Understanding Human Behavior For Effective Police Work: Third Edition

When it first appeared in 1976, Understanding Human Behavior for Effective Police Work quickly became the foremost guide for the officer on the force and the recruit in the classroom. Today, the new third edition is still the only comprehensive book on the subject. Thoroughly revised and updated, this edition covers important new developments in the field, including the emergence of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Teams, which help emergency service personnel survive the impact of critical incident stress. This edition also addresses the psychological aspects of proactive police work. In a world ridden by drugs and violence, it is no longer enough merely to respond to incidents. Police forces around the country are being called upon to perform community-based services to reclaim neighborhoods dominated by crime.As in the previous editions, the heart of the book is a virtual catalog—enlivened by vivid case histories—of the kinds of deviant behavior today's police officer is likely to confront, along with valuable suggestions on identification and management.

Harold E. Russell, Ph.D., was staff psychologist, Tucson Police Department and is Instructor/Consultant at the Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy.

Allan Beigel, M.D., is vice president for University Affairs at the University of Arizona and professor of psychiatry in its College of Medicine. He has had a distinguished career in community mental health and served on President Carter's Mental Health Commission.