The Best Present is Presence:

Understanding the Effects of Stress and Trauma in the Coroner Investigator

By
Kimberley Arnold

LEPSL 500 Critical Issues in Law Enforcement and Public Safety

University of San Diego
Professor Erik Fritsvold
March 3, 2019
 MEMORANDUM

A significant amount of attention has been given to police officers, fire fighters, and paramedics
regarding long term post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its effects on these first
responders. Little regard has been paid to the last responder, the Coroner Investigator. When a
death investigation occurs, an emphasis is placed on counseling offered to victims of crime and
their family members, and how the death has affected their loved ones. However, only a trivial
amount of scrutiny has been paid to the impact on Coroner Investigators and their emotional
occupational related needs. Coroner Investigators handle traumatic and stressful scenarios while
remaining unemotional and “just doing our job”. The purpose of this memorandum is to educate
on the impact of stress and propose mindfulness training and practices within the Department of
Medical Examiner-Coroner.

Two leading advocates for mindfulness training in law enforcement, Chief Jennifer Tejada of the
Emeryville Police Department in California and Lieutenant Richard Goerling of the Hillsboro
Police Department in Oregon, co-wrote an article, Mindful Policing- A New Approach to Officer
Wellness and Safety Training and Education. They define stress as the body’s psychological and
physiological reaction, often called fight or flight response to events, people, situations, or
experiences. In the short term stress can be beneficial by helping us focus. However, long term
continuous exposure to stressful events, without training to mitigate that stress, can cause cortisol
build up and neurobiological phenomenon that lead some to negative mind and body
consequences such as reduced life spans, higher risk of sudden cardiac death, higher rates of
depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol use disorder. In 2014, the Final Report of
the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing recognized officer wellness and safety as
one of the six priorities for law enforcement in modern policing (Jennifer, T.,Richard, G. 2017).

Wellness and mindfulness for law enforcement professionals is not a new phenomenon. Chief
Jennifer Tejada shared in an interview with Dr. Erik Fritsvold, PhD, that Lieutenant Richard
Goerling has been paying attention to the psychological needs of law enforcement for nearly 15
years when he implemented Mindfulness-Based Resilience Training (MBRT) for officers
(Presentation 6.1) MBRT started as a secular practice in 1979, when Jon Kabat-Zin brought
together two methodologies – a collaboration of science, medicine and psychology, coupled with
Buddhist meditation. Present day mindfulness gives us full attention in the present moment,
increases meta-cognition, and helps us grow beyond the simplicity yet inadequacy of words that
become ideals (Tejada, J). MBRT is useful because law enforcement culture dictates and
demands that we be stoic, in control, and that we stuff our emotions (Presentation 6.1).

Current implementation of MBRT mindful meditation is seen in the Emeryville Police

Department’s mindful meditation program for officers. Trainer Don Chartland coached eighteen
officers through breathing exercises designed to keep the autonomous nervous system in balance.
To convince a few skeptical officers, he informed them that his method of breathing exercises
are science based. At the end of the eight-week program, there was significant improvement in
health outcomes like stress, fatigue, and sleep quality. This practice is offered so their department
does not have a similar result of a 2013 study of almost 2,800 white male police officers in
Buffalo, New York, which found their average life expectancy to be 22 years shorter than their
civilian counterparts. The study’s authors suggest that stress, trauma, obesity, shift work, and
exposure to toxic chemicals might all contribute to the early deaths (Yeoman, B. 2017). Within
the realm of MBRT, the Death Investigation Academy offers a course, Recognizing and
Combating Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), to Coroner personnel and first responders. “The
burden of dealing with tragedies associated with the day-to-day duties of police officers,
coroners, and medicolegal death investigators, often remains unspoken and follows the officers
into their off-duty and personal lives. These unresolved and un-dealt with feelings will lead an
officer or investigator to suffer a form of PTSD called ‘Secondary PTSD’ or compassion fatigue.
Failure to recognize and provide an acceptable outlet for the disappointment and frustration felt
by officers and investigators at the end of their shifts can lead to self-destructive behavior which
could result in loss of job, marriage, and even your life” (Death Investigation Academy).

An added element within law enforcement agencies, the Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) in
which Coroner Investigator strongly applies, occupies a uniquely stressful position. They are the
closest to the crime scene, and they occupy the physical location of the investigation for far
longer than the traditional law enforcement officer. The CSI occupies the crime scene for a
lengthy period of time and interacts closely with all of the elements of the crime scene, including
the victims and the weapons. This intimate interaction with the various components of the crime
scene may engender far more stress for the CSI than that which was experienced by the officers
who discovered and secured the scene. Yet, in many agencies the officers will be required to
undergo therapeutic interventions, while the CSI’s will not even have those interventions
available to them. The importance of their jobs and the relevance of their work to the effective
operations of the justice system should encourage law enforcement agencies to take the problem
of CSI stress seriously and to make every effort to keep their respective investigative units
operating in a healthful and efficient manner (Keel, R., Leone M. 2016).

I urge the Department of Medical-Examiner Coroner to be proactive in the well-being of its

employees as the cumulative impact of stress can be harmful and even deadly. I advocate MBRT
and STS training be available for all field Investigators, their benefits have been proven.
Additional programs such as peer to peer counseling, animal therapy, volunteerism, and healthy
habits (nutritional and exercise classes) should be explored. As Coroner Investigators we give so
much of ourselves to our department, other law enforcement agencies, the judicial system, and
the decedent’s families. It’s time we gave back to ourselves.
 References

Death Investigation Academy

https://lawenforcementlearning.com/course/recognizing-combating-mental-fatigue-ptsd/

Keel, R., Leone M. Occupational Stress and the Crime Scene Investigator. Journal of Law and
Criminal Justice June 2016, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 63-74
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bb24/ad03882585aaa2aeeb9d4749432d74c05f90.pdf

Jennifer Tejada and Richard Goerling, “Mindful Policing- A New Approach to Officer
Wellness and Safety Training and Education,”The Police Chief (November 2017): 48-51.
https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet01-xythos.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/5c2103143e6a3/156676
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265bd88619ade1f909fbb29ddacad86933c2f88b177

Presentation 6.1: Spotlight Interview-Mindfulness and Policework (26:32) . Critical Issues in

Law Enforcement and Public Safety with Erik Fritsvold and Chief Jennifer Tejada.

Tejada, J.(n.d) Mindful Leadership. National Police Foundation. Advancing Policing Through
Innovation and Science. https://www.policefoundation.org/mindful-leadership/

Yeoman, B. (2017, June 14). Mindful Policing: The Future of Force Barry Yeoman. Mindful
healthy mind, healthy life.
https://www.mindful.org/mindful-policing-the-future-of-force/