The Views of Police Officers Toward Gun Legislation and Public Health Policies Driven by Firearm Safety Concerns

Gun violence is a principal cause of premature death in America. It has been suggested that solutions to gun violence may be found using a public health approach, which is broader than dealing with the problem via law enforcement alone. A component of a public health approach to gun violence is the implementation of policies or laws. Unfortunately, there is a serious gap in our understanding of how street-level police officers view proposed or existing firearms legislation. This is an important omission, because it is line-level personnel who are tasked with enforcing these policies within highly discretionary contexts. We surveyed police from three jurisdictions to establish a baseline understanding of officers' views about potential gun legislation and identify possible resistance and implementation barriers of firearms laws. The findings suggest that those responsible for enforcing new laws show limited or mixed support for the same. Officers were most supportive of laws that increase the presence of trained gun owners within certain contexts and ensure that individuals with criminal backgrounds or mental health concerns do not have access to firearms. Most officers support prohibiting gun ownership following conviction of a domestic violence offense. However, officers generally opposed gun legislation banning assault weapons, large capacity magazines, and internet ammunition purchases. Finally, officers with the Buffalo Police Department-which recently had experienced an active-shooter event-were more supportive of almost all types of legislation. Respondents expressing greater concern about officer safety related to firearms were supportive of several types of firearm legislation.

Awareness of forensic anthropology in Switzerland: a survey among forensic practitioners, police, and prosecutors

Forensic anthropology (FA) as a specialized discipline has been practised in multi-lingual Switzerland for over a decade. A variety of expertise regarding osteological assessments as well as facial image comparison (FIC) is provided by different centres. Nevertheless, information is lacking about the awareness of FA and its benefits for forensic investigations among forensic stakeholders. Therefore, a survey was sent to Swiss anthropologists (AN) and related professions (police officers, prosecutors, and forensic pathologists) to assess three main aspects: (1) the experience of working (biological/forensic) anthropologists within FA; (2) how FA is perceived by other professions within the legal system; and (3) identify gaps (if any) in understanding of FA with the aim to suggest avenues for improvement if necessary. The results show that awareness of FA varies by occupation and cantonal regions. In areas where close collaborations between forensic anthropologists (FAs) and other stakeholders have been formally established, be it with focus on osteological analyses or FIC, the awareness of FA competencies was superior to areas where this was not the case. An overwhelming majority of forensic actors expressed interest in continuing education related to the role of FA. These findings indicate that facilitation of communication and collaboration leads to improvement in the awareness of the competencies of FAs and their contribution to forensic investigations.

Clinicians' experiences of caring for people brought in by police to the emergency department: A qualitative interpretive study

AIM

To explore nurses' and doctors' experiences of providing care to people brought in by police (BIBP) to the emergency department (ED).

DESIGN

A qualitative interpretive study using in-depth individual interviews.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses and doctors who worked in various EDs in one Australian state and were involved in the care of people BIBP. Interviews were undertaken between May and October 2022 and focused on the structures (i.e., what), processes (i.e., how) and outcomes of care for people BIBP. Data were analysed using deductive and then inductive content analysis.

RESULTS

Nine nurses and eight doctors were interviewed. Structures described by participants included human structures (staff) and organizational structures (areas for assessment, involuntary assessment orders, investigations, chemical/physical restraints). For processes, participants described practices including risk/mental health assessments, legal considerations, and increased/decreased levels of care compared to other presentations. Communication processes were largely between police and health care staff. Service outcomes pertained to discharge location (custody, community, hospital admission) and length of stay.

CONCLUSION

The current care delivery for people BIBP to the ED is unique and complex, often occurring in high traffic, resource-intensive areas. There is a need to strengthen structures and processes, to improve service outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

Understanding the care requirements for people brought into ED by police enables the delivery of targeted care alongside appropriate resource allocation.

IMPACT

This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the health care requirements for people BIBP to EDs. Interventions delivered in the ED to support health care delivery for people BIBP and foster clinician and police relationships are required to optimize patient and health service outcomes.

