NCJ Number
226190
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2009 Pages: 22-27
Date Published
January 2009
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article emphasizes the importance of training police officers to be skilled and equipped to use and drive their vehicles safely, since almost half of the officers killed on duty in 2008 were involved in vehicle-related incidents.
Abstract
In the past 30 years, the number of officers killed in vehicle crashes has increased approximately 30 percent, while officer firearms deaths have declined by 54 percent. Police officers could benefit from four-point seat belts and cruisers with a lower center of gravity. Protective restraint systems for patrol officers must be designed to accommodate duty belts. In addition, fire suppression equipment should be installed in every police vehicle. When a police vehicle is rear-ended at high speed, officers may survive the initial crash but burn to death when the vehicle catches fire. Officers are also at higher risk for vehicle-crash injuries and death when they have not been trained to use specific vehicles under various conditions of incidents, weather, lighting, and traffic. Officers must also be trained in how to limit the distractions from safe driving occasioned by the use of the laptop, camera, radar equipment, cell phone, radio, and other technologies inside their vehicle. Departments must take control of the issue of officer vehicle-related deaths and injuries. This means giving attention to the equipment and training required to not only avoid crashes but also increase the chance of survival and decrease the risk of serious injury should a crash occur.