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At least 487 records · Page 27Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Cytogenetic biomonitoring in traffic police workers: micronucleus test in peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Atmospheric pollution represents a relevant environmental hazard which has been associated with considerable excess mortality, morbidity, and increased rates of respiratory diseases in humans. To date, more than 3,000 environmental chemical compounds have been identified in the ambient atmosphere, including a variety of mutagenic and/or carcinogenic agents, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic amines, and heterocyclic compounds. Positive associations between cytogenetic markers and airborne levels of PAHs have been reported by experimental and human studies. Traffic has been implicated as the major determinant for the concentration of PAHs and, therefore, for the genotoxic activity of urban air. A biomonitoring study has been conducted in 82 italian traffic police workers exposed to air pollutants and 34 control subjects (matched by age, gender, and smoking habits) not exposed to traffic pollutants. The aim of this study was to assess the cytogenetic effects, such as micronucleus frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes, and to estimate the association with individual exposure to PAH. Statistical analysis of the frequency of micronuclei in binucleated cells showed higher mean levels in referent subjects (4.03%) than in traffic police officers (3.73%). Smoking showed no effect on the frequency of micronuclei. The study failed to detect any association between micronucleus frequency and individual level of benzo(a)pyrene, considered a marker of exposure to PAHs. These findings indicate that exposure to urban air pollutants does not result in increased levels of micronuclei in peripheral white blood cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Unexpected death related to restraint for excited delirium: a retrospective study of deaths in police custody and in the community.

BACKGROUND: Some people in states of excited delirium die while in police custody. Emerging evidence suggests that physical restraint in certain positions may contribute to such deaths. In this study the authors determined the frequency of physical restraint among people in a state of excited delirium who died unexpectedly. METHODS: The authors reviewed the records of 21 cases of unexpected death in people with excited delirium, which were investigated by the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario between 1988 and 1995. Eyewitness testimony, findings during postmortem examinations, clinical history, toxicological data and other official documents describing the events surrounding the deaths were analyzed. Specific reference was made to documented eyewitness testimony of restraint method, body position and use of capsicum oleoresin (pepper) spray. Because cocaine was detected in the blood of some of these people during the postmortem examination, the role of cocaine in excited delirium was examined by comparing the cocaine levels in these cases with levels in 2 control groups: 19 people who died from acute cocaine intoxication and 21 people who had used cocaine shortly before they died but who had died from other causes. RESULTS: In all 21 cases of unexpected death associated with excited delirium, the deaths were associated with restraint (for violent agitation and hyperactivity), with the person either in a prone position (18 people [86%]) or subjected to pressure on the neck (3 [14%]). All of those who died had suddenly lapsed into tranquillity shortly after being restrained. The excited delirium was caused by a psychiatric disorder in 12 people (57%) and by cocaine-induced psychosis in 8 (38%). Eighteen people (86%) were in police custody when they died. Four (19%) had been sprayed with capsicum oleoresin, and heart disease was found in another 4 at autopsy. The blood level of cocaine in those whose excited delirium was cocaine induced was similar to levels found in recreational cocaine users and lower than levels found in people who died from cocaine intoxication. INTERPRETATION: Restraint may contribute to the death of people in states of excited delirium, and further studies to test this hypothesis are recommended. Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities and others should bear in mind the potential for the unexpected death of people in states of excited delirium who are restrained in the prone position or with a neck hold.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Personality profiles of police candidates.

Recently, Eber (1991) reported on several large-scale studies of law enforcement candidates. The main measures were the two parts of the Clinical Analysis Questionnaire (Krug, Cattell, & IPAT, 1980). Part I consists of the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire Scales, while Part II is devoted to 12 measures of psychopathology. The most striking finding was a clear personality profile characterized by a strong pattern of self-discipline or Control, Tough Poise, and low Anxiety. Our study hypothesis was that several police personality profiles would be found. This conjecture was tested on the 16PF scores of two samples of 275 police candidates by means of the Ward (1963) hierarchical clustering procedure and the Milligan/Sokal (1980) nonhierarchical K-means cluster procedures. Three distinct score profiles were isolated in both samples.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Policing behaviour towards virgin egg layers in a polygynous ponerine ant.

The majority of colonies of Gnamptogenys menadensis in Sulawesi lack queens and several workers ('gamergates') mate and reproduce instead. Virgin workers lay morphologically specialized trophic eggs which are fed to larvae. Some of these virgins switch to male eggs when gamergates are experimentally removed. Three distinct patterns of oogenesis thus result in: (1) trophic eggs; (2) reproductive eggs (unfertilized) laid by virgin workers; and (3) reproductive eggs laid by gamergates, whose ovarioles are always longer than those of virgin workers. We investigated the behavioural regulation of ovarian activity in virgin workers by temporarily excluding gamergates. In 12 groups of 35-45 virgins, a few workers became dominant and started to lay reproductive eggs. Once gamergates were reintroduced, sterile workers attacked and immobilized workers with enlarged ovaries (confirmed by dissection of 173 individuals), which often died as a result. Gamergates were never aggressive towards new egg layers. Aggression was not triggered by divergence in colony odours, as it was absent in control experiments in which six colonies were divided in half, with each part containing gamergates, and reunited after 50 days. Our results show that sterile workers discriminate against new egg layers, given that their ovaries are not as developed as those of gamergates. Olfactory detection of different levels of ovarian activity thus appears possible. Mesh experiments indicated that the putative pheromones are nonvolatile and require physical contact for transmission. Aggressive behaviour directed at reproducing workers can be interpreted as worker policing. In G. menadensis, worker policing results in virgins laying only trophic eggs. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Similar policing rates of eggs laid by virgin and mated honey-bee queens.

