Issue link: https://let.epubxp.com/i/149261
TRAINING Reflections of an undercover officer A plainclothes officer does not have the protection of a duty belt or badge. Even so, his or her most prevalent injuries remain psychological. By Sara Schreiber "T he first time [an officer goes on patrol], that's very frightening. But he's been trained to do that. Most undercover training is: 'Here's $40. Go into the 'hood and buy some dope.' That's it. Now that's stressful, because I never bought dope as a kid." There are a lot of things Charlie Fuller, executive director of the International Association of Undercover Officers (IAUO) wishes he'd known before embarking on his career in plainclothes. Mainly he realized through the years how profoundly undercover work can change you. There are few books written on the subject. Training is scant, too. When an officer goes out into the fray—sans uniform, sans team, and with only one-way communication—it's easy to feel…not quite like oneself. Are you a cop? Or are you a duck? Lying and pretending are prerequisites of the job in this line of work. When the lies pile up, it can become easy to believe them. It can be even easier to master the art of manipulation, it would seem. Is this a good thing? In the thick of his career, Fuller's "double life" devastated his marriage and had him questioning his own identity. He argues the most dangerous part of being out of uniform will always be mental. Shootouts happen, but more officers are suspended, fired, jailed or killed because of psychological issues rather than for physical reasons. "The problem," says Fuller, "is undercover officers have a police subconscious," not to be confused with an undercover subconscious. He explains that most departments don't adequately transition officers or brace them for this cerebral shift. On patrol, in uniform, an officer still has visible authority. But in a startling way, when the clothes are shucked, so is that authority as seen by everyone else. It's kind of like the 20 Law Enforcement Technology August 2013 www.officer.com