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The Promise Initiative: Promoting a trauma‐informed police response to sexual assault in a mid‐size Southern community
Author(s) -
Lathan Emma,
LanghinrichsenRohling Jennifer,
Duncan Jessica,
Stefurak James “Tres”
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.22223
Subject(s) - officer , sexual assault , psychology , interview , medicine , suicide prevention , poison control , medical emergency , political science , law
Aims A mixed‐methods study details a multidisciplinary team's efforts to assess and transform police response to sexual assault in a mid‐size community. Method A police department‐wide survey ( n = 331) determined baseline levels of officer exposure to trauma‐informed training, rape myth acceptance, and awareness of community and nationwide sexual assault movements to understand officer attitudes towards factors influencing sexual assault investigations. These data, in conjunction with SAMHSA's (2012) trauma‐informed assumptions, were leveraged to develop and adopt trauma‐informed policies that would enhance the police department's response to sexual assault. Results At baseline, few officers reported receiving trauma‐informed interviewing training (21.8%) or having knowledge of local SAK, #MeToo, or #TimesUp movements (10.0%, 7.2%, 3.9%, respectively). Chi‐square analyses suggested officer knowledge of community SAK movement, personal investment in learning about sexual assault, and understanding of trauma were higher in officers with versus without training; of concern, officers with more sexual assaults on their caseload were more likely to endorse rape myths. Training understanding was related to lower rape myth acceptance. Conclusions Policy changes, including adding trauma‐informed training to the Police Academy, were implemented by the MDT to promote a system‐wide trauma‐informed approach to sexual assault and ensure community safety.