ABOUT US

iPREP is based upon 10 years of scientific research with police, crisis managers, and first responders on methods that improve mental and physical readiness in high-stress situations

PROGRAM DESIGN

Expert iPREP instructors train tangible skills of self-regulation through the use of heart rate and biofeedback monitors during Reality Based Scenario Training (RBT) and dynamic classroom instruction.

iPREP skills are shown to:

Improve an officer's occupational performance and reduce errors during the management of critical incidents.
Improve an officer's ability to recover from stress during and following operational duties.

The iPREP Train the Trainers program prepares police instructors and first responders to train other members at their organization during in-house training.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Threatening, uncertain or potentially conflictual interactions increase unease, a state governed by internal physiological processes that direct thinking and behavior (Arpaia & Andersen, 2019). Unease is not ameliorated by telling people to ‘calm down’ ‘show no weakness’, ‘embrace the suck,’ or ‘use combat breathing’.

Police training in North America focuses primarily on external factors (e.g., time, tools) and technical skills (e.g., weapons and tactics) and has lacked standardized education on stress awareness and modulation (Huey et al., 2021). What professionals need are skill-based learning opportunities (e.g., reality based scenarios) that train them to recognize and effectively modulate internal physiological responses to stress using operationally tailored breathing and self-regulation techniques.

The good news is that iPREP addresses the above gap in police training along with many additional benefits, including being non-invasive, low-cost, straight forward to administer and has been met with high buy-in from police.

IPREP FACULTY

Judith P. Andersen, PhD - iPREP Co-Creator, CPD Director and Trainer

Dr. Andersen is a health psychologist who received her Ph.D. at the University of California, Irvine. She completed her post-doctoral studies at Cornell University. Prof. Andersen specializes in the psychophysiology of stress-related mental and physical health issues and occupational performance. She has near two decades experience working with populations exposed to severe and chronic stress, including combat soldiers and police. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, and Affiliated Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is the director of the Health Adaptation Research on Trauma (HART) Lab at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Harri Gustasfberg, PhD - iPREP Co-Creator and Trainer

Dr. Gustasfberg has worked as a law enforcement officer since 1990. He served as police officer for 25 years, with his last post as Chief Inspector at the Police University College of Finland, 2014. He served as a member of the Finnish National Special Intervention Unit called KARHU for 22 years. During his years of service, Dr. Gustasfberg worked as a member of the SIU, then as an expert Use of Force instructor, operational commander, and K9 Instructor. His current focus is professional mental and resilience coaching for employees at large corporations, athletes and first responders. He is also an author and personal coach.

Joseph P. Arpaia, MDiPREP Co-Creator and Trainer

Dr. Arpaia, received his B.S. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and his medical degree from the University of California, Irvine. His medical specialty is psychiatry and he has maintained a private practice for over 20 years in Eugene, OR. Dr. Arpaia’s clinical and research specialty is focused on helping people deal more effectively with stress and stress-related conditions. He has developed a systematic and efficient method for alleviating the effects of stress and training people to increase their resilience under pressure.

EXPERT IPREP TRAINERS

Steven Poplawaski, BA (Ret. Senior Constable), Use of Force Instructor, iPREP Master Instructor

Steve Poplawaski has over 30 years of police related experience (20 as an officer, 10 as a UOF instructor). For the past decade he has developed and taught evidence based de-escalation and has worked with many first responder groups. He holds instructor certifications in all areas of Use of Force, with particular expertise in scenario-based learning and defensive tactics, including: criminal investigations, special projects, and frontline operations.

Don Back (Ret. Sergeant), Use of Force Instructor, iPREP Master Instructor

Don Back has over 31 years of experience in law enforcement with extensive experience in use of force training, legislation, criminal and sexual assault investigations. He has been a Provincially Certified Use of Force Instructor since 1998 and has instructed at the Ontario Police College and the Canadian Police College. Don holds instructor certifications in all areas of Use of Force, with particular expertise in scenario based learning and design as well as defensive tactics.

Lissa Ruocco (Sergeant), Use of Force Instructor, iPREP Master Instructor

Lissa Ruocco has over 25 years of experience in law enforcement, with18 of those years in the tactical unit. Within the tactical unit, she has worked as a sniper, negotiator, rappel master, fitness appraiser, team leader and training officer. She is the first female sniper in all of Canada. A recipient of the 2021 Ontario Women in Law Enforcement’s Mentoring and Coaching Award, and the People’s Choice Presentation award from the Society of Police and Criminal Psychology. Lissa encourages both women and men to pursue a career in tactical policing.

Gene A. DiMaria (Ret. Chief), Use of Force Instructor, iPREP Master Instructor

Gene is the former Chief of Safety and Firearms Branch for the Probation and Pretrial Services Office, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Gene has over 25 years of Community Corrections experience. He served as a Probation Officer, Supervisor, Section Chief, and Branch Chief. He was instrumental in the development of the Federal Probation and Pretrial Academy where he served as a Use of Force Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, and scenario-based training instructor.

Samuli Mikkola, Senior Constable, Use of Force Instructor at the Police University College of Finland, iPREP Instructor

Samuli Mikkola has over 15 years of experience as a Firefighter/EMT, SWAT officer, sniper, police officer and medic. Samuli has been a Use of Force instructor for over 12 years.

Sarah C. Scott, B.Sc., iPREP Academic Instructor

Sarah has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Mental Health Studies from the University of Toronto. She is currently a lab coordinator and editorial research assistant at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She has a keen interest in the physiology and psychology underlying stress and trauma. As an iPREP academic instructor, Sarah specializes in the biological mechanisms and psychological significance of the techniques learned in iPREP and assists in the delivery of evidence based police training.

Paula M. Di Nota, PhD (Neuroscience), iPREP Academic Instructor

Dr. Di Nota is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the HART Lab under the supervision of Dr. Andersen. She is currently investigating the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying training and complex motor learning in police populations, as well as the influence of occupational stress on the mental health and well-being of police and other first responders. Her dissertation research, conducted at York University, examined learning-induced changes to brain activity using behavioral, fMRI, and EEG measures.

Juha-Matti Huhta, MA (Education) Chief Inspector at the Police University College of Finland, Expert Use of Force Instructor, iPREP Instructor

Juha-Matti has been a police officer for over 20 years and has several years of experience in special units, including K-9 unit and Regional Special Response Team (RSRT). He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Tampere in the Faculty of Education. In close co-operation with researchers at the University of Toronto, Juha-Matti’s primary research and pedagogical interest focuses on understanding and developing situational awareness in policing, and using evidence-based approaches to police training whenever possible.