Strengthening Understanding of Peer Programs to Optimize Resources & Training (SUPPORT): Identifying critical elements of police peer support across career stages

Police peer support programs (PPSPs) have emerged as a promising resource for addressing law enforcement stress, mental health, and other officer safety and wellness concerns. While PPSPs are widely adopted, the evidence base in their favor remains equivocal and is hampered by serious methodological limitations. We aim to address this critical gap through a rigorous process and outcome evaluation partnered with four well-established regional PPSPs (North Carolina Responder Assistance Initiative, Wisconsin Law Enforcement Death Response Team, Tri-State Peer Support Team, and Boulder Crest Foundation) that represent different types of program structures and approaches, engage in a variety of peer-driven activities, include different levels of clinical involvement, and operate in diverse settings across the nation. The evaluation has two main objectives. For Objective 1, the process evaluation, we will document the structure, processes, and protocols and assess implementation of each PPSP. For Objective 2, the outcome evaluation, we will examine implementation outcomes related to program activities and determine program impact on officer health and wellbeing, social and professional outcomes, and perceptions of organizational climate. We will achieve our project goals through a fully integrated mixed-methods research design that involves (1) an environmental scan of relevant program documentation and state legislation, (2) input from partner PPSPs and appropriate stakeholders through focus groups, (3) interviews with peer/officer dyads, (4) analysis of programmatic engagement data, and (5) recurrent officer surveys to assess longitudinal trends in outcomes related to engaging peer support. To provide a consistent structure for examining the partnering PPSPs, we will use the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) domains to structure this study’s data collection efforts, analytic approaches, and implementation-related deliverables. CFIR organizes constructs associated with implementation effectiveness into domains that allow for synthesis and comparison among diverse programs. Findings from this study will provide police agencies, practitioners, and researchers with a replicable framework and process for evaluating the effectiveness of PPSPs. It will also provide evidence-based guidance for administering effective PPSPs by identifying core program components, practices that enhance the peer–officer relationship, and guidelines for program adaptations based on career stage and officer background. This study will also develop and make accessible a practitioner toolkit and resources for implementing programmatic self-evaluation and improvement efforts, including a comprehensive logic model for PPSPs, data collection guidance, and fidelity measures. CA/NCF