REPORTING METHOD

This study adheres to the COREQ checklist (Table S1) of the EQUATOR guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This study focused on ED staff experiences.

Discernment of Children's True and False Memory Reports: Police Officers and Laypersons

Adults' ability to accurately evaluate children's statements can have far-reaching consequences within the legal system. This study examined the evaluations of police officers ("experts") and laypersons ("nonexperts") when presented with videotaped interviews of children aged 3 and 5 years who provided either true or false reports or denials. Participants were drawn from several counties in the eastern United States. Children's interview statements fell within four statement types: accurate reports, false reports, accurate denials, and false denials. Both groups of participants displayed overbelief in false denials. Several control variables predicted accuracy, including children's age and children's race. A significant interaction emerged: Experts (vs. nonexperts) had greater odds of being accurate when judging false reports (vs. false denials). These findings highlight the challenges adults face when distinguishing between various types of children's statements. The results have important implications for legal contexts, emphasizing that fact finders need to be mindful of the risks associated with both overaccepting false denials and accepting false reports.

Body Models of Law Enforcement Officers for Cruiser Cab Accommodation Simulation

OBJECTIVES

This study developed multivariate law enforcement officer (LEO) body models for digital simulation of LEO accommodation in police cruiser cabs.

BACKGROUND

Anthropometrically accurate digital LEO body models, representing the United States LEOs, for computerized LEO cruiser interface simulations are lacking.

METHODS

Twenty body dimensions (with and without gear combined) of 756 male and 218 female LEOs were collected through a stratified national survey using a data collection trailer that traveled across the US. A multivariate Principal Component Analysis (PCA) approach was used to develop digital LEO body models.

RESULTS

Fifteen men and 15 women representing unique body size and shape composition of the LEO population were identified. A combined set of 24 male and female models (removal of 6 redundant models for which female and male models overlapped) is suggested.

CONCLUSIONS

A set of 24 digital LEO body models in 3-dimensional form, along with their anthropometric measurements, were developed to facilitate LEO cruiser cab design.

APPLICATION

Digital modeling software developers can use the models and their anthropometric data to build digital avatars for simulated evaluation of LEO cruiser cab configuration, console communication-equipment fitting, and cruiser ingress/egress access arrangement. LEO vehicle and equipment designers also can use eight key body dimensions (i.e., stature, buttock-popliteal length, eye height sitting, knee height sitting, shoulder-grip length, popliteal height, sitting height, and body weight) of the body models to recruit 24 human subjects to physically evaluate their vehicle prototypes for improved vehicle and equipment design.

Will Boys Always Be Boys? The Criminalization of Street Harassment in Portugal

Albeit one of the most pervasive forms of gender violence, street harassment tends to be either not considered a crime or to be faulty criminalized. This investigation contributes to better understand the overall inefficiency of existing laws through an analysis of the criminalization of street harassment in Portugal. Particularly, it searches for obstacles to implementation among those responsible for the process-the street-level bureaucrats of the Portuguese Public Security Police. Through 14 semi-structured interviews, three groups of obstacles to implementation were identified: perceptions of the legislation's content, a masculinist institutional culture, and personal characteristics. These are new findings that contribute to an understanding of the perpetuation of gender violence through state's institutions and workers.

A cluster-based law enforcement body armor sizing system: Concept, procedure, and design practice