Worker-policing is a well-documented mechanism that maintains functional worker sterility in queen-right honey-bee colonies. Unknown, however, is the source of the egg-marking signal that is thought to be produced by the queen and used by policing workers to discriminate between queen- and worker-laid eggs. Here we investigate whether mating is necessary for the queen to produce the egg-marking signal. We compare the removal rate of eggs laid by virgin queens and compare this rate with that of eggs laid by mated queens. Our results show that mating does not affect the acceptability of eggs, suggesting that physiological changes linked to the act of mating do not play a role in the production of the queen's egg-marking signal.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Fertility signaling--the proximate mechanism of worker policing in a clonal ant.

In eusocial insects, the ability to regulate reproduction relies on cues that signal the presence of fertile individuals. We investigated the variation of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) with reproductive status in Platythyrea punctata, an ant, in which all workers are capable of producing daughters from unfertilized eggs (thelytoky). Who reproduces is determined through dominance and worker policing. New reproductives, which developed their ovaries after separation from an old reproductive for a short period of time, were attacked by nonreproductives upon reintroduction into their colony. In contrast, aggression against new reproductives with fully developed ovaries, which had been separated over a longer period, was initiated by fights between old and new reproductives. CHC profiles varied with ovarian development. New reproductives were only attacked when they expressed a CHC profile similar to old reproductives, but not when it was similar to that of nonreproductives. CHCs appear to signal the fertility of individuals and induce policing behavior towards surplus reproductive workers.

Aggression↗
PubMed1985

The relationships among driving while impaired charges, police drinking-driving roadcheck activity, media coverage and alcohol-related casualty traffic accidents.

A correlational examination of 54 consecutive months of data from British Columbia on the relationships among the number of vehicles checked in police drinking-driving roadchecks, the number of driving while impaired (DWI) charges laid, the number and percent of alcohol-related casualty traffic accidents, and the extent of media coverage on drinking-driving (as measured by print media coverage), revealed that: the extent of media coverage, and not the extent of roadchecks or charging activity is probably the critical element in the reduction of drinking-driving accidents. The failure of the minimally publicized April-May 1984 British Columbia police roadcheck "blitz" to reduce either the number or proportion of alcohol-related casualty traffic accidents lent support to these correlational findings.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1990

A time comparison study of the New York State Safety Belt Use Law utilizing hospital admission and police accident report information.

New York state enacted the first safety belt use law in the United States in 1984. We evaluated the effects of the law by reviewing all hospital admissions from motor vehicle crashes in Monroe County, New York. We compared admissions for the 18 months prior to the effective date of the law with those for the 18 months after the law became effective. Police accident reports and hospital records were coupled and intensively reviewed. Motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists (bicycle collisions with motor vehicles) became controls for the study. Seat belt usage was determined from police and hospital record information. Analysis of the data revealed that safety belt use among patients hospitalized because of motor vehicle accidents increased from 11.2% before the law became effective to 53% after the law became effective. Hospital admissions decreased 11.9% among motor vehicle occupants and increased 2.6% among controls. The ISS decreased from 16.01 to 14.55 for motor vehicle occupants and increased from 14.77 to 15.11 among controls. Among subjects all injuries decreased except injuries of the spine and abdomen, which increased in the postlaw period.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed1982

[Intervention of the police in France, in the family setting, in cases of child abuse].

Intervention of Police Forces in France in the Family Setting When Child Abuse and Neglect are Noticed. French police forces, in charge of safety of persons and effects, are accustomed to intervening in family circles when child abuse occurs, and, also, each time a child's security and health are seriously threatened. They can intervene on their own, or respond to orders from an attorney or judge for children (Procureur de la République, Juge d'Instruction, Juge des Enfants). Their investigation is more easily accomplished when child abuse and neglect have just been discovered and traces of violence are still noticeable (Flagrant délit). They establish judicial procedures concerning offences committed against children, especially child abuse and neglect. But they also conduct inquiries of a social nature in order to inform a magistrate of a dangerous situation or behavior of young people under 18. This enables the judge for children to prescribe educative assistance measures. Doctors and social workers are still reluctant to notify policemen and judges, although they do not have to respect professional secrecy in any cases of injuries against children. In order to improve prevention and protection of victims of child abuse and neglect, it is truly necessary to coordinate activities of all those who intervene in pathologic family behavior: doctors, social workers, judges and policemen.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Deaths in police custody in England and Wales.

