Community & Public Safety Psychiatry Division

The Public Safety and Emergency Services Program provides training and planning services, real time on-scene consultation, and post-event support to law enforcement, emergency management, fire, and rescue agencies at the local, state, and federal levels.

Services have included the formation of a U.S. Department of Justice agency’s peer support team to include the design, development, and conduct of their first peer team training course; participation in screening and selecting their peer members, and providing instruction on stress management and mental health to their personnel throughout the United States.

Consultations are provided to federal, state, and local criminal justice system professionals working Internet Crimes against Children cases and crime scenes. Instruction is provided on preventing and managing stress related to these types of investigations.

Services available to law enforcement agencies include:

• General medical and mental health clinical consulting; mental health education and training.
• Consulting on research and grants for general health and behavioral health issues of law enforcement professionals.
• Immediate and follow-up support to law enforcement personnel involved in critical incidents including among others officer-involved shootings, injuries, and line of duty deaths.
• On-scene operational and post incident support to crime scene investigators, crisis/hostage negotiators, SWAT teams, arson investigators, investigators working child fatalities, Internet Crimes against Children Investigators, and others.

CPSPD faculty provides instruction and clinical consultations during 3-day post-critical incident seminars for law enforcement personnel from multiple states around the country and post deployment seminars for National Guard and other military members.

Services available to fire and rescue agencies include:

• General basic medical and mental health clinical consulting, education and training.
• Consulting on research and grants.
• Immediate and follow-up support to personnel involved in critical incidents including among others injuries and line of duty deaths.
• On-scene operational and post call support.
• The current Medical Director for Lowcountry Emergency Response Team is a full time faculty member of the CPSPD. This program has provided the Medical Director for a municipal fire department and a regional rescue squad.