Shatter the Silence FCPS Applauds TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act, Calling It “Crucial” To Believing Survivors and Removing Predators from the Streets.
On August 16, President Biden signed the bipartisan "Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Law Enforcement Training Act" into law. We support this law because it trains first responders to recognize the signs of TBI and PTSD, two conditions that often afflict child sex abuse survivors. This law is crucial to helping authorities believe and support survivors.
TBI and PTSD symptoms often mirror the symptoms of drug and alcohol impairment. As the bill explains, "Physical signs of TBI can include motor impairment, dizziness or poor balance, slurred speech, impaired depth perception, or impaired verbal memory, while physical signs of PTSD can include agitation, irritability, hostility, hypervigilance, self-destructive behavior, fear, severe anxiety, or mistrust."
Without proper training, law enforcement officers could fail to identify TBI and PTSD in child sex abuse survivors they encounter in the field. Instead of recognizing TBI and PTSD symptoms for what they are – the scars of child sex abuse – first responders who lack familiarity with TBI and PTSD could view symptoms as uncredible or uncooperative behavior from a child sex abuse survivor.
In fact, there is significant evidence that this has happened in police departments around the country. In 2013, a report by Human Rights Watch into the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) found that police frequently discounted the narratives of sexual assault survivors, and viewed them as less than credible. A 2016 report by the US Department of Justice had similar findings for the Baltimore City Police Department. A lack of training into trauma, including PTSD and TBIs, likely contributed to these inadequate responses by law enforcement.
This new law is important because it will equip first responders with training and resources to recognize TBI and PTSD. This is a wonderful investment because first responders are likely to encounter child sex abuse survivors in their careers. The law will help our first responders protect vulnerable children.
The bill directs the Attorney General to create a program that trains first responders to recognize and identify the signs of TBI and PTSD in the field. This program will include the development of best practices and crisis intervention tools for first responders who encounter TBI and PTSD. Congress allocated $54 million for the program through 2027.
Shatter the Silence FCPS applauds the passage of the TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act and thanks Congress for prioritizing our children.
Shatter the Silence Fairfax County Public Schools is a volunteer-run, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded by survivors, parents, and students of Fairfax County Public Schools. We seek to raise awareness and demand accountability for human rights and civil rights violations in FCPS. Visit our website, www.shatterthesilenceFCPS.org, or follow us on Instagram or Twitter @shatterFCPS, to learn more.