The Blue Morale Project

Book excerpt: The product of a collaboration between a career police psychologist and a consulting psychologist, The Blue Morale Project: A Program to Cultivate High Morale in Law Enforcement Professionals is a book designed to shed much needed light on the nationwide crisis of morale currently being experienced by police officers and law enforcement personnel. The authors explore the factors underlying the problem from a socio-psychological perspective and outline a program that law enforcement agencies can implement to facilitate input on morale-related matters from all personnel. Advance copies of the manuscript were distributed for review to a sampling of police chiefs as well as current and former members of related agencies (ranging from the FBI to the District Attorney's office), and the reaction to this book and its promise of addressing morale-related issues has been very enthusiastic. Additionally, the morale-building program outlined in the book is complemented by a companion website (bluemorale.com) wherein registered members of the site can participate in online discussion forums dedicated to identifying concerns related to blue morale, and the brainstorming of viable strategies and solutions.