Psychological Fitness for Duty Evaluations (FFDE), when used legally and correctly and performed competently, are a vital component of a comprehensive officer wellness program for law enforcement agencies. However, many officers enter the FFDE assuming the worst—that they will leave the evaluation no longer employed by their agencies. Police and public safety psychologists and police leaders alike have an obligation to undo the harmful legacy left when some FFDE were used inappropriately and “weaponized” to try and remove an officer.

In addition to helping agencies determine when an officer should be referred for an FFDE or not, police and public safety psychologists are encouraged to approach the FFDE in a manner described more fully by Schlosser and Kudrick. Briefly, the primary goal of the FFDE should be to ensure that officers are fit to safely and effectively perform their duties; if they are, then they are returned to duty. If an officer is not fit at the time of the evaluation, however, then the evaluating doctor should help the agency and the officer by providing recommendations for the officer to follow that will allow him or her, hopefully, to be restored to full duty. It is important to understand that the FFDE should be seen as a career saver, not a career ender.