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PubMed1987

Medical problems and criteria regarding the use of tear gas by police.

Litigation against police agencies for the use and misuse of control agents and procedures has become an important issue for the forensic medical specialist and expert witness. As police technology improves, it becomes apparent that more information for forensic experts will be required in this area. One such area of concern is the use of tear gas by police. This paper addresses the basic types of gas in terms of their chemistry, uses, and medical side effects and complications. Two types of gases--namely, chloroacetophenone (CN) and orthochlorobenzylidenemalontrile (CS)--are discussed in terms of basic properties, unique advantages, and possible harm to the body. CN and CS are relatively safe agents that can be used to control the behavior of a dangerous person. Clinical examples of their use and misuse by police are also reported. Specific guidelines are offered to help ensure a proper assessment of the dangerous person and to protect the health and lives of police personnel, perpetrators, and others exposed to the tear gas. Forensic experts called to testify about the behavior of the disturbed person or to assess the appropriateness of action taken to subdue that person must become more aware of the technology employed by police agencies to accomplish this particular job of protecting public safety.

Female↗

PubMed2005

Honeybee workers use cues other than egg viability for policing.

Worker policing, wherein social insect workers prevent their sisters from reproducing by eating worker-laid eggs, is recognized as a textbook example of kin selection in action. However, the evolutionary basis of policing was recently challenged in a study that suggested that police-workers remove worker-laid eggs not because rearing workers' sons reduces worker fitness, but merely because worker-laid eggs have low viability. Here, we refute Pirk et al.'s conclusions. First, we confirm earlier work that showed equal viability of eggs laid by queens and workers. Second, a statistical analysis of the data of Pirk et al. reveals that their own data do not support the conclusion that worker-laid eggs are policed merely because of their low viability. Third, we present data that unequivocally show that police-workers cannot discriminate between dead and live eggs. Hence, our study seriously weakens the challenge to the kin-selected basis of policing in honeybees.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Worker reproduction and policing in insect societies: an ESS analysis.

Insect societies are vulnerable to exploitation by workers who reproduce selfishly rather than help to rear the queen's offspring. In most species, however, only a small proportion of the workers reproduce. Here, we develop an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) model to investigate factors that could explain these observed low levels of reproductive exploitation. Two key factors are identified: relatedness and policing. Relatedness affects the ESS proportion of reproductive workers because laying workers generally work less, leading to greater inclusive fitness costs when within-colony relatedness is higher. The second key factor is policing. In many species, worker-laid eggs are selectively removed or 'policed' by other workers or the queen. We show that policing not only prevents the rearing of worker-laid eggs but can also make it unprofitable for workers to lay eggs in the first place. This can explain why almost no workers reproduce in species with efficient policing, such as honeybees, Apis, and the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, despite relatively low relatedness caused by multiple mating of the mother queen. Although our analyses focus on social insects, the conclusion that both relatedness and policing can reduce the incentive for cheating applies to other biological systems as well.

Altruism↗

PubMed1986

Suicide among police in a federal force.

Suicide among police has gained the attention of numerous police forces over the past two decades. The great variation in reported police suicide rates and caveats concerning such statistics are addressed. The paper reports the results of a study of suicide among members (n = 35) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RMCP) between 1960 and 1983. The average annual rate (14.1 per 100,000) of suicide in this force was approximately half that of the comparable general population, and the most common means of suicide was by service revolver (77% of cases). Recommendations are made for suicide prevention and postvention actions in police forces. Finally, the need for reliable, long-term police suicide data bases is stressed.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

Psychiatric referrals from the police.

This is a study of one mode of inception into psychiatric care in Birmingham. Mentally disturbed people coming to the attention of the police are referred to a mental welfare officer and assessed by him, usually in a police station. The mental welfare officer may then refer for a psychiatric decision with regard to further management, and the patient is examined by the doctor in the police station. The annual frequency of use of this referral system was studied from 1962-73 inclusive. It is shown that there was an increase in referral over the years and that such referral from the police became an increasing proportion of new referrals to the Mental Health Department (Social Services Department). The sample of referrals from the police for 12 months is studied in greater detail (252 cases), surveying social characteristics of individual patients, the relationships between such police intervention and areas of the city, the nature of situation requiring intervention and the management and treatment which these patients received. The referrals were traced from contact with the mental welfare officer to hospital where the case notes of those admitted were studied for details of legal status and mental state on admission, diagnosis, duration of stay and disposal. The effectiveness of this method of entering treatment is discussed and some recommendations are made.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

A comparison of the effects of posted feedback and increased police surveillance on highway speeding.