Given the evolution of human body dimensions, the increasing diversity within the law enforcement workforce, the growing risks of assault faced by law enforcement officers (LEOs), and the absence of a national standard for body armor sizing, there is a critical need to explore LEO body size classification. This exploration will facilitate the development of an armor sizing structure that adequately accommodates the current LEO population. This study aimed to address this need by developing a LEO body armor sizing scheme and creating a sizing chart/app. Additionally, a plan was devised for a series of 'sizing vests' that would enhance LEO armor accommodation and facilitate fit assessment. Torso anthropometric data pertaining to body armor sizing were collected from 756 male and 218 female LEOs across different regions of the United States. Based on the collected data, a nine-size system for male LEOs and an eight-size scheme for female LEOs were suggested. Furthermore, a sizing chart/app was proposed to enable LEOs to swiftly identify an armor size that is most likely to fit an individual, considering a few anthropometric characteristics known to LEOs. To supplement the sizing chart/app, a series of 'sizing vests' were recommended. These vests would provide LEOs with a physical means to assess and determine the best-fitting armor size, offering an alternative to relying solely on the sizing chart/app. We recommend that armor manufacturers adopt these new sizing systems and create prototypes of armor that can be evaluated within this sizing structure. This evaluation process will facilitate improved fit and enhanced protection for LEOs.

Reasons for Not Reporting Among Sexual Assault Survivors Who Seek Medical Forensic Exams: A Qualitative Analysis

After a sexual assault, survivors have the option of seeking a medical forensic exam, which includes medical evaluation and treatment, as well as forensic evidence collection. Forensic evidence is collected in a sexual assault evidence kit (SAEK) and typically released to police to aid in the investigation and potential prosecution of the assault. However, 20% to 25% of survivors who have a SAEK collected do not report their assault to police at that time and choose instead to have their SAEK stored for possible future use. This study sought to understand the reasons for not reporting among this group of survivors. We examined medical records of 296 individuals aged 18 and older who had documented their reasons for not reporting to police in their medical record and used a non-theory-driven coding framework to conduct a reflexive thematic analysis based on that data. We identified four themes: Reporting Won't Help, Reporting Will Harm, Not Now, and Not What I'm Here For. These data illustrate that survivors are making an active choice which, for many, was based on concerns that reporting would not meaningfully help their situation or may even make their situations worse. For some survivors, the decision to have forensic evidence collected without a police report was based on their needs at that moment, whereas for other survivors it was based on their desire to move on from the assault more permanently. Practice and policy recommendations are discussed, including the importance of providing survivors information about what police reporting would look like in specific circumstances as well as ensuring that financial concerns are not a barrier to survivors receiving post-assault medical care without forensic evidence collection.

Cardiorespiratory fitness is a risk factor for lower-limb and back injury in law enforcement officers commencing their basic training: a prospective cohort study

We aimed to report the epidemiology of lower-limb and lumbosacral injuries in Police Force recruits. We performed a cohort study of Police Force recruits undergoing a six-month training program with prospective injury data collected between 2018 and 2021. Cardiorespiratory fitness was quantified by the beep-test and police-specific-functional-capacity was quantified using a specifically designed physical performance evaluation (PPE) tool. Injury frequency and prevalence were reported. Fifteen percent (n = 180) of study Police Force recruits (n = 1,181) sustained a lower-limb or lumbosacral injury. The six-month training program significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.001) and functional capacity (p < 0.001). Increased cardiorespiratory fitness at baseline decreased injury risk (OR = 0.8, 95%CI: 0.66-0.97, p = 0.019). Injury rates decreased over time and females were injured significantly earlier than males (HR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.52 to 0.95, p = 0.021). Interventions that can pre-condition Police Force recruits prior to the commencement of their basic physical training may reduce the number of lower-limb and lumbosacral injuries.

Who is killing South African men? A retrospective descriptive study of forensic and police investigations into male homicide

