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PubMed2004

The effect of changing from secondary to primary safety belt enforcement on police harassment.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether changing Michigan's safety belt law from secondary to primary (standard) enforcement resulted in police harassment. The study investigated safety-belt-enforcement-related harassment by considering three measures: citizen complaints arising from enforcement of the safety belt law; citation over-representation, that is, a statistical determination of whether certain groups received more citations than would be expected based upon their presence in the driving population and their rate of violating the safety belt use law; and self-reported harassment among the population of people who receive safety belt citations. Safety-belt-related harassment complaints were very uncommon both before and after primary enforcement. Implementation of primary enforcement did not lead to an increase in citation over-representation, and, therefore, safety-belt-related harassment by sex, race, or age. The vast majority of people receiving safety belt citations reported officer behavior as professional and did not feel that they were singled out for their citation. However, a sizeable minority of Blacks and young people report perceptions of safety-belt-related harassment. Results suggest that states with secondary enforcement should continue their efforts to change to primary enforcement, but should also make a strong effort to educate both law enforcement and the public about the harassment issue.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2007

Psychopathological consequences after a terrorist attack: an epidemiological study among victims, the general population, and police officers.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To assess the prevalence and correlates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression and anxiety disorders other than PTSD, among three samples with different level of exposure to the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid. METHOD: We sampled three groups of persons-those injured in the attacks, the residents of Alcala de Henares, and police officers involved with the rescue effort-with different exposure to the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks, using random sampling from comprehensive censuses of all three groups. In person interviews were conducted with all three groups between 5 and 12 weeks after March 11, 2004. Questionnaire included assessment of socio-demographic characteristics, of PTSD using the Davidson trauma scale, and of a range of psychiatric illnesses using the mini international neuropsychiatric interview (MINI). RESULTS: The overall sample included 127 persons injured in the attack, 485 residents of Alcalá de Henares, and 153 policemen involved in rescue. Of all three groups 57.5%, 25.9% and 3.9% of persons, respectively, reported symptoms consistent with any assessed psychiatric disorder. The use of psychoactive medication before March 11, 2004 was consistently the main predictor of PTSD and major depression among those injured and of major depression and anxiety disorders others than PTSD among residents of Alcala. CONCLUSIONS: There was a substantial burden of psychological consequences of the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks two months after the event. Persons with prior mental illness are at higher risk of post-event psychopathology, across groups of exposure.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Two simultaneous suicidal gunshots to the head with robbed police guns.

The suicidal infliction of two gunshot wounds to the head represents a critical issue for medicolegal investigation. In principle, simultaneous infliction with two firearms or third parties' involvement, i.e. two consecutive gunshots, have to be considered. We report for the first time on a case of suicidal infliction of two simultaneous gunshots to the head (oral, temporal) with Action 4 expanding ammunition. A male had robbed two service guns and committed suicide thereafter under the influence of high-dose alcohol and cocaine. Interestingly, Action 4 ammunition had been used, leading to an uncommon gunshot wound morphology and extensive backspatter. At the scene, these findings caused confusion; moreover, the number of gunshot wounds was unclear, until autopsy revealed two gunshot wounds to the head, which had obviously been inflicted simultaneously. Expanding ammunition like QD-PEP and Action 4, used by several German federal state police forces, can cause an atypical gunshot wound morphology, most probably due to its peculiar deformation behaviour. Investigators should be careful when interpreting gunshot wound morphology at the scene after usage of such expanding ammunition. With regard to reconstruction in cases of two gunshot wounds to the head and two guns at the scene, two simultaneous gunshots should be taken into consideration.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Driving whilst plastered: is it safe, is it legal? A survey of advice to patients given by orthopaedic surgeons, insurance companies and the police.

Many patients, immobilised in a plaster cast after a fracture of the upper or lower limb, wish to drive. They frequently ask permission to do so from the treating surgeon. Insurance companies are apparently willing to insure these patients to drive if they obtain their doctors permission. The DVLA guidelines are unhelpful in these circumstances. We therefore established current practice within the south west region by canvassing 126 consultant orthopaedic surgeons, 27 insurance companies and the 6 regional police constabularies, sending them specific clinical scenarios and asking how they would advise these patients regarding safety to drive. The results were as follows: sixty-seven (53%) of surgeons responded of which 97% gave specific advice regarding safety to drive. The insurance companies were generally unwilling to respond and a national response was received from the Association of Chief Constables, which specifically stated that safety to drive was for the individual patient to decide and the doctor should not give advice. We consider this to be unsatisfactory for all parties and suggest how this situation could be improved for both the patient and other road users welfare.

