NCJ Number
250147
Date Published
July 2016
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the proceedings of a meeting in March 2016 of the Officer Safety and Wellness (OSW) Group, which was established by the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to provide a national forum for conversations about how to reduce law enforcement officer deaths and injuries.
Abstract
250147 Officer Safety and Wellness (OSW) Group Meeting Summary.....March 14, 2016 ANNO This report summarizes the proceedings of a meeting in March 2016 of the Officer Safety and Wellness (OSW) Group, which was established by the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to provide a national forum for conversations about how to reduce law enforcement officer deaths and injuries. ABST The OSW Group is composed of representatives from law enforcement agencies and associations, Federal agencies, and the research community. The purpose of the OSW Group meetings is to bring together law enforcement thought leaders, criminal justice practitioners, and other colleagues to share their broad perspectives on improving officer safety and wellness. The meeting summarized in this report focuses on four major topics: perception, training, and policy; firearms assaults; benefits and drawbacks of two-person patrols; and the effect of officer morale on officer safety and wellness. There was also a discussion of the report of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which contains a section on Officer Safety and Wellness. Under the broad topic of perception, training, and policy, discussions and suggestions addressed safety and injury prevention, mental and emotional health, and effects of using de-escalation. Discussion and suggestions on understanding trends in firearms assaults against officers addressed officer discretion or tactical decisionmaking, strategies for reducing risk, seatbelt and vest policies, and body-worn cameras to increase safety. Discussion and suggestions on lessons learned from ambushes of officers pertain to what constitutes an ambush, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department ambush after-action report, and the influence of anti-government rhetoric.