A counterbalanced, reversal design was used to compare the effectiveness of posted feedback and increased police surveillance in reducing speeding on two urban highways. Drivers' speeds were measured using a concealed radar unit. During public posting, a large highway sign, which listed the percentage of drivers not speeding during the preceding week and the best record to date, was erected on each street. Use of the feedback sign alternated with periods of baseline and periods of increased police surveillance and ticketing. During increased police surveillance, highly visible, stationary police radar patrols were established along the highways for either 30 min or 60 min per day, 5 days per week. Results indicated that although public posting was highly effective in reducing the percentage of speeding drivers, increased police surveillance was not. Thus, since the feedback sign required only 30 min per week to maintain, public posting was at least 10 times more efficient in controlling speeding than was police surveillance and ticketing.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1996

Safe storage of handguns. What do the police recommend?

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the specific suggestions that local police departments in the United States give to parents who ask for advice about methods to safely store handguns. METHODS: A cross-sectional, semistructured telephone survey was administered to a sample of 102 police departments in the United States in cities with populations of 10,000 or more, selected within blocks of cities of similar population size. An investigator, posing as a parent of 3-year-old and 10-year-old children, called departments seeking specific advice on how to safely store a handgun acquired for protection. RESULTS: Usable responses were generated for 93 (91%) of the departments sampled. Only 3 departments (3.2%) refused to give advice over the telephone. The most commonly suggested storage methods were trigger locks (55 departments [59%]), portable lockboxes for handguns (48 [52%]), and the separation of guns from ammunition (30 [32%]). Seven percent of departments suggested removing the gun from the household. Over half of those suggesting trigger locks and lockboxes considered these devices safe (35 [64%] for trigger locks and 27 [56%] for lockboxes) and yet rapidly accessible to an adult (36 [65%] for trigger locks and 36 [75%] for lockboxes). Responding police officers most commonly reported using the following storage methods at home: no storage method (31 [38%]), portable lockboxes (23 [28%]), out-of-reach location (11 [13%]), separation of gun and ammunition (10 [12%]), and trigger locks (5 [6%]). CONCLUSIONS: Trigger locks are frequently recommended but infrequently used by police themselves at home. Portable lockboxes are frequently recommended as well as used by police.

Accidents, Home↗

PubMed2001

Mandatory reporting of domestic violence injuries to the police: what do emergency department patients think?

CONTEXT: Laws requiring mandatory reporting of domestic violence to police exist in 4 states. Controversy exists about the risks and benefits of such laws. OBJECTIVE: To examine attitudes of female emergency department patients toward mandatory reporting of domestic violence injuries to police and how these attitudes may differ by abuse status. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional survey conducted in 1996 of 1218 women patients (72.8% response rate) in 12 emergency departments in California (a state with a mandatory reporting law) and Pennsylvania (without such a law). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Opposition to mandatory reporting to police and the characteristics associated with this belief. RESULTS: Twelve percent of respondents (n = 140) reported physical or sexual abuse within the past year by a current or former partner. Of abused women, 55.7% supported mandatory reporting and 44.3% opposed mandatory reporting (7.9% preferred that physicians never report abuse to police and 36.4% preferred physicians report only with patient consent). Among nonabused women, 70.7% (n = 728) supported mandatory reporting and 29.3% opposed mandatory reporting. Patients currently seeing/living with partners (odds ratio [OR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.0), non-English speakers (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.4-3.0), and those who had experienced physical or sexual abuse within the last year (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.6-2.9) had higher odds of opposing mandatory reporting of domestic violence injuries. There were no differences in attitudes by location (California vs Pennsylvania). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of mandatory reporting of domestic violence to police should be further assessed, and policymakers should consider options that include consent of patients before wider implementation.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Civil protection orders and risk of subsequent police-reported violence.

