Policing Has No Bench: The Understaffing Crisis Behind Burnout and Breakdown

Dr. Gina Gallivan is a Licensed and Board-Certified Police and Public Safety Psychologist with over 20 years of experience serving first responders. She has worked with more than 100 police and public safety agencies across Southern California and is a recognized subject matter expert and evaluator for California P.O.S.T.

She has served as an Executive Board Member and General Chair of the Psychological Services Section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). She currently chairs the IACP’s Police Officer Wellness Initiative Committee and contributes to key initiatives on Peer Support, Fitness for Duty Guidelines, and Suicide Prevention.

Dr. Gallivan has conducted more than 20,000 pre-employment psychological screenings and has been a primary trauma responder for major critical incidents, including the Seal Beach Salon Meritage mass shooting, the UCLA active shooter event, and the Route 91 Las Vegas concert massacre. She also founded Southern California’s Regional Peer Support Program, providing training and leadership for peer support teams at multiple levels.

Chief James Hicks began his career in law enforcement in 1985 with the Brandeis University Campus Police Department. He then joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Campus Police Department before joining the Waltham Police Department in 1986.

During his career with the Waltham Police Department, Chief Hicks had the opportunity to work on many projects including recruitment, youth sports in the community, accreditation, policy development, and the development of affirmative action plans and goals. In 1998, Chief Hicks was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.

In 2001, Chief Hick was chosen to lead the Bedford Police Department. While in this position, Chief Hicks was asked to work on several committees and working groups throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Chief Hicks was also appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to serve on the Board of Trustees for Middlesex Community College in August 2007. He was re-appointed in April of 2013 and became the Acting Chair of the Board of Trustees in December 2014.

On March 28, 2011, Chief Hicks assumed the position of Chief of Police for the Town of Natick, Massachusetts. During his tenure, he served as President of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association in 2013.

In addition to staying active in local public safety organizations, Chief Hicks is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Civilian Law Enforcement Cooperation Committee. As a result of his efforts in this committee he was nominated, and attended, the U.S. Army War College Commandant’s National Security Program in July 2015. Chief Hicks also served as the Massachusetts Representative to the State Association of Chiefs of Police Committee of the IACP, and now serves as Vice President At-Large. He is President of the Middlesex Chiefs of Police Association, and is a member of the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth and Natick 180 Steering Committee.

Chief Hicks attended Brandeis University and graduated with a degree in Mathematics, where he was also presented the Bruce R. Mayper Award for Promoting Interracial Understanding. He earned his Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from Anna Maria College in 1989. He continues to teach for the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council in subjects such as Cultural Diversity, Hate Crimes, Report Writing and Courtesy to the Public.

Lewis Z. Schlosser, PhD, ABPP, is the managing partner at the Institute for Forensic Psychology, which is a police and public safety focused specialty practice based in Oakland, New Jersey. Dr. Schlosser is a licensed psychologist in New York (#16482), New Jersey (#4822), and Maine (PS2163). He is Board Certified in Police and Public Safety Psychology (#8539) and Counseling Psychology (#6558) by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is a former tenured Associate Professor at Seton Hall University and former in-house Director of Psychological Services for the New York City Correction Department. Dr. Schlosser has conducted over 10,000 law enforcement psychological evaluations, including pre-employment, promotional, and fitness for duty evaluations. He provides training to police personnel on a variety of topics related to officer mental health, with special expertise in officer wellness and fitness for duty.Dr. Schlosser is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Psychological Services Section. He currently serves on the Executive Board of the Police Psychological Services Section as the General Chair. Dr. Schlosser is also an affiliate member of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and the Bergen County Police Chief's Association. He was recently named as the first Chief Psychologist for the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police. He is a member of the New Jersey Police Surgeons. Dr. Schlosser is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.Dr. Schlosser earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, his Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, and his PhD in Counseling Psychology, all from the University of Maryland at College Park.