NCJ Number
150766
Date Published
1990
Length
128 pages
Annotation
A literature search, interviews, and other futures methodologies were used to study the impact of a police officer's environment and lifestyle on officers' health in small-sized and medium-sized law enforcement agencies by the year 2000.
Abstract
A Nominal Group Technique panel was formed, consisting of experts in physical fitness, mental health, medicine, law enforcement, city government, and the legal profession to define the future of this issue. The following five trends were forecasted: agency responsibility for wellness of employees with fitness incentives, establishment of standards for levels of fitness screening and monitoring, counseling/awareness management of stress-related dysfunctions, availability of health information and new technology applied to wellness, and health costs for personnel and local government. The high-probability events were identified as gang and drug wars reaching overwhelming proportions, causing a state of emergency; require statewide fitness standards with absolute minimum standards state in job descriptions, mandatory fitness programs, court cases and decisions require levels of fitness, and wellness programs adopted by a majority of law enforcement agencies. These future scenarios were created using the data provided by the Nominal Group panel. The strategic management plan looks at the management of wellness programs in a small California police agency. The selected policy strategies are the development of a fitness master plan for each officer; the development of a policy to maintain minimum physical performance criteria for all sworn personnel; and the development of a policy that facilitates the appropriate culture that would reward, value, and encourage wellness lifestyles in the organization, the individual, and the working environment. The report also discusses implementation planning, commitment planning, management structure, and monitoring and evaluation. 5 figures and appended supplementary information