6 • Psychological Effects of Undercover Policing Channels 2022 demonstrated to be useful in not only preparing the officers for their undercover operations but also in alleviating some of the negative psychological effects of such operations. Undercover safeguard processes are valuable to undercover officers as a dedicated team addresses their needs throughout every step of the operation, beginning with selection and concluding with reintegration. These safeguard processes and the teams functioning within them must be firmly grounded in their purpose, their primary goal being to protect and serve undercover officers as well as possible (Krause, 2008). By utilizing undercover safeguard techniques, departments and agencies can improve the training offered to undercover officers and protect them throughout the operation. Through the selection process, the department or agency will eliminate any officers that do not satisfy the requirements for undercover operations. They will also determine whether an officer has the necessary disposition and cognitive abilities to serve as an undercover officer. This can become difficult as some abilities can either be inherently possessed or developed through training and education. One critical example of this is the skill of adaptability. A study conducted by Oleszkiewicz et. al. found that adaptability can be a key component throughout an undercover officer’s operation. Adaptability was defined in this study as “cognitive, behavioral and emotional adjustments that assist in effectively responding to novel and uncertain situations” (2022). By having the ability to adapt to uncertain situations while undercover, an officer can establish rapport easier and is better equipped to serve in his or her role. While there are most certainly aspects of adaptability that must come naturally, there is still room for additional training in this area, as well. Training is important regardless of profession; however, as mentioned above, undercover officers are in a unique position and as such, should be trained as much as possible before entering the field. Psychological Effects As one can imagine, numerous psychological effects can plague undercover officers. To expand on their devastation, Charlie Fuller, the executive director of the International Association of Undercover Officers, said, “Shootouts happen, but more officers are suspended, fired, jailed or killed because of psychological issues rather than for physical reasons” (Schreiber, 2013, p. 20). This portion of the literature reviewwill seek to explain the various psychological effects that undercover officers can experience. It is important to note that there is an understandable level of overlap between the psychological effects that burden traditional police officers and those that burden undercover officers. These overlapping effects are just as important as those that do not overlap with traditional officers. However, the psychological effects that are distinguishable will be noted throughout. Some of the major psychological disturbances noted by Miller are paranoia, hypervigilance, corruption of moral compass, and increased sympathy toward the target(s). However, Miller also notes in his study that a vast majority of
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