Worldwide deaths in police custody are causing public disquiet. An account is given of all the deaths occurring in police custody in England and Wales over a ten-year period from 1970-1979 with details of the causes of death and inquest verdicts.

Accidents↗
PubMed1984

Death wearing a badge--a study of police officers who died in the line of duty in Metro Dade County from 1956 to 1982.

A study of police officers who died in the line of duty in Metro Dade County, U.S.A. was performed. All cases in which a law enforcement officer died while on duty or, off duty while performing police action were collected from the files of the Medical Examiner Department from 1956 to 1982. Cases were then analyzed as to age, race, sex, cause and manner of death, scene circumstances, alcohol and drugs detected at autopsy. A total of 37 cases was studied.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Assessing cardiac risks in police officers.

It is necessary to assess the cardiovascular risks of police officers in order to address the issue of police officer safety, as well as the issue of public safety. In the past there has been a tendency to determine these risks according to the presence or absence of demonstrable ischaemia. Increased understanding of pathophysiology of coronary vascular disease leads to a different approach to this problem. This modified approach is discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Physical ability, fitness and police work.

The objective of this article is to provide an overview of physical ability, fitness and police work. The literature will be reviewed, and the method we have used to develop a tool that measures the physical abilities required for police work will be presented. The importance of linking this standard with a programme for health promotion will be stressed. The reasons why this standard is occupation specific and non-discriminatory will be explained.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Missed opportunities: emergency department visits by police-identified victims of intimate partner violence.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We examine all emergency department (ED) utilization by police-identified women victims of intimate partner violence as part of an intimate partner violence ED surveillance study to determine the frequency and characteristics of visits and the extent of intimate partner violence screening and identification by ED staff. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational case series reviewing countywide EDs visits, 1999 to 2001, for women victims in the 2000 prosecutor's intimate partner violence database. Stratifying visits by whether the woman presented with an injury, we assessed documentation of intimate partner violence screening and identification and mental health and substance abuse in the medical records. RESULTS: Of 964 female intimate partner violence victims in the 2000 prosecutor's intimate partner violence database, 616 (63.9 %) received care in at least 1 ED in the year of the index assault. During the 3-year study period, 788 (81.7%) victims generated a total of 4,456 ED visits. Intimate partner violence screening was documented in 1,349 (30.3%) of the 4,456 visits but resulted in only 259 (5.8%) positive screens. However, because they use the ED so frequently, 23.0% of individual intimate partner violence victims were eventually identified. The median number of visits for victim ED users was 4 (range 1 to 71), and visits were just as likely to occur before the known intimate partner violence incident as after, although ED visits tended to peak in the month of the incident. Injury-related visits were 50% more likely to have documented IPV screening, however, most visits (71.2%) by IPV victims were for noninjury-related complaints. CONCLUSION: Police-identified intimate partner violence victims utilize emergency care at extremely high rates, usually without identification or referral to intimate partner violence resources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Animal behaviour: pigtailed police.

A recent study of pigtailed macaques shows that most effective policing interventions in conflict situations are by socially powerful group-members, who sustain relatively low costs by intervening. Questions arise about the ontogenetic and phylogenetic emergence of policing individuals.

Agonistic Behavior↗
PubMed2000

Oxidant stress, antioxidants and nitric oxide in traffic police of Hyderabad, India.

Exposure to environmental pollutants is known to be harmful to health, in general, and to lungs in particular. In this respect, traffic police are at particular risk due to the nature of their job, since they are exposed to emissions from the vehicles. Here, we show that in the traffic police of Hyderabad city, India, the plasma levels of lipid peroxides are high, whereas the concentrations of the nitric oxide are low. In addition, the levels of various antioxidants in the RBC lysate such as catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were found to be low with no significant alteration in plasma ceruloplasmin levels. These results suggest that exposure to air pollutants, a major portion of which is due to emissions from the vehicles, can increase oxidant stress, decrease the levels of antioxidants and nitric oxide. This imbalance in the oxidant/antioxidant system may lead to lung damage and is likely to cause respiratory problems in individuals exposed to air pollution.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in an injecting heroin user: implications for hygiene in police station custody suites.

A 32 year old male was seen as a detainee, with multiple injection site abscesses. He was followed up in general practice, subsequent to debridement of injection site abscesses on both deltoid regions. Follow up swabs grew Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from both debridement areas. This case report confirms that MRSA can occur in heroin injection site ulcers in the UK. Such a finding in San Francisco is not unusual. Special care should be taken of post debridement ulcers found in a heroin injecting patient/detainee. MRSA could contaminate the custody area and all police authorities need to have an MRSA policy. This case report has implications for custody, suites in police stations, examination rooms and cell hygiene.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Substance-misuse: the front line at the police station - an opportunity for intervention.

The Brighton project, 'Get It While You Can', has two ex-drug addict project workers visiting prisoners in police custody cells. They provide information about harm reduction and service provision within the Brighton area. They are also able to provide on-going support to the detainees after they have left the police station and to help them successfully access agencies in the town and further afield.

Journal Article↗