One Specialty, Many Missions: The Broadening Landscape of Police and Public Safety Psychology

Over the past 10 years the American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP) has been systematically defining the somewhat broad term of public safety psychology. Because of this evolution, psychologists in a number of organizations have found a highly relevant mechanism to achieve board certification. This provides the opportunity to benefit from the professional development provided by the board certification process, as well as the career benefits afforded by this advanced credential in a highly relevant manner. This article is intended to clarify (and advertise!) what professional activities and contexts are included in this specialty.

In its original iteration, ABPPSP was comprised of psychologists performing services to law enforcement, corrections, fire/EMS, and emergency communications agencies. Psychologists who perform services to law enforcement agencies have been at the forefront of the development of many of the processes and procedures that all public safety personnel use. Fundamentally, they have paved the way in such areas as operational consultation (e.g., crisis negotiation; threat assessment), assessment of high-risk populations (e.g., assessment and selection; fitness for duty evaluations), and effective clinical interventions in these same populations. Thus, the thinking initially was that to obtain board certification through ABPPSP one had to demonstrate proficiency in police psychology specifically, no matter the primary population served by the psychologist. However, in 2015, after hearing a lecture by a board certified police and public safety psychologist and recognizing the incredible parallels to military contexts, a military psychologist applied to the board, believing that military psychology fell under the umbrella of public safety psychology. The ABPPSP board agreed and in 2017 the first military psychologist achieved board certification, opening the door for other military psychologists, and adding an additional board certification option for military psychologists.

However, military psychologists weren’t the only specialists looking for a specialty board home–one that understood their responsibilities, ethical considerations, necessary skills, legalities, and the like in the context of the many variables related to supporting public safety personnel and government agencies. Because of this, over the years the definition of “police and public safety psychology” has broadened, and today ABPPSP describes police and public safety psychology as:

“concerned with assisting law enforcement and other public safety personnel and agencies, including, but not limited to law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, corrections, emergency communications, aviation, and all branches of military service in carrying out their missions and societal functions with optimal effectiveness, safety, health, and conformity to laws and ethics.”

Over the past few years, as the number of specialists has grown, the board has seen an increase in the professional diversity of those board certified in police and public safety. ABPPSP certified specialists now include psychologists from national security organizations, aviation, and all branches of the military. As these numbers have grown, the board has been better able to ensure that practice review panels and oral boards are comprised of a range of specialists, with at least one who has similar expertise and background to the applicant. As an example, there are now enough military psychologists who have achieved board certification that new military applicants can take advantage of a military mentor and all have at least one military psychologist on their practice sample review panel/oral board, making the process more effective and efficient for both the board and the applicants.

ABPPSP plays a crucial role in the professional development of psychologists serving law enforcement populations and other public safety personnel. These are high-stress, high-risk, high-demand jobs where decisions influence safety outcomes. For police and public safety psychologists serving corrections, aviation, fire, emergency services, and our active duty military populations, ABPPSP is a highly relevant credential.  For more information on the ABPPSP board, please visit our website.