Research in Brief: Motor Vehicle Safety for Law Enforcement Officers-Still a Priority.

The IACP Research Advisory Committee is proud to offer the monthly Research in Brief column. This column features evidence-based research summaries that highlight actionable recommendations for Police Chief magazine readers to consider within their own agencies. The goal of the column is to feature research that is innovative, credible, and relevant to a diverse law enforcement audience.

Law enforcement officers' risk perceptions toward on-duty motor-vehicle events.

PURPOSE: Motor-vehicle-related events (MVEs) are the leading cause of on-duty death for law enforcement officers, yet little is known about how officers view this significant job hazard. The purpose of this paper is to explore officers' motor-vehicle risk perception and examine how prior on-duty MVEs and the death or injury of a fellow officer influences this perception. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A state-wide random sample of 136 law enforcement agencies was drawn using publically accessible databases, stratified on type and size of agency. In total, 60 agencies agreed to participate and a cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to 1,466 officers. Using six-point Likert scales, composite scores for motor-vehicle and intentional violence risk perception were derived. A linear regression multivariable model was used to examine factors affecting motor-vehicle risk perception. FINDINGS: Motor-vehicle risk perception scores were significantly higher than intentional violence scores. A prior on-duty motor-vehicle crash, prior roadside incident, or knowledge of fellow officer's injury or death from a MVE significantly increased motor-vehicle risk perception scores. After controlling for potential confounders though, only prior on-duty crashes and roadside incidents impacted motor-vehicle risk perception. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The study comprised primarily small, rural agencies and generalizability may be limited. Also, although the data were collected anonymously, reporting and response biases may affect these findings. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study involved a large and diverse cohort of officers and explored motor-vehicle risk perception. A better understanding of officers' risk perceptions will assist in the development and implementation of occupational injury prevention programs, training, and policy.

Occupational injuries among emergency medical service providers in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Occupational injury is a significant problem among emergency medical services (EMS) providers. A national survey was conducted to describe the problem of occupational injury among EMS providers. METHODS: This study examined the most common types of nonfatal injuries and the activities and environments where injury most frequently occurred, including additional variables and paid versus volunteer status. RESULTS: Occupational injury in the past 12 months was reported by more than 29% of 659 survey respondents, with multiple injuries reported by 64% of those reporting an injury. Paid providers had approximately twice the prevalence of overall injury than volunteer providers, controlling for age and gender. Paid providers were more likely than volunteer providers to experience back injury and physical assault. CONCLUSIONS: This study clearly identifies important occupational injury problems in EMS, including the need to examine paid and volunteer providers as separate occupational groups.