Thin Blue Mind / Smokey Heroes

Police Psychology:  Dehydration by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D  ABPP My head was beating, one of those really bad headaches that only come every once in long while.  This one was different though.  I had a little vertigo when I stood up, so much so that I was having trouble standing and needed to lie back […]

Can We Sense Danger? Gary S. Aumiller Ph.D.  ABPP I was working with my daughter on a science fair project for fourth grade.  She laid out five different colored pieces of paper and put a treat on each, then separately let go of our cat and dog and recorded which color they went to eat. […]

Police Psychology | Catholic, Police Officer, and Possibly a “Saint”? Fr. Joseph D’Angelo, Catholic Priest, Police Chaplain Witness the unknown story of one such individual who risked his life amidst grave danger to save over five thousand perfect strangers. The following narrative is an inspiring story about keeping faith in the midst of tribulation, even […]

My Guardian Angel Testimony by Deputy Sheriff Michael Lutz York County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Response Unit   On June 9th, 2016, my unit was dispatched to assist the York City Police Department in the apprehension of a man with an arrest warrant named James Nickol.  He was wanted for felony escape and had prior burglary […]

TRAGEDY IN LAS VEGAS by Keith Bettinger from Las Vegas, NV   keithbett@cox.net It is Tuesday October 3. I spent part of the day in the parking lot opposite the Mandalay Bay hotel helping my friends in the Fraternal Order of Police feed and hydrate the first responders working at the murder scene.  Police officers are […]

Police Psychology | Detecting Bombs by Matthew Sharps, Ph.D. and Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP To order a copy of Matthew Sharps Book click HERE

Police Psychology | A Real “Blue” Christmas by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D. ABPP

Police Psychology | Take the Operational Triangle Home by Doug Gentz, Ph.D. Psychological Services The operational triangle was developed to provide a graphic way to represent priorities for officers in the field. At the base of the triangle is Officer Safety which always comes first. The middle level of the triangle is about building Rapport […]

Police Psychology | Holidays in Law Enforcement by  Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP  

Police Psychology | Becoming a Psychological Investigator When No One Asked Me To by Marla Friedman Psy.D., I just finished watching Detective Gary Traver’s video, The Joy of a Missing Person Case.  I know exactly what he means.  I am a police psychologist who has a full-time therapy practice, trains chiefs of police, FTO’s and […]

Police Psychology | An Unsung Hero by Gary S. Aumiller, Ph.D.  ABPP   This weekend I was working on a cement block retaining wall, the ones that look like rocks but are really just carved cement.  I needed to do about 50 feet of wall but I figured being 60 next month and having gotten […]

Police Psychology | Disabled Police Officer or Scammer? Sgt, John R.  Ret. Deputy Sheriff   What is a Disabled Police Officer?  I will tell you. He or she is “Lucky,” “A Scammer,” “Faking It,” “Has Hit The Jackpot,” “ Malingering,” “ Making it Worse Than it is,” “Lazy,” “Trying to Get Out of Work,” and […]

Police Psychology:  Killed in the Line of Duty:  A Different Peer Team Story Susan Ciano    Guest Author The doorbell rang at 7am. I really did not give it much thought, it was most likely my husband.  Glen returning home from working a 9pm – 7am shift as a Suffolk County Police Officer.Approaching the door I […]

Police Psychology | “BRING A BUDDY” By: Marla Friedman, Psy.D. PC Police Psychologist Executive Board-Badge of Life For years I have been training First Responders on the importance of seeking and maintaining good mental health. As you can imagine I’ve come up against a lot of resistance. Fighting the stigma related to pursuing good mental […]

Police Psychology | EMDR for LEOs By Tammy McCoy-Arballo, Psy. D. The Counseling Team International, San Bernardino, CA   No, it is not hypnosis. That is how the conversation usually starts when I talk to my clients about treating their trauma with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Doc, if we do this EMDR, you […]

Police Psychology | When You Start Out You Never Know Where You’ll Wind Up By Ellen Kirschman I started out to be an actress and ended up as a police psychologist writing mysteries inspired by my clients. “Acting is physical,“ my first drama teacher roared as though still on stage. “Think of Macbeth roaming the […]

Police Psychology | Funeral for a Friend by Kammie Juzwin Like many of us, I am sitting here tonight with a heavy heart at the loss of so many police officers in violent altercations, the current culture and attitudes towards our first responders. In my role as a Police Psychologist, I’ve had a really hard […]

Guest Blogger | How To Survive a Professional Ambush  by Marla Friedman, Psy.D. Police Psychologist, Director of Investigative Services, Immediate Past Chair-Illinois Police Psychological Services/ILACP, Board of Directors-Badge of Life I began my career in mental health in 1979. I had graduated with a shiny, fresh degree in psychology, though I had more hours in […]

Police Psychology:  When A Child Dies   Anne Bisek, Psy.D. is our first guest blogger. She is a police psychologist in Freemont California. Her specialty is calls for service involving the death of a child. For more information on this topic visit www.whenachiddies.com. It was obvious to the crowd of neighbors and in-laws that the […]

Know Your Hero   Heroes and heroism is important in police psychology. Let me tell you about one of my heroes. Over 30 years ago, Suzie Sawyer served as National Secretary for the Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary and she proposed holding an annual National Memorial Service for police officers killed in the line of […]