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Surveillance of non-fatal workplace assault injuries, using police and employers' reports.

Although the majority of work-related homicides are routinely reported in the United States, information on non-fatal events is less complete. Comprehensive surveillance of non-fatal events depends on understanding reporting trends to different agencies. This study characterizes workplace assaults reported to police and through employers in eight southern California cities. Employers' reports filed from October 1, 1994, through January 31, 1995, and police reports filed from June 1, 1994, through March 31, 1995, that involved a non-fatal workplace assault injury were included. Reports from police and employers were linked, and annualized rates combining non-duplicative reports were calculated and event characteristics compared. The combined annualized rate of workplace assault injury for the eight cities was 184.6 per 100,000 workers, which was almost twice the rate found in either reporting source individually. Police reports differed from employers' reports by industry and occupation of victim but not type of event or weapons used. Examination of multiple reporting sources for non-fatal workplace assault injuries is essential to identifying the magnitude of these events. Understanding trends in reporting is important for the effective design of prevention programs.

California↗

Fatalities due to intoxicated arrestees jumping out of moving police vehicles.

Fatalities resulting from emergency vehicle crashes are relatively rare. Mortality, particularly in the case of unbelted occupants, is relatively high. Data on drunken (handcuffed) arrestees jumping out of a moving police vehicle or the circumstances of such events have not been published. Two cases of such fatalities are described in this paper. Since these cases should be considered as "death in custody," may give rise to significant covering and speculation in the media, and may raise liability questions, they require an in-depth medicolegal investigation, including investigation of the crime scene, complete medicolegal autopsy/toxicology, and reconstruction of the event in the presence of an experienced forensic pathologist. From the 2 cases described in this paper, it appears that mechanical malfunctioning of the locking device of the door of the police vehicle and lack of controlling the actual lock-tied closing of the vehicle door (instead just assuming that it happened) may precipitate such cases. Auditory control by the police officers of the arrestee tampering with or manipulating the car door may be hampered by the background noise of the police vehicle, the on-board radio, and the use of a siren. Regular visual control and adequate control of the actual locking of the vehicle door are of paramount importance to prevent such mishaps. Reconstruction of the event in the presence of the forensic experts is mandatory to test the different hypotheses of the fatal event.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Teenage suicides in northern Sweden: an interview study of investigating police officers.

OBJECTIVE: To disclose recurrent, dynamic, and static factors in teenage suicide involving the suicidee, his/her family, and the community; and to investigate the feasibility of using police as informants for suicide studies. SUBJECTS: All deaths categorised as suicide 1993 through 1995 among teenagers in Northern Sweden (n=15). METHOD: Semiqualitative interviews with police officers, and, when applicable, general practitioners. Police reports, necropsy protocols, medical records, and conscription data were also analysed. RESULTS: Most suicides occurred in rural and depopulated areas. In contrast to males, females often had a history of overt psychiatric problems with suicide attempts. At least two thirds of the suicides were planned. CONCLUSION: Cultural and sociopolitical aspects are important in teenage suicide as well as gender differences. Police officers can provide essential information. Identifying teenagers at risk remains difficult, however, due to low baseline rates.

Adolescent↗

Older driver involvements in police reported crashes and fatal crashes: trends and projections.

OBJECTIVES: Older drivers have become a larger part of the driving population and will continue to do so as the baby boomers reach retirement age. The purpose of this study was to identify the potential effects of this population increase on highway safety. METHODS: Driver involvement rates for all police reported crashes were calculated per capita, per licensed driver, and per vehicle-mile of travel for 1990 and 1995. Also, driver involvement rates for fatal crashes were calculated for 1983, 1990, and 1995. Based on current crash rates per licensed driver and estimates of the future number of licensed drivers, projections of crashes involving drivers aged 65 and older were made for years 2010, 2020, and 2030. RESULTS: Driver crash involvement rates per capita decreased with age, but fatal involvement rates per capita increased starting at age 70. The same pattern existed for involvement rates per licensed driver. For both all crashes and fatal crashes, involvement rates per mile driven increased appreciably at age 70. Using projections of population growth, it was estimated that for all ages there will be a 34% increase in the number of drivers involved in police reported crashes and a 39% increase in the number involved in fatal crashes between 1999 and 2030. In contrast, among older drivers, police reported crash involvements are expected to increase by 178% and fatal involvements may increase by 155% by 2030. Drivers aged 65 and older will account for more than half of the total increase in fatal crashes and about 40% of the expected increase in all crash involvements; they are expected to account for as much as 25% of total driver fatalities in 2030, compared with 14% presently. CONCLUSIONS: By most measures, older drivers are at less risk of being involved in police reported crashes but at higher risk of being in fatal crashes. Although any projections of future crash counts have inherent uncertainty, there is strong evidence that older drivers will make up a substantially larger proportion of drivers involved in fatal crashes by 2030 because of future increases in the proportion of the population aged 65 and older, and trends toward increased licensure rates and higher annual mileage among older persons. Countermeasures to reduce the anticipated death toll among older drivers should address the increased susceptibility to injury of older vehicle occupants in crashes.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Suicide among police.

