis and mundane. The lesson learned at Cop 2 Cop highlighted psychological reentry programs to facilitate healing for law enforcement and search and rescue personnel (Castellano, 2003). 
  10. “That which does not kill me makes me stronger”
    (Nietzsche).
    Positive outcomes and growth can occur for some who are exposed to a terrorist event (Calhoun, Terdeshi, 2000). An opportunity to experience oneself as better after exposure to trauma in three areas may arise; personal awareness, spiritual growth and family resolutions. Not everyone needs psychological services after a traumatic event! The lesson learned is that although well intended, early psychological support may be counterproductive if a.) it interferes with tactical assessment and counterterrorism efforts, b.) it is applied in such a way as to interfere with natural recovery mechanisms (Everly, 2003) or c.) it intensifies the manifest level of experienced traumatization (Dyregrov, 1999).

Summary

At Cop 2 Cop, our professional peer counselors, who are retired officers, have shared that the opportunity to serve the 9/11 rescuers for the last 20 years has been an honor we all are forever grateful and humbled to be part of as a life-changing event. If you have questions or would like more information, please visit njcop2cop.com or contact us at (866) 267-2267. 

As seen in the September 2021 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: On the Job

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man out of jumping off bridge
  • North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Announces December 2022 Officer of the Month
  • “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on patrol after surviving stage-4 ovarian cancer
  • Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
  • West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a bird’s-eye view of crime scenes
  • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost recruiting and diversity
  • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for first responders
  • FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime crackdown
  • San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to avoid “cata-strophic” staffing shortage

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.