Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Children Exposed to Violence

The Yale Center for Traumatic Stress and Recovery is working in partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to equip law enforcement professionals in their vital roles helping children and families exposed to violence through identification and trauma-informed response.

Our efforts capitalize on 28 years of experience from the Child Development-Community Policing (CD-CP) Program and led to the development of a comprehensive toolkit and two-day training on trauma-informed policing. This toolkit and training are designed to equip officers to more effectively address the needs of children, families and communities who are impacted by violent and catastrophic events to which they regularly respond.

The toolkit was released in the Spring of 2017 and has been disseminated extensively throughout the country. Senior members of the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) contributed to the development of the toolkit and training curriculum and participated in developing a train-the trainer program that was implemented with 16 supervisory/ranking officers in the department. The NHPD is the first police department in the country to provide this toolkit training to the entire department. The toolkit is also available as an online web-based resource for law enforcement professionals.

Officers who walk the beat understand the rhythms and underlying dynamics of the communities they serve. However, this day-to-day contact can also bring additional personal burdens, including the risk of being overwhelmed by the distressed situations of the at-risk children and families they serve.

Round-the-clock consultation service provided through CD-CP provides officers a resource for information, guidance and the assurance of an immediate clinical response when a child is in distress. Staffed by a team of experienced clinicians, the CVTC Acute Response and Consultation Service also provides police officers with immediate assistance in the aftermath of responding to children and families experiencing overwhelming events. If you are a law enforcement professional and would like to learn more, please call 203-785-7047.