The author presents and comments on recently acquired police suicide data from several cities in the United States and from the Metropolitan Police Department of London and on extensive archival police suicide files. He also explores some of the psychosocial factors that may affect the high incidence of suicide among people who actively specialize in police work.

Adult↗

Characteristics of police referrals to a psychiatric emergency unit in Australia.

The study examined characteristics of patients referred by police to a psychiatric emergency unit on the campus of a 400-bed psychiatric hospital in Adelaide, South Australia. Of all police referrals (N = 634) during a 21-month period, 437 cases were admitted to the hospital. Most police referrals were young, single, unemployed men. In a subsample of 61 patients, 72 percent had previous psychiatric admissions and 39 percent had been previously referred by police. Compared with nonpsychotic subjects, psychotic subjects used more mental health resources, had a longer index admission, and after the index discharge relapsed more rapidly and spent more days in the hospital.

Adolescent↗

Examining the impact of external influences on police use of deadly force over time.

Prior deadly force research has sought to identify appropriate mechanisms that can effectively control police officers' decisions to use deadly force. However, the relative impact of external discretion control policies on police shooting behavior remains largely unknown. Using data from Philadelphia for a period of more than two decades, this article employs interrupted time-series analysis (ARIMA) to examine the impact of legislation and judicial intervention on use of deadly force by Philadelphia police officers. The article also considers the impact of larger, community-level characteristics on levels of deadly force. Findings produced modest support for the potential effect of external discretion control policies and community-level factors on police shooting behavior but generally suggest that dynamic changes in the internal working environment can outweigh the influence of the external mechanisms.

Criminal Law↗

Drawing on memory: exploring the expertise of a police artist.

The use by the police of artists to draw likenesses of suspects is on the increase, yet there are few studies of their professional prowess. In the current study, art students observed one of six target faces before either drawing a likeness of the person themselves or collaborating with an experienced police artist. The likenesses produced by the police artist were judged as consistently superior to those made by the students, despite the artist working indirectly from the witnesses' verbal directions. Instructions to judge the target face in terms of likely character and personality led to better drawings than instruction to examine physical features when students worked with the artist but not when they drew on their own. These findings are discussed in terms of police practice and face processing theory.

Crime↗

Sources of police stressors, job attitudes, and psychological distress.

Sources of police stressors, job attitudes, and psychological distress were measured and analyzed from a sample of 103 police officers. Analysis indicated that police organizational stressors, mediated by job satisfaction and organizational goal orientation, increased psychological distress 6.3 times more than inherent police stressors. The indirect effect of organizational and inherent stressors appeared to nullify the distress-reducing potential of increased job satisfaction. Results are discussed in terms of these findings and the possible implications for further studies and intervention.

Depression↗

White lead exposure among Danish police officers employed in fingerprint detection.

White lead exposure among Danish police officers employed in fingerprint detection. Scand j work environ health 9 (1983) 511-513. White lead is often used by police officers employed in fingerprint detection (dactylography). On the basis of a case of mild lead intoxication in a police officer all 22 exposed police officers at the Bureau of Dactylographic Identification in Copenhagen were examined. All went through a clinical examination and blood lead determination. None of the participants showed any sign of lead intoxication. The median blood lead concentration was 0.97 mumol/l (10th-90th percentiles 0.72-1.44 mumol/l), a value definitely higher than the average of the general population matched for age and sex. A correlation between the weekly white lead exposure and blood lead concentration (r = 0.87, p less than 0.0001) was found among the participants.

Adult↗

[Sudden death after release from police detention].

3 fatalities shortly after discharge from police custody are reported. Case 1: A 55-year old alcoholic was discharged from police custody after taking a blood sample under violent conditions and found dead in his flat 2 days later. Cause of death: arrhythmia due to acute coronary insufficiency or alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Case 2: A 27-year-old alcoholic was met highly intoxicated twice in the course of one day, was put in the family's care and was found dead the next morning. Cause of death: alcohol/drug intoxication with agonal aspiration. Case 3: A 32-year-old man known to be prone to seizures and to become aggressive under the influence of alcohol was left by the police in medical care confined to a litter in a "hog-tied" fashion with the help of 3 belts. Cause of death: cerebral hypoxia after respiratory and cardiac arrest of unknown reason. A causal relationship with positional restraint is discussed. The cases reported underline the duty of the police to examine prior to discharge from custody with the appropriate lot of care whether the person held in custody has recovered from the helpless state due to disease, injury or intoxication or if medical treatment is required.

Adult↗

[Notification of unexpected patients' death to the police].

Controversies continue to exist in what situation the surgeons are obliged to report the perioperative patients' death to the police. With regard to this issue, Japan Surgical Society and twelve other Japanese Surgical Societies have declared that 1) patients' death due to evident malpractice must be reported to the police, 2) patients' death resulting from anticipated surgical complications need not be reported to the police, 3) an independent organization be founded for collection and investigation of medical accident/incident reports. Japan Surgical Society will take a responsibility of making a practical guideline as to the notification of accidents to the police and take a leadership in establishing the independent medical accident/incident center.