Not much is known about the perpetrators of male homicide in South Africa, which has rates seven times the global average. For the country's first ever male homicide study we describe the epidemiology of perpetrators, their relationship with victims and victim profiles of men killed by male versus female perpetrators. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of routine data collected through forensic and police investigations, calculating victim and perpetrator homicide rates by age, sex, race, external cause, employment status and setting, stratified by victim-perpetrator relationships. For perpetrators, we reported suspected drug and alcohol use, prior convictions, gang-involvement and homicide by multiple perpetrators. Perpetrators were acquaintances in 63% of 5594 cases in which a main perpetrator was identified. Sharp objects followed by guns were the main external causes of death. The highest rates were recorded in urban informal areas among unemployed men across all victim-perpetrator relationship types. Recreational settings including bars featured prominently. Homicides clustered around festive periods and weekends, both of which are associated with heavy episodic drinking. Perpetrator alcohol use was reported in 41% of homicides by family members and 50% by acquaintances. Other drug use was less common (9% overall). Of 379 men killed by female perpetrators, 60% were killed by intimate partners. Perpetrator alcohol use was reported in approximately half of female-on-male murders. Female firearm use was exclusively against intimate partners. No men were killed by male intimate partners. Violence prevention, which in South Africa has mainly focused on women and children, needs to be integrated into an inclusive approach. Profiling victims and perpetrators of male homicide is an important and necessary first step to challenge prevailing masculine social constructs that men are neither vulnerable to, nor the victims of, trauma and to identify groups at risk of victimisation that could benefit from specific interventions and policies.

The impact of policing and homelessness on violence experienced by women who sell sex in London: a modelling study

Street-based sex workers experience considerable homelessness, drug use and police enforcement, making them vulnerable to violence from clients and other perpetrators. We used a deterministic compartmental model of street-based sex workers in London to estimate whether displacement by police and unstable housing/homelessness increases client violence. The model was parameterized and calibrated using data from a cohort study of sex workers, to the baseline percentage homeless (64%), experiencing recent client violence (72%), or recent displacement (78%), and the odds ratios of experiencing violence if homeless (1.97, 95% confidence interval 0.88-4.43) or displaced (4.79, 1.99-12.11), or of experiencing displacement if homeless (3.60, 1.59-8.17). Ending homelessness and police displacement reduces violence by 67% (95% credible interval 53-81%). The effects are non-linear; halving the rate of policing or becoming homeless reduces violence by 5.7% (3.5-10.3%) or 6.7% (3.7-10.2%), respectively. Modelled interventions have small impact with violence reducing by: 5.1% (2.1-11.4%) if the rate of becoming housed increases from 1.4 to 3.2 per person-year (Housing First initiative); 3.9% (2.4-6.9%) if the rate of policing reduces by 39% (level if recent increases had not occurred); and 10.2% (5.9-19.6%) in combination. Violence reduces by 26.5% (22.6-28.2%) if half of housed sex workers transition to indoor sex work. If homelessness decreased and policing increased as occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the impact on violence is negligible, decreasing by 0.7% (8.7% decrease-4.1% increase). Increasing housing and reducing policing among street-based sex workers could substantially reduce violence, but large changes are needed.

Occupational Health Services in policing: identifying the psychological burden to OHS team members

BACKGROUND

Occupational Health Services (OHS) workers in the police are exposed to stressful and pressurized environments where they try to help employees deal with serious physical and mental health conditions.

AIMS

This study used psychological surveillance to identify the level of mental health conditions within each of the police OHS (POHS) roles and to identify whether it was possible to identify the main hazards and resilience factors related to these conditions.

METHODS

Data on mental health conditions (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and secondary trauma) were gathered with questionnaires measuring lifestyle, coping skills, workability and illness behaviour. Personal information and average symptoms, hazards, and resilience factors were measured and compared between the POHS groups. Stepwise linear regression was used to identify the variable that explained the symptoms' level.

RESULTS

Data were gathered from 251 POHS team members working in multidisciplinary services, including OH physicians, psychologists, advisors, nurses, technicians, well-being and administrators. The results showed that POHS teams are experiencing levels of symptoms significantly higher than those found in the general population and that OH counsellors had lower levels of symptoms and sickness absence than their colleagues. The stepwise regression identified managing workloads to be associated with lower symptom levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings illustrated the importance of a manageable workload, a stable, resilient personality and a positive attitude towards work. Using coping skills, including physical fitness, social support, involvement and getting enough sleep is associated with lower anxiety, depression, PTSD and secondary trauma symptoms.