Automobile Driving↗
PubMed2005

A qualitative and quantitative survey of Forensic Medical Examiner workload in the Northumbria Police Force area October 2002-January 2003.

This force-wide study in the Northumbria Police area provides an audit of the quality and quantity of work carried out by Forensic Medical Examiners (FMEs) over a three month period. Approximately 25% of all arrests during the period of the audit resulted in a request for FME assessment of the detainee. About 79% of consultations were performed to establish fitness to detain, in which over 30% of detainees were intoxicated and over 40% addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. Over 30% of those queried for fitness to detain also required advice and occasionally prescription for medication, both for the management of addiction and the treatment of chronic illness. In comparison to prior work this study found lower rates of mental illness in alcohol and drug dependent populations (13% and 6%, respectively). It is hoped this study will provide information in respect of the specific competencies not only required by future FMEs but also nurses working with detainees within the custody suites.

Coroners and Medical Examiners↗
PubMed2005

The clinical management of substance misusers in police custody -- a survey of current practice.

Large numbers of substance misusers are seen in police custody. Their management remains a significant part of a forensic physician's workload. Substance misuse, including alcohol, is a factor in a substantial number of deaths in custody. Guidelines have been produced on the acceptable minimum standards for assessment and treatment. The aims of this study were to determine the current attitudes and practice of forensic physicians to see whether there had been any change in practice since their publication. The results suggest that the majority of respondents had read the guidelines. However, there were still considerable variations in practice and circumstances where the minimum standards were not being achieved. Whilst 90% of respondents felt confident in dealing with substance misusers, many commented that further information on specific drugs and further training on management of substance misusers would be beneficial.

Analgesics, Opioid↗
PubMed2005

Dimensionality of the posttraumatic stress response among police officers and fire fighters: an evaluation of two self-report scales.

Confirmatory factor analyses were done to assess the dimensionality of the stress response in a sample of police officers and fire fighters (n = 1,168) involved in the 1992 air disaster in Amsterdam. The confirmatory factor analyses were applied to the responses on two psychometrically different instruments, i.e., the Self-Rating Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (SRIP) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES). The previously found distinction between (active) avoidance and numbing in samples highly affected by posttraumatic stress disorder appears to be applicable to the stress response of a less affected sample. For the SRIP, a five-factor structure (i.e., intrusion, avoidance, hyperarousal, emotional numbing and sleep disturbance) appeared to fit slightly better than the four-factor structures from previous findings. For the IES, our results replicated findings of a four-dimensional structure (i.e., intrusion, avoidance, numbing and sleep disturbance) underlying the posttraumatic stress response. The factors of the best-fitting structure of both instruments proved reliable. Due to the psychometric properties of the two instruments, the relationship between similar factors in both instruments was only low to moderate. Compared with the IES, factors of the SRIP were, however, less discriminative from other symptoms of psychopathology. Replication in different traumatized or community samples is recommended.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Police officers' detection of breath odors from alcohol ingestion.

Police officers frequently use the presence or absence of an alcohol breath odor for decisions on proceeding further into sobriety testing. Epidemiological studies report many false negative errors. The current study employed 20 experienced officers as observers to detect an alcohol odor from 14 subjects who were at blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) ranging from zero to 0.130 g/dl. Over a 4 h period, each officer had 24 opportunities to place his nose at the terminal end of a 6 in. tube through which subjects blew. Subjects were hidden behind screens with a slit for the tube to prevent any but odor cues. Under these optimum conditions, odor was detected only two-thirds of the time for BACs below 0.08 and 85% of the time for BACs at or above 0.08%. After food consumption, correct detections declined further. Officers were unable to recognize whether the alcohol beverage was beer, wine, bourbon or vodka. Odor strength estimates were unrelated to BAC levels. Estimates of BAC level failed to rise above random guesses. These results demonstrate that even under optimum laboratory conditions, breath odor detection is unreliable, which may account for the low detection rate found in roadside realistic conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Respiratory allergies on the staff of the police force.

