Renae Griggs

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2002

Renae Griggs

National Police Family Violence Prevention Project

Winter Haven, Florida, United States

Health

The Bold Idea:

Police officers are subjected to daily atrocities that, not surprisingly, often take a gradual toll on their psycological condition. In many cases the pathology of the profession is manifested in acts of violence perpetrated by the officer in his/her personal life. Limited current studies indicate that 40% of police officers are physically attacking their spouses. Tenets of the police community acculturate a frame of mind that prohibits any request for help, leaving the individual closest to the officer as the primary release valve. Furthermore the abusive officer is routinely protected by the brotherhood and ignored by the adminestration. Finally the officer has the ability to negotiate the criminal justice system, inherent authority, and credibility behind the badge. The consequence for the victim is to occupy a position of the utmost vulnerability with the least amount of protection.

The National Police Family Violence Prevention Project is a national non-profit whose mission is to promote optimum health and safety for police families with the primary goals of preventing officer involved domestic violence and related homicide and suicide, as well as improving the quality of life of every police family. The organization aims to build public awareness; develop training for police cadets, families, frontline supervisors, and management personnel; as well as assist in the creation of policies and protocol to optimize early intervention strategies and protective procedures for at risk officers and victims.

Biography:

Renae Griggs entered the law enforcement arena at 21, and served for 13 years as a police detective. She was the first female member of the Special Entry Team and the second woman in the history of the country to become a certified S.W.A.T. officer. As a Major Crimes Detective on call 24-hours-a-day, she created a new domestic violence tracking system, trained officers in how to professionally handle cases involving sex crimes and child abuse, and promoted innovative new approaches across the region to respond effectively to the needs of victims.

In 1998, Renae turned in her badge and earned her B.A. degree in psychology. She also studied at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, specializing in police psychology and police-family violence dynamics. In 2002 she launched the National Police Family Violence Prevention Project and began to realize her life-long dream of finding systemic solutions to the unaddressed issues in law enforcement that often result in domestic violence and suicide. Griggs has been honored as a Truman Scholar and as an Ashoka Fellow.