4-13 Peer Support

Policy Type:  Local

Responsible Office:  Chief of Police, Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department          

Initial Policy Approved:  6/13/2022

Current Revision Approved:  5/12/2026

General

The purpose of this directive is to establish guidelines for the Peer Support program for all members of the VCU Police Department (VCUPD). The goal of peer support is to provide all employees the opportunity to receive emotional and tangible support through times of personal or professional crisis and to anticipate and address potential difficulties. Receiving support from the highest levels within an organization helps a peer support program to work effectively. 

Accountability Statement

All employees are expected to fully comply with the guidelines and timelines set forth in this written directive.  Failure to comply will result in appropriate corrective action.  Responsibility rests with the division commander to ensure that any policy violations are investigated and appropriate training, counseling and/or disciplinary action is initiated.

Definitions

1. Peer Support Team Member (PSTM) - a specifically trained colleague, not a counselor or therapist. A PSTM is trained to provide both day-to-day emotional support for department employees as well as to participate in a department’s comprehensive response to critical incidents. PSTM’s are trained to recognize and refer cases that require professional intervention or are beyond their scope of training to a licensed mental health professional.
2. To increase the level of comfort and openness in PSTM contacts, assurances can be made that such information will be protected. There are three levels of nondisclosure of personal information to differentiate in this context:
   
   1. Privacy is the expectation that the disclosure of personal information is confined to or intended only for the PSTM.
   2. Confidentiality is a professional or ethical duty for the PSTM to refrain from disclosing information from or about a recipient of peer support services, barring exceptions provided in Virginia Code, § 19.2-271.4. Privileged communications by certain public safety personnel. This code is described below.
   3. Privilege is the legal protection of an individual against being compelled to disclose communications in certain protected relationships. Virginia offers legal privilege for accredited certified Peer Support Teams. VALEAP team members fall under Virginia Code Section 19.2-271.4.
3. Critical Incident – Any event that has the emotional power to overwhelm an individual’s usual ability to cope and may interfere with a person’s immediate or future coping mechanism. A critical incident may include, but is not limited to:
   
   1. Line-of-duty death;
   2. Serious line-of-duty injury or assault;
   3. Suicide;
   4. Officer-involved shootings;
   5. Multi-casualty incidents or disasters;
   6. Serious motor vehicle crashes;
   7. Extended undercover operations;
   8. Significant event involving children;
   9. Incident involving known victim; and,
   10. Personal or family tragedies, e.g. violent criminal incidents involving the employee or their families, deaths in family, etc.
4. Critical Incident Stress – Any situation faced by Emergency Services personnel that causes them to experience extreme emotional reactions, which have the potential to interfere with or limit their ability to perform at the scene or later generate powerful feelings in the Emergency Services workers.
5. Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) – The process of educating, preventing, or mitigating the effects of exposure to an abnormal or highly unusual event. The core components of CISM are preincident education, on scene support, one-on-one peer crisis intervention, demobilization, defusing, debriefing, follow-up/referral, and significant other services.
6. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) – Formally, a seven-phase process used in a group meeting, usually held 24 to 72 hours after an incident, employing both crisis intervention and educational methods. The session is targeted toward mitigating psychological distress associated with a critical incident or traumatic event. Debriefings are neither counseling nor an operations critique of the incident.
7. Defusing – A brief confidential discussion between employees involved in a critical incident and PST Members (PSTM) immediately following an incident. The purpose of this is to help restore the employee’s cognitive functioning and to help prepare the employee to cope with future stress reactions that may arise from the critical incident.
8. Demobilization – A brief intervention immediately after a disaster or significant incident, provides a transition period from the major incident to the normal work routine.
9. Immediate Family – A spouse; child by blood, adoption, or marriage; grandparents, grandchildren for the employee or employee’s spouse, a parent living in the same household.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is covered under Virginia Code: § 19.2-271.4. Privileged communications by certain
public safety personnel.