CONTEXT: Approximately 1.5 million US women experience intimate partner violence annually. Approximately 20% of these women obtain civil protection orders, but the effectiveness of such orders in preventing future violence is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess associations between obtaining a protection order and risk of subsequent police-reported intimate partner violence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS: Retrospective cohort study of 2691 adult female residents of Seattle, Wash, with an incident of male intimate partner violence reported to the Seattle Police Department between August 1, 1998, and December 31, 1999. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Relative risk (RR) of police-reported physical and psychological abuse in the 12 months following the index incident according to protection order status (temporary protection order, usually in effect for 2 weeks; permanent protection order, usually in effect for 12 months; or no protection order). RESULTS: Overall rates of police-reported physical and psychological abuse in the 12 months of follow-up were 13.5 per 100 person-years and 12.3 per 100 person-years, respectively. After controlling for cohabitation at time of index incident and index incident offense type, women with temporary protection orders in effect were more likely than women without protection orders to be psychologically abused (RR in the first 6 months after the index incident, 4.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-7.2; RR in the entire 12 months after the index incident, 4.9; 95% CI, 2.8-8.6), while women with permanent protection orders in effect were less likely than those without orders to be physically abused (RR in the first 6 months, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.1-1.1; RR in the entire 12 months, 0.2; 95% CI, 0.1-0.8). CONCLUSIONS: Permanent, but not temporary, protection orders are associated with a significant decrease in risk of police-reported violence against women by their male intimate partners.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Suicides, homicides, and accidental death: a comparative risk assessment of police officers and municipal workers.

Inherent dangers in police work, such as the possibility of homicide victimization or accidents, often overshadow the psychological consequences of this occupation. The present study employed data from a Buffalo, NY retrospective mortality municipal worker cohort to evaluate the risk of suicide, homicide, and accidents among police officers, and compared that risk to other municipal workers. Within the police occupation, officers had an 8.23-fold risk of suicide over homicide and a 3.1-fold risk of suicide over accidents. Compared to municipal workers, police officers had an RR = 1.53 (95% CI = 0.633-3.72) for suicide over homicide, a significant RR = 3.1 (95% CI = 1.94-4.97) for suicide over accidents, and a significant RR = 2.65 (95% CI = 1.76-4.00) for suicide over homicide and accidents combined. Possible reasons for suicide among police officers are discussed.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed1996

Exceeding the speed limit: an evaluation of the effectiveness of a police intervention.

Driving too fast is probably one of the main contributors to the occurrence and severity of road accidents, and intention to speed is an important predictor of exceeding speed limits. This study examined the effect of a police intervention on exceeding the posted speed limit (speed of vehicles on the target road) and on intentions to speed (attitude questionnaire). The intervention consisted of a week in which 'police speed check area' warning signs were put up on the target 40 mph limit road, followed by a week of active police presence, followed by a further week in which the signs remained. The speed of vehicles was measured using police data collection equipment for a total of 7 weeks. The effect on the intentions of drivers using the road to exceed speed limits was assessed across age, sex and pre-intervention speeding behaviour using questionnaire measures. Fewer people broke the speed limit during the intervention than before, this effect lasting to a limited extent up to 9 weeks after police activity ceased and 8 weeks after signs were removed. The effect on drivers breaking the speed limit by large amounts was more transient. The intervention reduced intention to speed for subject groupings with high pre-intervention intention. Traffic flow contributed significantly to the variance in vehicle speed, but was not responsible for differences between the weeks, which may therefore be attributed to the intervention. Traffic flow also did not account for differences in speed between the two directions of traffic, which may therefore be attributed to the fact that the road areas preceding the target area in each direction differed in their speed limits (70 vs 30 mph). Intentions to speed, as well as speed adaptation difficulties are though to contribute to these differences.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Comparison of reporting of seat belt use by police and crash investigators: variation in agreement by injury severity.

