Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is a method of helping first responders and others who have been involved in critical incidents that leave them emotionally and/or physically affected by those incidents. CISM is a process that enables peers to help their peers understand problems that might occur after an event. This process also helps people prepare to continue to perform their services or in some cases return to a normal lifestyle.

LPD has members across all divisions, work groups, and even members of Crime Victims Services that assist with CISM Debriefs.

For further information visit: ICISF.org

The mission of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc. is to be the leader in providing education, training, consultation, and support services in comprehensive crisis intervention and disaster behavioral health services to emergency responders, and other professions, organizations and communities worldwide.

If you or your unit, squad, troops, or division are involved in one of the following you may consider initiating a CISM debrief:

• Officer Involved Shootings
• Traffic Fatalities
• Suicide or Murder Scenes (particularly if they are on viewed)
• Officer Involved Motor Vehicle Wrecks; or
• Any event that you reasonably believe to be a critical incident that could negatively affect officers

It is important that dispatch and other civilian employees also be involved in these debriefs if they participate in any way on these critical calls. Too often dispatch sends officers to calls that are high risk, records employees review reports, and crime scene investigators arrive on scene. These employees feel many of the same or similar stressors in response to these incidents and could benefit from CISM debriefings.

If you believe a critical incident has occurred that involved anyone at LPD, request a CISM Debrief by contacting:

Lt. Misti Snodgrass

[email protected]

806-790-4904