Law Enforcement Psychological and Counseling Associates, Inc. (LEPCA) is a well-established consultation firm that provides its services exclusively to law enforcement and other varied public safety agencies. The firm was established in 1977 to effectively address the often unique and complex issues facing psychologists who take on the role of a public safety psychological consultant. Dr. Mark Axelberd, the primary founder of the firm, actively practiced in police and public safety psychology for over 35 years and was Board Certified in Police & Public Safety Psychology in 2010.  Dr. Axelberd still serves as an active consultant with the firm.  Dr. Brian Mangan started with the firm in 2005 as a full-time licensed psychologist.  In 2011, Dr. Mangan took over the day to day operations of LEPCA and serves as President of the firm.  In 2014, Dr. Mangan was awarded Board Certification in Police & Public Safety Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology, a unique specialty distinction in the field.  He currently serves on the Executive Board of the Police Psychological Services Section with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as the Board of Directors for the American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology.

Since the South Florida region is multi-ethnic in composition, LEPCA understands the importance of cultural awareness and making certain that our services are accepted and utilized by the diverse cultural groups found in public safety work. One way to achieve this goal is to include mental health professionals from varied ethnic backgrounds in all areas of the firm’s consultation work. This important philosophy is the reason why the firm has always recruited and maintained a well-balanced professional staff representing ethnic diversity, as well as professionals who possess expertise in varied specialties of psychology.

Over many years, the firm has been intricately involved in every facet of law enforcement and public safety consultation. In particular, the firm is very well known for its expertise in pre-employment psychological screening and our evaluation process has served as a model for numerous agencies and psychologists entering this field. We have conducted over 90,000 evaluations for approximately 70 public safety agencies and carried out extensive research in this area. Additionally, LEPCA staff serve as the Employee Assistance Program for City of Miami, Coral Gables, and Hialeah Police/Public Safety Agencies, as well as conduct Critical Incident Stress Debriefings and officer wellness/resiliency trainings.  We have always been known for our innovative but practical approaches to achieving the highest quality services to our clients. Indeed, many of the now commonly accepted psychological services for State of Florida public safety agencies were originally designed and promoted by members of our firm. Our reputation has also resulted in municipalities around the country and even internationally utilizing our expertise in initiating or improving upon psychological services to their respective public safety agencies. Most importantly, we take great pride in our work and never forget the critical nature of the services we provide. The vast majority of agencies have used our services for over 35 years and have come to count on us for “state of the art” knowledge and execution. We value the trust placed in us by our clients and our firm will always strive to be deserving of the respect and opportunity given to us by the law enforcement and public safety community.