PURPOSE: To evaluate agreement between police and trained investigators regarding seat belt use by crash victims, according to injury severity. METHODS: We used data from the National Accident Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (CDS) for front seat occupants, 16 years and older, in crashes during 1993-2000. Crashworthiness Data System investigators determined belt use from vehicle inspection, interviews, and medical record information; their assessment was considered the gold standard for this analysis. Occupant severity of injury was categorized in five levels from no injuries to death. We estimated the sensitivity, specificity, and area under receiver operating characteristic curves for police reports of belt use. RESULTS: Among 48,858 occupants, sensitivity of a police report that a belt was used was 95.8% overall and varied only modestly by injury severity. Specificity of a police report that a belt was not used was 69.1% overall; it was the lowest among the uninjured (53.2%) and greatest among the dead (90.4%). The area under the curve was 0.82 (95% confidence interval 0.82-0.83) overall; this was lowest among those not injured (0.75, 95% confidence interval 0.74-0.76) and increased with injury severity to 0.91 (95% confidence interval 0.90-0.93) among those who died. CONCLUSION: Police usually classify belted crash victims as belted, regardless of injury severity. But they often classify unbelted survivors as belted when they were not. This misclassification may result in exaggerated estimates of seat belt effectiveness in some studies.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2005

Patterns of illicit drug use of prisoners in police custody in London, UK.

AIMS AND METHODS: The aims of the study were to explore the current characteristics of drug misusers seen in police custody and identify trends or changes that have taken place in the last decade. A prospective, anonymised, structured questionnaire survey was undertaken of consenting consecutive, self-admitted illicit drug users seen by forensic physicians in police custody within the Metropolitan Police Service in London, UK in 2003. RESULTS: 30% of detainees were dependent on heroin or crack cocaine. Drug users (n=113) were studied in 2003. 95.4% completed the questionnaire. 82% were male, 18% female. Mean age was 28.5 y (range 18-49). 80% were unemployed; significant mental health issues (e.g., schizophrenia) were present in 18%; 15% had alcohol dependence; heroin was the most frequently used drug (93%); crack cocaine -- 87%; mean daily cost of drugs -- heroin GBP 76 (range 20-240), crack GBP 81 (range 20-300). >50% users inject crack and heroin simultaneously. 56% used the intravenous route; 25% had shared needles; 100% had accessible sources of clean needles; 6.4% were hepatitis B positive; 42% were aware of hepatitis prophylaxis; hepatitis C positive -- 20.2%; 3.6% were HIV positive. Mean length of time of drug use was 7.5 y (range 1 month -- 20 years); 82% had served a previous prison sentence; 54% had used drugs in prison; 11% had used needles in prison; 3% of users stated they had started using in prison. 38% had been on rehabilitation programs; 11% had been on Drug Treatment and Testing; Orders (DTTO); 32% had used the services of Drug Arrest Referral Teams in police stations; 10% were in contact with Drug Teams at the time of assessment. CONCLUSIONS: In the last decade, there appears to be a substantial increase in the prevalence of drug use in this population -- particularly of crack cocaine. Treatment interventions are either not readily available, or not followed through. In very general terms, the illicit drug use problem appears to have significantly worsened in the population seen in police custody in London, UK, in the last decade although there is evidence that health education and harm reduction messages appear to have had some positive effects.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

The relative risk of police use-of-force options: evaluating the potential for deployment of electronic weaponry.

An electronic weapon, the Taser M26, has recently entered the use-of-force continuum for police officers in England and Wales and is currently licensed for use by authorised firearms officers only. The aim of this report was to assess the relative risk of injury to officers and subjects of police use-of-force options and to evaluate whether the current positioning of the M26 in the use-of-force hierarchy is appropriate. We analysed use-of-force data from Northamptonshire Police Force and M26 field use data from TASER International. We found officer injury rates associated with M26 deployment were lower than those for CS spray and baton use. Subject injury rates were lower in M26 deployment than in deployment of CS spray, batons or police dogs. We suggest that the M26 should be made more widely available to police officers in the UK.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Complementing police road-crash records with trauma registry data--an initial evaluation.