The aim of the study was to evaluate respiratory allergies of an occupational nature in the staff of the police force. Five hundred and eighty-five subjects were submitted for lung function tests by dynamic spirometry. Subjects with a history of respiratory symptoms and border line respiratory function underwent bronchial provocation tests with methacholine. If FEV1 was < 80%, a bronchial reversibility test was performed. Allergic tests (skin and RAST) for inhalating allergens (perennial, seasonal and occupational) were performed. The results suggested asthmatic symptoms in 57 subjects, eight of whom were positive to skin and RAST tests for occupational inhalating allergens. Among these eight subjects, three had FEV1 < 80% of the theoretical value without therapy, and five showed obstruction of small caliber airways (MEF 25, MEF 50, FEF 25-75 < 65% of the theoretical value). The analysis showed a low percentage of respiratory occupational allergies. Among 21 subjects positive to Dermatophagoides, seven worked as archivists. In these workers, a concomitant occupational cause for the symptomatological and functional pattern was established.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Developing the interview protocol for video-recorded child sexual abuse investigations: a training experience with police officers, social workers, and clinical psychologists in Hong Kong.

A series of training programs which focused on culturally relevant questioning skills and video-recorded interviews in child sexual abuse cases were designed for social workers, police officers, and clinical psychologists in Hong Kong. An interview protocol was developed with four stages: rapport building, free narrative of account, questioning, and closure. The content analysis of 74 role-played interviews of video-recorded investigation revealed 119 questions and statements that were rated by these professionals and their instructor as helpful techniques in interviewing children suspected of having been sexually abused. Although each professional interviewed child victims with a unique style, they all found that maintaining a balanced perspective to play their roles in protecting the child, assessing the child, and collecting evidence was the most important aspect in an investigative process.

Child↗
PubMed2003

Cardiovascular reactivity of Singaporean male police officers as a function of task, ethnicity and hostility.

OBJECTIVE: This research examined hemodynamic processes in cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) as a function of task, ethnicity and trait hostility. METHOD: One hundred and fourteen male patrol officers from the Singapore Police Force participated in this experimental study. Trait hostility was measured using the interpersonal hostility assessment technique to derive a hostile behavior index (HBI). Heart rate, blood pressure and hemodynamic measures were taken while participants performed three tasks: mental arithmetic, number reading and anger recall (AR). RESULTS: AR elicited the greatest blood pressure, vascular and cardiac output reactivity. HBI scores were positively related to systolic blood pressure reactivity during AR for Malays whereas this was not true for Indians and Chinese. Across tasks Indians with high HBI scores appeared to be cardiac reactors whereas the reactivity patterns for Malays and Chinese were undifferentiated. Self-report of negative mood was not related to CVR. CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with the higher rates of coronary heart disease deaths among Indians as well as the higher rates for hypertension among Malays in Singapore.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The Flexible Baton TM-12: a case report involving a new police weapon.

The purpose of this case report is to describe a new type of police weapon and the injuries sustained by an individual after being shot with it. The Flexible Baton is a type of ammunition that consists of a fabric bag, filled with lead shot pellets, that is shot from a shotgun. It is predicted that this bag may cause bruising, abrasions, and blunt trauma. In our patient, the fabric bag burst and the pellets penetrated the skin of the elbow, resulting in cortical violation of the distal humerus. As more guns with this ammunition have been introduced throughout the United States, we conclude that injuries from this weapon will be seen with greater frequency.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

An evaluation of pupil size standards used by police officers for detecting drug impairment.