White Americans' blame attributions and empathy towards Black victims of police violence: How pejorative stereotypes 'engulf the field'

We examined the dynamics of minority-directed police violence by considering how our White participants' empathy for Black victims may be influenced by critical intragroup differences related to racial stereotyping. Although the role of stereotyping in reactions to Black Americans accused of crime is well-established, we explore the influence of pejorative Black stereotypes on reactions to Black victims of police violence. Specifically, we investigated the roles of individual differences in the endorsement of the Black criminal stereotype among White observers and manipulated the crime-unrelated stereotypicality (i.e. stereotypical, counterstereotypical) of Black victims of police violence. White US MTurk participants read about a White policeman shooting a Black man (Study 1, n = 140) or sexually assaulting a Black woman (Study 2, n = 166). Across both studies, strong stereotype endorsers reported relatively low empathy for stereotypical victims, mediated by greater blame towards those victims. This finding demonstrates the relevance of heretofore untested motivated reasoning processes in the outgroup empathy deficits literature. Weak stereotype endorsers showed relatively high empathy and low victim blame regardless of Black victim stereotypicality, indicating limited sensitivity to outgroup member suffering is not inevitable. We consider the practical implications of the findings for policing and for citizenship education.

Legal actors' and laypersons' utility judgments of eyewitness lineup procedures and outcomes

OBJECTIVE

Recent attempts to model the relative performances of eyewitness lineup procedures necessarily include theoretical assumptions about the various costs/benefits, or utilities, of different identification outcomes. We collected data to incorporate empirically derived utilities into such modeling as well as data on various stakeholders' views of lineup procedures as tertiary objectives.

HYPOTHESES

This research was exploratory; therefore, we did not have a priori hypotheses.

METHOD

We surveyed judges' (n = 70), prosecutors' (n = 28), police officers' (n = 82), and laypersons' (n = 191) opinions about eyewitness identification procedures and the utilities of outcomes of eyewitness identification procedures. We incorporated the utility judgments into models comparing the desirability of various lineup reforms and compared policy preferences between our samples.

RESULTS

All samples frequently mentioned estimator and system variables in open-ended evaluations of lineup procedures, but legal samples mentioned system variables more often than did laypersons. Reflector variables (e.g., confidence) were mentioned less often across the board, as was the scientific basis/standardization of identification policy (especially among laypersons). Utility judgments of various identification outcomes indicated that judges adopt values more closely aligned with normative legal ethics (i.e., the Blackstone ratio), whereas other stakeholders (especially laypersons) depart significantly from those standards. Utility models indicated general agreement among samples in lineup procedure preferences, which varied as a function of culprit-presence base rates.

CONCLUSION

Although legal stakeholders vary in how they value eyewitness identification outcomes, their values imply relatively consistent policy preferences that sometimes depart from scientific recommendations. Nonetheless, all samples expressed support for using scientific research to inform legal policy regarding eyewitness evidence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Adolescent Predictors of Firearm Suicide Over Four Decades of Life in U.S. Men

INTRODUCTION

There are meager individual-level data on long-term predictors of firearm suicide.

METHODS

This was an analysis of males (N=189,558) in the Project Talent cohort, a national probability sample of high school schools in 1960 when students completed a baseline Project Talent self-report inventory. Mortality follow-up was contingent on survival until 1979, the onset of the National Death Index when the cohort had a mean age of 35.7 years. Mortality follow-up continued until death or age 75 years, reached by all surviving members by 2018. Analyses were conducted in 2022, with the main outcome being firearm suicide deaths (n=479). Factor analyses of Project Talent items yielded three key factors: (1) interests in firearm-related professions (i.e., military service, police force), (2) interests in hunting or fishing and knowledge of long guns, and (3) stereotypic masculinity.

