CTU Blogs

As Communities Recover from Disaster, Law Enforcement Plays Critical Role

November 20, 2012 •Criminal Justice • 7 Comments

By Richard Holloway, J.D., Program Director of Criminal Justice

With the recent wildfires in Colorado and across the country still fresh in our minds and in light of the latest destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy in the northeastern portion of the United States, we are ever more aware of the power and unpredictability of natural disasters. As our nation begins to heal and process this recent tragedy, our faculty leaders will offer their insights on disaster preparedness.

Hurricane Sandy - CTU Criminal Justice Degree - Rich Holloway The role of law enforcement has never solely been about enforcing the laws. The phrase “Serve and Protect” goes beyond catching bad guys. America’s history has shown us that the responsibilities of first responders during a disaster, whether natural or manmade, are critical to a community’s effective recovery. After the dust settles and the waters recede, natural disasters leave more than destruction and debris in their wake. Lives are changed and help is needed to help residents get as close as possible to a new normal. Law enforcement officers play an important role in this recovery process for a community.

Here are two often overlooked considerations for first-responders when helping a community to recover.

New Roles to Play
Once the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster has passed, there are often long term issues that may remain. Changes in the services needed by a particular area are common. As the population returns to an evacuated area, for instance, the law enforcement needs of the community may be forever changed. Residents may be homeless and in search of shelter and food. Damaged businesses may be left unprotected and threatened by looters. Law enforcement agencies must be flexible in adjusting to life after a disaster. Officers may find themselves playing a different role than the one they played before the event.

Emotional Toll
An often overlooked consideration in disasters is the importance of accounting for the emotional needs of our first responders. In the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster, law enforcement officers are working extremely long hours, many going for days without significant sleep or downtime. Many have little time to focus on their own families and loved ones. A comprehensive disaster plan must take into account the well-being of those providing critical care to the community in order to ensure the best service to its citizens.

What other over-looked challenges might law enforcement officers face as they serve and protect their communities in the aftermath of a disaster?

Image credit: People/Mike Segar

Richard Holloway, J.D., practiced both criminal and civil law in the Chicago area for nearly a decade before he began teaching as an adjunct professor in Business Law and Criminal Justice. Now, having worked in higher education for nearly another decade, Holloway is Program Director for Criminal Justice in CTU’s College of Security Studies.

Comments

Richard Q. Holloway, JD •December 03, 2012 at 02:03 PM

@Myron Schippers, these are excellent additions! @Deb Dunham, you are correct. I believe that we are doing a better job in 2012 of involving mental health professionals in the disaster recovery process. @Linda Panther -- thanks! @Shawn Grossman, ICS and NIMS are hugely important. @Fred Newell, thanks so much Fred! I value your opinion greatly! @Joan Matuszczak, thanks for your response. It was very informative, and I always appreciate the validation from an industry expert. Your insight is so valuable in the classroom for your classmates yet to work in the profession!

Joan Matuszczak, CTU Student •December 01, 2012 at 09:22 PM

First, a very accurate and informative post from our coveted Dr. Holloway! As a first responder on the Gulf Coast from 1991-2005 I can accurately attest to the need to focus on the role of law enforcement in natural disasters. I worked hand in hand with law enforcement as well as FEMA during Hurricane Katrina and many other hurricanes throughout history. A point that needs to be considered that has not come up prior to Katrina is how do we facilitate disaster recovery when many of the first responders are also hurricane victims and survivors? The physical, emotional and most notably; overall psychological trauma these responders experience is massive. Recovery from this trauma is highly dependent on what happens after the disaster. To begin with, during Katrina; the strike path was so massive all the local resources inclusive of the Command Centers were devastated. The (ICS) Incident Command System structure needed much innovation to be functional. During this disaster, things such as the need to appoint Joint Section Chiefs to higher positions of authority to cover a broader area and basically meet recovery needs is just a single example. At the same time, these law enforcement individuals were experiencing their own losses and devastation on a personal level. The issue here is that there was no end to what these individuals had to do to serve and protect. Therefore, what resources were needed to accommodate these first responders? In retrospect, law enforcement in other jurisdictions was also required to step up to the plate; so to speak. For example, the FBI contacted my sister’s jurisdiction and required local law enforcement to visit us and ID me to ensure my fifteen year old daughter was with her rightful parent. Personally, I was rather impressed they found me so quickly in a very rural area of Michigan. PTSD is a very real thing and in cases such as this it expands far beyond the scope of the citizens. Conclusively, many first responders such as law enforcement need care and treatment just as the rest of the population in these jurisdictions. It is critical to full recovery as well as successful disaster response. Rehabilitation is a long part of the recovery process and extends far beyond rebuilding the infrastructure. It goes back to the proverbial who takes care of the caregiver school of thought.

Fred Newell, CTU Professor •November 22, 2012 at 09:00 PM

Richard is right on target as always! Law Enforcement Agencies have seen a significant transformation since the advent of the community policing era. From my perspective, that is when we really began to change our efforts from being solely focused upon addressing crime to addressing the many quality of life issues that are just as important to the communities as solving crimes. With that, the community has come to see law enforcement agencies in more of a Public Safety perspective. The relationships established between the community and law enforcement have not only assisted in reducing or impacting crimes but also in assisting those in the community who may require a myriad of services that are most available to those agencies that are knowledgeable of their abilities. Thus, law enforcement agencies are left with addressing not only the issues or crime and looting that may occur after such a catastrophic disaster like Sandy, but they are also slated with the responsibility of assisting those devastated communities with rebuilding on several levels. To serve and protect… It isn’t all about fighting crime! Great article Richard!

Shawn Gossman •November 21, 2012 at 04:06 PM

Great post! I too agree that law enforcement agencies have a large role is disaster response. I am from a rural city in the Midwest and in 2008, we had a powerful and historical Derecho hit us. It brought us 100+ MPH straight line winds that would last for a few minutes at a time. The recent rains was perfect in the wind uprooting hundreds and thousands of trees all over southern Illinois. Our local police force (both sworn officers and volunteer) were not only doing law enforcement but they were joining in with clearing debris away from areas that it needed to be cleared from. I think by following the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System, we are able to coordinate all agencies during the time of a disaster with better ease. It will of course be challenging but that is all a part of the conditions of disasters since it is not of them norm.

Linda Panther, CTU Student •November 21, 2012 at 07:35 AM

Great article

Deb Dunham •November 20, 2012 at 03:29 PM

I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the expectations of the law enforcement community during a natural or man made disaster. It is clear the needs of the community are great during a disaster. I was particularly interested in your comments of the mental health needs after a disaster. I think those who have mental health backgrounds need to be included in the responders efforts to help individuals get a grip on what they have gone through, what they will be dealing with, and also to help people navigate their search for help. I think all communities should have a way to inform the community of their intent to help these communities so others may also participate. No matter who a person is they should feel obligated to assist law enforcement by keeping their eyes and ears open. Thank you for the thought provoking information.

Myron Schippers, CTU Student •November 20, 2012 at 01:17 PM

You've made excellent points. Other challenges may include: 1. The street signs and landmarks that are so often used for direction no longer exist requiring another level of recognition for directions and guidence for themselves and others. 2. Second to that would be assisting others in remapping the area that law enforcement on patrol would have irreplaceable knowledge. 3. They may step into the role of assisting with distribution of disaster relief including life saving and sustaining medical and food supplies. 4. Role of tour guide, for lack of a better term, to the introduce the Federal and EMAC responders being deployed to assist in the community. Just to add a few.

What do you think?

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