BACKGROUND: The Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) program was developed to detect, arrest, and convict drivers impaired by drugs other than alcohol. The DEC program is a training program designed to prepare police officers and other qualified persons to serve as Drug Recognition Experts (DREs). PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were: (1) to determine normative values and ranges for pupillary responses using the specific DEC program protocols for pupil testing in nonimpaired persons, and (2) to appraise the suitability of the 3.0- mm to 6.5-mm pupil range as a potential sign of impairment under three conditions. METHODS: Trained DRE officers measured pupi sizes using standardized DEC protocols. Pupil measurements were taken under three light levels: room light, near-total darkness, and direct light. The subjects were 250 volunteers, with an average age of 29.2 years (+/-6.1). All subjects were healthy, nonimpaired, and free of visual, and/or neurological problems. RESULTS: For each pupil measured (N= 500), the mean (SD) for each of the three test conditions were: room light 3.86 (0.93) mm; near-total darkness 6.41(1.55) mm; and direct light 3.35 (0.72) mm. CONCLUSIONS: This study determined normative values and potential ranges for pupillary responses using the specific DEC program protocols for pupil testing in non-impaired persons. When the presently approved DEC program pupil size range (3.0 to 6.5 mm) is compared with the results of this study, it appears that the DEC range for pupil size might be too sensitive. However, when determining impairment related to drug(s), the DRE reviews the results of all tests and draws a conclusion based on the totality of the evidence, not only on a variation in the pupil size.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Randomized clinical trial of brief eclectic psychotherapy for police officers with posttraumatic stress disorder.

The authors report on a randomized, controlled clinical trial on the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), comparing manualized psychotherapy to wait-list control. This is the first study to evaluate Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy (BEP), which combines cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic approaches within one treatment method. Forty-two police officers with the diagnosis of PTSD participated in the study; 22 were randomly assigned to the treatment group and 20 to the wait-list control group. Assessments of PTSD and comorbid conditions were made 1 week before treatment, after treatment session 4, upon termination of treatment (16 sessions), and at follow-up 3 months later. As expected, no significant differences between groups were observed at pretest or at session 4. At posttest and at follow-up, BEP had produced significant improvement in PTSD, in work resumption, and in some comorbid conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Property crime victims' decision to notify the police: social, cognitive, and affective determinants.

Previous research suggests that 3 general processes underlie the decision of property crime victims to notify the police: One that is cognitively driven by reward/cost considerations, one that is affectively driven, and another that is socially driven. This study is the first to employ a community sample of crime victims to compare the 3 processes within a single study. Computer-assisted interviews were conducted with 422 property crime victims (n = 129 burglary, n = 293 theft) located via a random digit dialing procedure. Logistic regression analyses showed that each process independently accounted for a significant amount of the variance in victim reporting, and that there were no interactions among the three processes in predicting reporting. Of the 3 processes, social influence was the best predictor of reporting. Analysis of the affect-driven process showed that reporting was primarily a function of the level of fear rather than anger or the level of generalized arousal upon discovering the crime.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Gender and ethnic differences in social constraints among a sample of New York City police officers.

Gender and ethnic differences in social constraints on and off the job among a sample of 372 police officers was examined. Positive and negative social interactions with supervisors and coworkers, and perceptions of the work environment as well as support and resentment of the job from family and significant others, was included. As hypothesized, women and minority men reported more negative social interactions on the job, such as criticism, bias, and sexual harassment. Few differences were observed for positive social interactions on or off the job, and where differences emerged, women and minority men reported more favorable social interactions. These findings are discussed in terms of implications for intervention, policy, and future research.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Perceived organizational support and police performance: the moderating influence of socioemotional needs.

Police patrol officers were surveyed to investigate how the strength of socioemotional needs affects the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and work performance. The association of POS with driving-under-the-influence arrests and speeding citations generally increased with strength of the needs for esteem, affiliation, emotional support, and social approval. Patrol officers with strong socioemotional needs, but not those with weak needs, showed a positive relationship between POS and performance. The findings are consistent with social exchange views that maintain (a) work effort is encouraged by the receipt of socioemotional resources, (b) POS fulfills a variety of socioemotional needs, and (c) the value of POS and the obligation to reciprocate with high performance increase with the strength of socioemotional needs.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Effects of age on symptoms of anxiety and depression in a sample of retired police officers.

This study addressed the effects of age on anxiety and depressive symptoms. The analysis was based on the responses of 1,334 retired male Scottish police officers (34-94 years old) to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the partialed linear and curvilinear effects of symptoms of, separately, anxiety and depression on age and retirement variables. Significant partialed effects of retirement type and present age were found. Early retirement was a vulnerability factor for both disorders. The authors found a consistent linear reduction in anxiety across age and a U-shaped function for depression across age. The differing profiles and independent effects of age on anxiety and depression are consistent with their status as separate entities. Respondents were increasingly susceptible to depression from the mid-50s onward, whereas susceptibility to anxiety was reduced with age.

Adult↗