NCJ Number
93814
Date Published
1980
Length
346 pages
Annotation
Instruction on officer safety covers surviving occupational stress, cardiovascular risks, traffic risks, suicide risks, field threats, and wounds and injury.
Abstract
Police job-related risks are in the general categories of disease, accident, suicide, and homicide. Occupational stress can be a contributing factor to death or injury in all these areas, as it undermines physical and mental health as well as alertness and concentration in the performance of field duties. Stress may derive from the nature of the work, community sources, internal departmental operations, the justice system, family relationships, and from the officer's personality. Countering cardiovascular risk involves understanding the risk, dealing with and preventing high blood pressure, watching diet, eliminating smoking, and giving attention to exercise and body composition. Surviving traffic risks involves focusing on routine patrol driving, emergency and pursuit driving, vehicle safety, safety devices, and pedestrian hazards. Countering the risk involves being attentive to the warning signs and undertaking preventive steps. Surviving field threats means being attentive to safety procedures for general patrol duties and those appropriate for specific duties and situations, such as felony carstops, robbery calls, burglary calls and building searches, dealing with deranged persons, ambushes, disturbance calls, and field interviews. Guidelines for surviving wounds and injury are to not panic, stop the bleeding, protect your air, prevent shock, and follow other self-aid principles. Graphic and photographic illustrations are provided.