I Love a Cop: What Police Families Need to Know

This is a great book for anyone with a police officer in the family. It really helped me to understand some of the things my husband is going through and also helped him understand me. Great!

Written by clinical psychologist Ellen Kirschman, Ph.D., whose specific area of expertise lies in helping police officers and their families, I Love a Cop: What Police Families Need To Know is a straightforward, "tell-the-facts" guide, now in a newly revised edition, written especially for the significant others, spouses, and family members of police officers. Being a cop is a demanding job, and sometimes the very skills required for competence - such as being able to suppress strong emotions like fear, anger, or even compassion - are harmful to officers' private and personal lives if carried over to the home. I Love a Cop gives practical, no-nonsense advice to what to expect from the demands of the job, coping with stress or trauma, and much more. Of especial value are the chapters about dealing with domestic abuse, threats of suicide, or other severe cases and problems - including how to recognize the warning signs and when there is no other option than to just get out. Though I Love a Cop is intended especially for the loved ones of police offers, its solid advice is also highly recommended for the loved ones of anyone in a high-stress, risky or demanding occupation. I Love a Cop is also highly recommended as supplemental reading for anyone considering a policing career, as there is also plenty of sage wisdom about what to expect on the job and how to balance demands of the job with those of family life.

This is a book which can do a great deal of good in heading off possible problems in police family relationships. The truth is not always easy to deal with, but preparation by exposure in a work like this is far preferable to the disasters which may come when unprepared. This is a needed tool. I recommend this to police and their families.Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D., author of "Managing Police Stress" [email protected]

This book was recommended to me by a fellow cop wife. I finally read it, and was so relieved. Many of the things that I have been dealing with over the last 6 years, she addressed in the book. I came to realize that I'm not coping with issues that are unique. The life of a cop wife and family is not easy, but we are not alone. I truly believe that this should be mandatory reading for all families of police officers, new and old.

This book is an excellent resource for the families and/or loved ones of police officers. It goes into great detail about the psychological and emotional changes that all law enforcement personnel go through during their years on the job. The author helps you to understand and learn to cope with these changes. She also addresses the personal dangers the sometimes come with this type of high-risk job, i.e. alcohol/drug abuse and domestic abuse. There is also a special section on the added challenges that face women, minority and gay/lesbian cops, as well as cop couples.