RESULTS

Survival analyses showed that long-term risk for firearm suicide was associated with 1-SD increases in firearm-related vocational interests in adolescence (adjusted hazard ratio [95% CI]=1.23 [1.09, 1.40]) and masculinity (adjusted hazard ratio [95% CI]=1.15 [1.04, 1.28]). Decreased long-term firearm suicide risk was associated with increased hunting interests and knowledge of long guns in adolescence (adjusted hazard ratio [95% CI]=0.86 [0.77, 0.96]) and competitive sports participation, an exploratory variable (adjusted hazard ratio [95% CI]=0.89 [0.80, 0.99]).

CONCLUSIONS

Prevention efforts are needed to lower long-term firearm suicide risk among adolescent males with high stereotypic masculinity and those interested in military or police service. Potential protective effects of competitive sports participation and socialization to long guns through hunting require further study.

Association of anthropometric characteristics of law enforcement officers with perceived ratings of fit, comfort, and pain in the use of body armor

Knowledge gaps exist on association between law enforcement officer (LEO) anthropometric characteristics and perceived body armour fit, armour discomfort, and armour-caused pain. This study assessed the correlation and identified influential torso dimensions for armour sizing and design applications. Nine-hundreds and seventy-four LEOs across the U.S. participated in a national study on LEO armour use and body dimensions. Perceived ratings of armour fit, armour discomfort, and body pain were found moderately correlated with each other. In addition, armour fit ratings were associated with certain torso anthropometric characteristics, such as chest circumference, chest breadth, chest depth, waist circumference, waist breadth (sitting), waist front length (sitting), body weight, and body mass index. LEOs who reported armour poor fit, armour discomfort, and armour-caused pain had a larger mean of body dimensions than the "armor good fit" group. More women than men had poor fit, discomfort, and body pain in the use of body armour.Practitioner summary: The identified influential body measurements can be used as the "drivers" for multivariate analyses to develop an improved armour sizing system to further LEO protection. The study also suggests consideration of gender specific armour sizing systems to accommodate differences in torso configurations between male and female officers and to resolve the concern that more female officers had poor armour fit than male officers.

Bodies of evidence: The 'Excited Delirium Syndrome' and the epistemology of cause-of-death inquiry

"Excited Delirium Syndrome" (ExDS) is a controversial diagnosis. The supposed syndrome is sometimes considered to be a potential cause of death. However, it has been argued that its sole purpose is to cover up excessive police violence because it is mainly used to explain deaths of individuals in custody. In this paper, we examine the epistemic conditions giving rise to the controversial diagnosis by discussing the relation between causal hypotheses, evidence, and data in forensic medicine. We argue that the practitioners' social context affects causal inquiry through background assumptions that enter inquiry at multiple stages. This analysis serves to better understand the wide usage of the controversial diagnosis of ExDS.

Analyzing Alternative Behavioral Crisis Response Models in the U.S

In the U.S., communities often rely on the criminal justice system to respond to, house, and treat individuals with mental health and substance use problems. This has resulted in a crisis response system that relies on police officers to respond to mental and behavioral health crisis due to a lack of options. Unfortunately, these encounters can be dangerous for individuals in need of help. Additionally, this has led to a disproportionate number of individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders being housed in prisons. Alternatives to our current crisis response system already exist in the form of community-based mobile crisis response teams that rely on mental health workers instead of law enforcement. This review examines such programs that have been enacted in multiple cities across the country. Analysis of these alternative crisis response models shows that community-based programs are more effective, efficient, and safer than the current standard that relies on law enforcement. This analysis highlights the need for the establishment of community-based crisis response teams as the national standard.

Health-Related Costs of Intimate Partner Violence: Using Linked Police and Health Registers