1. A person who is a member of a critical incident stress management or peer support team, established pursuant to subdivision A 13 of § 32.1-111.3, shall not disclose nor be compelled to testify regarding any information communicated to him by emergency medical services or public safety personnel who are the subjects of peer support services regarding a critical incident. Such information shall also be exempt from the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq.).
2. A person whose communications are privileged under subsection A may waive the privilege.
3. The provisions of this section shall not apply when:
   
   1. Criminal activity is revealed;
   2. A member of a critical incident stress management or peer support team is a witness or a party to a critical incident that prompted the peer support services;
   3. A member of a critical incident stress management or peer support team reveals the content of privileged information to prevent a crime against any other person or a threat to public safety;
   4. The privileged information reveals intent to defraud or deceive the investigation into the critical incident;
   5. A member of a critical incident stress management or peer support team reveals the content of privileged information to the employer of the emergency medical services or public safety personnel regarding criminal acts committed or information that would indicate that the emergency medical services or public safety personnel pose a threat to themselves or others; or
   6. A member of a critical incident stress management or peer support team is not acting in the role of a member at the time of the communication.
4. For the purposes of this section, "critical incident" means an incident that induces an abnormally high level of negative emotions in response to a perceived loss of control. Such an incident is most often related to a threat to the well-being of the emergency medical services or public safety employee or to the well-being of another individual for whom such employee has some obligation of personal or professional concern. 

Team Member Selection/Deselection

1.  PSTMs are designated by departmental peers.
2. PSTMs may be sworn, professional staff or ECC Staff.
3. Of the team members, the Chief of Police will designate a Peer Support Coordinator.
   
   1. The Peer Support Coordinator reports directly to the Chief of Police.
4. A team member may lose their position on the Peer Support Team for:
   
   1. Breach of confidentiality;
   2. Loss of certification
   3. Loss of good standing with the VCU Police department. 

Procedures

1. Department staff can request peer support directly from a PSTM.
2. Individuals being offered peer support may voluntarily accept or reject peer support.
3. After a critical incident the Peer Support Team may conduct a critical incident debriefing to discuss the impact, if any, the event had on staff.
   
   1. Suppose a critical incident stress debriefing is warranted. In that case, it should occur promptly after the incident unless the Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) determines that additional time is necessary. CISD will be for all employees directly involved. They may be extended to other involved personnel if deemed appropriate by the CISM-PST Coordinator or a designee.
4. Confidentiality Measures:
   
   1. It shall be mandatory that CISM-PST members maintain strict confidentiality in matters discussed in peer debriefings, defusing or peer support meetings. Any statement of discussion with Peer Support Team members while acting in their peer support role shall remain confidential. Members of the Peer Support Team are employees of the Police Department and are bound under specific laws to report the following incidents if they are divulged. The exceptions to the confidentiality rule are as follows:
      
      1. There is reason to believe a peer presents a danger to themselves or others, e.g., threats or actions toward suicide, homicide, etc.; and,
      2. There is a strong belief that a peer has committed a criminal act.
   2. Peer Support debriefings, consultations, and/ or defusing are solely to provide employees an opportunity to discuss their feelings about a critical incident for which they have been impacted. Employees will be provided self-care tips and available mental health resources on a case-by-case need.
   3. Peer Support is not a component of the VCU Internal Affairs Unit, Officer Involved Investigation Team or Disciplinary Review Process.
   4. PSTM may not provide information obtained through peer support contact to employee’s supervisors or fellow peer support members. PSTM are encouraged to educate employee supervisors on the confidentiality guidelines established by the department.
   5. PSTM shall not keep written formal or private records of supportive contacts other than anonymous statistical information that can help to document the general productivity of the program.
   6. PSTM are required to sign a confidentiality agreement, indicating their agreement to maintain confidentiality as defined above. These records will be maintained by the Peer Support Coordinator. 

Additional Resources

VCU Police utilize additional resources which include but are not limited to the resources listed below.

1. Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program (offers peer counseling to Virginia law enforcement officers)
   
   1. http://valeap.org/
   2. *Refer to the “Contact Us” webpage for most current departmental contacts.
2. VCU Employee Assistance Program
   
   1. Phone: (804) 225-2131
   2. https://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/employeebenefits/employee-assistance
3. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
   
   1. Member Services: 1-855-223-9277
   2. www.anthemeap.com
4. Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP)
   
   1. Designated by the Peer Support Team and Chief of Police

Revision History

6/13/2022 – 4-13 Peer Support