This paper examines the consistency of hospital and police reporting of outcomes of road traffic crashes using a database of linked police crash reports and trauma registry records. Criteria for inclusion into the trauma registry include trauma-related causes with subsequent stay of more than 24 h or death due to injuries. During the 1997 calendar year there were 497 cases of road-related injuries within the combined trauma registry of Sir Charles Gairdner and Fremantle Hospitals, of which only 82% had matching police records. Linkage rates were associated with gender, injury severity and the number of vehicles involved. Within the road user category, pedestrians were least likely to link. Of the linked records, police classification of injury severity was correct in 78% of cases. Male casualties were more likely to be correctly classified than females, after adjustment for related variables including injury severity. Correct classification of injury by police was also closely related to severity of injury. Identification and targeting of these groups of casualties is vital in refining the road-crash reporting system. Increased crash reporting and availability of data from these two sources will provide road authorities with more reliable measures of injury outcome.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Police officer attitudes and use of discretion in situations involving the mentally ill. The need to narrow the focus.

Research to date has very effectively highlighted the fact that the mentally ill are vulnerable to systematic criminalization. The reasons cited for this range from decreasing mental health resources, to restrictive civil commitment statutes, to increased numbers of mentally ill citizens in the community as a result of deinstitutionalization. However, the research has also shown that the presence of a criminalization phenomenon is not yet generalizable. The prevailing research emphasizes a macro-level approach, using either archival data or large groups of police-citizen contacts without regard for factors intrinsic to the police-citizen exchange. This article examined two such variables (police-citizen contact type and police officer type) to illustrate the need to narrow the focus in the research. We contend that our emphasis moves the criminalization debate forward and helps provide a more comprehensive understanding of the interaction between the police and the mentally ill. Further, we submit that by controlling for these two variables, research findings will more likely be generalizable and replicable.

Attitude↗

PubMed2003

Cancer cluster among police detachment personnel.

An apparent cancer cluster at a police detachment in a coastal British Columbia community was investigated. Police personnel suspected that the detachment building may have been a factor. Police personnel (20 current and 154 previous employees) associated with the detachment since 1963, the date of occupancy, were traced. After all 174 cases were contacted directly, or next of kin in case of death, a total of 16 cases of cancer or suspected cancers were reported. Of these 16, eight cases of cancer were confirmed through a cancer registry. Cancers included testicular, cervical, colon, skin (including melanoma), leukemias and lymphomas with an age range of diagnosis between 22 and 44 years. There was no evidence for an underlying event, factor or condition in the police building that could be attributed to the observed cancer cases. A possible association between these cancers and the use of police traffic radar is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Estimated cost effectiveness of a police automated external defibrillator program in a suburban community: 7 years experience.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the cost effectiveness of a 7-year police automatic external defibrillator (AED) program in four suburban communities. METHOD: 10-year retrospective study (7/89-7/99) of patients of four suburban communities during two study periods: (1) police first response and advanced life support (ALS) care (No-AED) and; (2) AED equipped police first response (P-AED) with subsequent ALS care. Using the perspective of the communities, we obtained costs of AED program from police agencies. We estimated cost/life saved and cost/year lives saved using decreased time to VF shock by EMS. We performed a sensitivity analysis for estimates of potential benefit using estimated improved survival as a result of decreased EMS response interval and obtained survival data. We used literature-based estimates of life expectancy after cardiac arrest survival to estimate cost/year life saved. We used student's t-test and chi(2) to estimate differences between groups. RESULTS: During the 10-year study period 208 patients met study criteria; (81 No-AED, 128 P-AED). The two groups were not different by patient age, ALS response interval, percent in VF, percent witnessed (WIT), or arrest location. Interval to first defibrillator equipped EMS vehicle arrival was less in the P-AED group (2.0 vs. 5.4 min, P<0.001) as was the interval from the emergency (911) call to first VF shock (6.6 vs. 8.4 min, P=0.02). Survival to DC was not statistically different with P-AED (11.9 vs. 9.9%, P=0.66) but this study was not powered to detect a difference. Estimated cost per life saved with P-AED varied from $23542 to $70342 and cost per year life saved ranged from $1582 to $16060. CONCLUSION: Police AED appears to be a cost-effective intervention in these suburban communities which have relatively rapid EMS response intervals.

Aged↗