Implementation of a State Police EAP

Abstract

The implementation of the employee assistance program in the New Jersey State Police was studied over a three-year period. Quesionnaires were sent to a stratified random sample of sworn members once each year for three years. The questionnaire contained items to measure the degree of diffusion, receptivity, and the use of the program. The initial hypothesis was that the implementation of the program would follow the three-phase process of diffusion receptivity and use. The result of the first survey indicated the program was in the diffusion stage with more than 69% of the troopers having heard of the employee assistance program. Response to the receptivity items revealed there was an awareness and sensitivity to the need for the program and its potential benefits. The results of the second survey showed that the diffusion stage was strengthened with 78% of the response having heard of the program. Receptivity to the program had not increased significantly and use was minimal. On the basis of these results, recommendations were made to enlarge and enhance certain program elements. The results of the third survey were quite similar to those of the second. The program was largely in the diffusion stage and was little into receptivity and utilization. Innovative procedures were recommended to move the program into an integral part of the Division.

The ecological theory of police response: a state police agency test

“…The remaining studies involved such issues as racial disparities in traffic stops (Engel, Calnon, Liu, & Johnson, 2004;Lange, Johnson, & Voas, 2005;Persico & Todd, 2008;Smith et al, 2003), personnel policies (Church & Robertson, 1999;Edwards, 1993;Edwards & Tewksbury, 1996;Hicks, 2006;Reichman & Beidel, 1989;Whetstone, Reed, & Turner, 2006), and trooper work attitudes (Catlin & Maupin, 2002Charles, 1981;Weiss, Johnson, Serafino, & Serafino, 2001). Since these few studies summarize the bulk of the social scientific literature on state police agencies and their operations, there clearly is a need for more studies about these agencies.…”

Ecological Influences on State Police District Activity

“…A small number of descriptive studies reported the extent and nature of specific personnel policies on state police and highway patrol agencies. These policies included the handling of persons with HIV/AIDS (Edwards & Tewksbury, 1996), employee assistance programme for handling employee stress (Reichman & Beidel, 1989), employee health programmes (Church & Robertson, 1999), and vehicle pursuit policies (Hicks, 2006). As with so many of the other studies, no comparisons were made to determine if the policies of state agencies varied significantly from the policies of local agencies, nor were any agency correlates investigated to determine what agency characteristics might explain differences across agencies.…”

Chapter 15: An Integrated EAP—Defining One's Place in the Organization

“…Often the answers to these questions can only be ascertained through the evaluation of the integration process itself. The long-term longitudinal study that the author participated in with the New Jersey State Police EAP implementation and integration effort provides an excellent example of such an evaluation (Reichman & Beidel, 1989.…”

“…the actual program promotional and service delivery activities being undertaken by the EAP to make inroads into the culture of the organization, to influence the attitudes of employees and managers on dimensions of relevance to support the EAP initiative, and to align the values of the organization with those of the EAP (Reichman & Beidel, 1989); 2. the specific role of the EAP's supervisory training process in overcoming barriers to supervisors making referrals to the EAP by changing managerial attitudes and behaviors (Googins & Kurtz, 1980;Hartog, Hickey, Reichman, & Gracin, 1993) and laying the groundwork for an examination of the potential influence of these changes beyond the interests of the EAP-assessing the impact of supervisory behavior on the larger performance of the organization, not just in managing the troubled employee or poor performer; and 3. the actual results and influence of the evaluation project itself in introducing a unique partnership of the EAP, the researcher, the police organization, and the bargaining unit, and assessing the role of this critical "collaboration on bringing innovative programs and procedures to a law enforcement organization" (Reichman & Beidel, 1994).…”

“…Again, the lessons of our rich history of EAP development and implementation over the past fifty years attest to this reality; one need only read some of the accounts of those early days of the field's most legendary internal EAPs to find accounts of the barriers, resistance and erroneous perceptions of those early programmatic efforts (Steele, 1989;Steele & Trice, 1995;Trice & Roman, 1978;Trice & Schronbrunn, 1981). As indicated earlier, the experiences over the ten years of the New Jersey State Police EAP evaluation project bear specific witness to the receptivity barriers rooted in the attitudes, behaviors and perceptions of personnel in the organization (Reichman & Beidel, 1989;Hartog, Hickey, Reichman & Gracin, 1993;Reichman & Beidel, 1994). A solid risk assessment framework and risk management capability are critical necessities for the EAP to effectively manage through this decision process.…”