NCJ Number
222965
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2008 Pages: 44,46,53
Date Published
April 2008
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article describes ways in which car manufacturers, law enforcement agencies, and mobile police equipment designers are cooperating to improve the comfort, convenience, and safety of police officers as they use the mobile equipment in their patrol cars and sit in the driver's seat with the equipment on their duty belts.
Abstract
Major vehicle manufacturers have created police advisory boards that act as a liaison and resource for law enforcement agencies. Issues discussed include airbag deployment and its relationship to various mounts and equipment in the patrol vehicle. Law enforcement agencies should consider where they mount equipment in relation to airbag positioning, since it is possible for equipment struck by an airbag to become a projectile inside the car. The Michigan State Police (MSP) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) conduct vehicle ergonomics evaluations (testing related to the applied science of equipment design for the convenience and safety of users) in addition to annual performance testing (speed, acceleration, and braking). Scores for each vehicle type are based on the test driver's personal opinion of each ergonomic aspect assessed. Testing officers sit in the vehicle in full uniform for a realistic representation of how the officer's daily vehicle ergonomic issues can be addressed. Evaluation categories have included the front and rear seat, instrumentation, controls, visibility, communications, and a sum total of the averaged scores for each feature assessed. Some variations in testing procedures and features tested are noted for the MSP and LASD testing. In addition to ongoing improvements in vehicle and equipment design, officers must also be instructed in ways that their posture and physical movements while driving the vehicle and using its equipment can help or harm their comfort and safety. 2 tables of MSP and LASD ergonomic testing scores by vehicle model