Aged↗

Police suicides revisted.

Between January 1, 1934 and January 1, 1940, 91 New York City policemen committed suicide. Dr. Paul Friedmann, in the only previously published account describing this special group, speculated that the high suicide rate for those years was due, in part, to the turbulence caused by changes in New York City's political administration attendant to Tammany Hall's fall from political hegemony as a result of the 1933 election of Fiorello H. La Guardia. The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the original police files and case histories, now residing in the Zilboorg-Friedman Archives, and to offer new comments and speculations concerning these police suicides. Involved in this examination will be (a) the use of the "psychological autopsy" in assessing several equivocal deaths; (b) the use of statistical techniques to analyze both previously unpublished archival material and recently acquired police suicide data from other cities in America and England; and (c) a discussion of the impact of Tammany Hall politics on the police department, including an assessment of the effects of the La Guardia election in 1933.

Adult↗

Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Department, 23 August 1988.

The plaintiff, a woman who alleged that she had been subjected to harassment and vandalism by her former husband, sought damages from the local police department under federal US Civil Rights legislation. She claimed that she had been deprived of due process and equal protection of the law because the police had failed to respond to her repeated complaints even though they knew that she had been severely beaten by her husband and that she had obtained a restraining order against him. Although the Court ruled that the police had no constitutional duty to protect people from crime, it held that in this case a special relationship existed between the plaintiff and the police because of their knowledge of her complaints and the restraining order. The Court allowed the suit to proceed.

Americas↗

Trends in urban violence: a comparison of accident department and police records.

Police crime statistics and crime survey data are known to be poor indicators of levels of violence in society. Longitudinal investigations of assault injury have not been carried out in accident and emergency departments hitherto, but may provide an accurate perspective of trends in violence. The attendance of assault patients at a city centre accident and emergency department was compared with 'wounding against the person' recorded by the police between 1973 and 1990. Woundings recorded by the police increased consistently throughout the study period whereas the number of assault patients did not increase between 1977 and 1987. From 1975 to 1990, police statistics showed a 9-fold and accident and emergency data a 6-fold increase. Both data sets showed substantial overall increases in violence after 1987, and a decrease in 1979. Further epidemiological studies of violence are necessary.

Crime↗

Constructing the symbolic complainant: police subculture and the nonenforcement of protection orders for battered women.

This exploratory study examines the effects of patriarchy on police and individual attitudes toward the enforcement of protective court orders for battered women. Police officers (N = 13) and justice officials (N = 8) in the Municipality of Delta were interviewed for their opinions on the efficacy of both Criminal Code peace bonds and Family Relations Act (R.S.B.C., amended 1986) civil restraining orders. Interview data suggest that both protective orders are rarely treated seriously by the police or the courts. It is argued that the occupational culture of the police leads to exaggerated patriarchal notions of women, marriage, and family that are conservative; blame the victim; point finger at other institutions; foster images of women as manipulative; and produce a fictitious narrative of battered women.

British Columbia↗

Young people's experience of the Canadian youth justice system: interacting with police and legal counsel.

Young people's knowledge and experience of the youth justice system was examined to explore self-reported factors that influenced their decisions regarding assertion versus waiver of rights to silence and legal counsel. Participants were 50 adolescents from Toronto, Canada ranging in age from 12 to 18 (mean age=15.6 years). Results of semi-structured interviews indicated that while over 60% of participants recalled being told of their rights to silence and counsel, three-quarters did not contact a lawyer at the police station and half of those asked by police answered their questions. Findings suggest that the awareness of due process rights is not sufficient to mitigate the atmosphere of coercion that characterizes the police station. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Visual function of police officers who have undergone refractive surgery.

INTRODUCTION: The visual acuity and contrast sensitivity of police recruits and officers was evaluated in both normal and dim illumination conditions to determine whether officers who have had refractive surgery have compromised night vision. METHODS: The control group consisted of 76 officers and recruits who have not had refractive surgery and the refractive surgery group consisted of 22 officers and recruits who had refractive surgery. Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were measured under both room illumination and dim illumination. The room illumination test series included high contrast acuity, low contrast acuity and Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity. The dim illumination test series included high contrast acuity, low contrast acuity, Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity, license plate number acuity (with and without glare) and the Mesotest. RESULTS: The general findings were that the refractive surgery group had lower acuity scores on low contrast targets in both room and dim light levels along with a reduction in the Mesotest scores with a glare source compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Although refractive surgery police recruits and officers had reduced performance on some vision tests, these reductions were small and it is unlikely that their performance on vision related tasks would be compromised, on average. The major concern is the small number of refractive surgery candidates whose results were well outside the range of the non-surgical candidates. Their vision may be unacceptable for policing.

Adult↗