Re-defining the Field of Police and Public Safety Psychology

Police and public safety psychology (hereafter PPSP) is recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) as a specialty in professional psychology (American Psychological Association in Recognized specialties, subspecialties, and proficiencies in professional psychology, 2024). PPSP is concerned with assisting law enforcement and other public safety personnel and agencies in carrying out their missions and societal functions with effectiveness, safety, health, and conformity to laws and ethics. It consists of the application of the science and profession of psychology to the primary domains of practice of PPSP (Council of Organizations in Police Psychology in Petition for renewal of recognition of police and public safety psychology as a specialty in professional psychology, 2019). This paper describes the results of efforts to organize and define the specialty and its scope of practice.