This study aims to estimate direct health-related costs for victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) using nationwide linked data based on police reports and two healthcare registers in Finland from 2015 to 2020 (N = 21,073). We used a unique register dataset to identify IPV victims from the data based on police reports and estimated the attributable costs by applying econometric models to individual-level data. We used exact matching to create a reference group who had not been exposed to IPV. The mean, unadjusted, attributable healthcare cost for victims of IPV was €6,910 per individual over the 5-year period after being first identified as a victim. When adjusting for gender, age, education, occupation, and mental-health- and pregnancy-related diagnoses, the mean attributable health-related cost for the 5 years was €3,280. The annual attributable costs of the victims were consistently higher than those for nonvictims during the entire study period. Thus, our results suggest that the adverse health consequences of IPV persist and are associated with excess health service use for 5 years after exposure to IPV. Most victims of IPV were women, but men were also exposed to IPV, although the estimates were statistically significant only for female victims. Victims of IPV were over-represented among individuals outside the labor force and lower among those who were educated. The total healthcare costs of victims of IPV varied according to the socioeconomic factors. This study highlights the need for using linked register data to understand the characteristics of IPV and to assess its healthcare costs. The study results suggest that there is a significant socioeconomic gradient in victimization, which could also be useful to address future IPV prevention and resource allocation.

Assessing the collective safety of automated vehicle groups: A duration modeling approach of accumulated distances between crashes

Ideally, the evaluation of automated vehicles would involve the careful tracking of individual vehicles and recording of observed crash events. Unfortunately, due to the low frequency of crash events, such data would require many years to acquire, and potentially place the motorized public at risk if defective automated technologies were present. To acquire information on the safety effectiveness of automated vehicles more quickly, this paper uses the collective crash histories of a group of automated vehicles, and applies a duration modeling approach to the accumulated distances between crashes. To demonstrate the applicability of this approach as a method compare automated and conventional vehicles (human drivers), an empirical assessment was undertaken using two comparable sources of data. For conventional vehicles, police and non-police-reportable crashes were collected from the Second Strategic Highway Research Program's naturalistic driving study, and for automated vehicles, data from the California Department of Motor Vehicles Autonomous Vehicle Tester program were used (105 crashes from 59 permit holders driving ∼2.8 million miles were used for the analysis). The results of the empirical study showed that automated driving was safer at the 95% confidence level, with a higher number of miles between crashes, relative to their conventional vehicle counterparts. The findings indicate that the number of miles between crashes would be increased by roughly 27% when switching from conventional vehicles to automated vehicles. Despite limited data which mandated a group-vehicle approach, this study can be considered a reasonable initial approximation of automated vehicle safety.

The feasibility of workload monitoring among law enforcement officers: A multi-methodological approach

This study examined the feasibility of workload monitoring to assess internal workload in law enforcement officers (LEO) using a multi-methodological approach. Fifty front-line LEO completed workload surveys on workdays for eight weeks. Retention and adherence were assessed across the survey period. LEO completed usability and likelihood to continue questionnaires, while departmental administrators (n = 8) received workload reports and completed utility and sustainability questionnaires. A subsample of LEO and administrators participated in semi-structured interviews, following consensual qualitative research design. LEO retention (96%), survey adherence (94%), and usability scores (88.3/100) were high, with a moderate likelihood to continue to use the survey. Administration reported high utility and sustainability. The high adherence rates and usability scores, coupled with strong administrative support, suggest that workload monitoring may be a feasible strategy among LEO to monitor occupational workloads. The LEO and administration feedback highlight areas of improvement (e.g., data transparency, departmental collaboration) to inform future implementation.

Evaluating the Variability Between 20-m Multistage Fitness Test Estimating Equations in Law Enforcement Recruits

ABSTRACT

Campbell, P, Maupin, D, Lockie, RG, Dawes, JJ, Simas, V, Canetti, E, Schram, B, and Orr, R. Evaluating the variability between 20-m multistage fitness test estimating equations in law enforcement recruits. J Strength Cond Res 38(4): 742-748, 2024-The 20-m multistage fitness test (20MSFT) is commonly used by law enforcement agencies to measure aerobic fitness and to estimate maximal aerobic consumption (V̇ o2 max). These measures are an important occupational variable with aerobic fitness levels linked to employment status, occupational performance, and long-term health in law enforcement officers. There are a multitude of predictive equations used to provide an estimate of V̇ o2 max, with the extent of variability in the estimated V̇ o2 max currently unknown in this population. This has consequences for comparisons between, and across, differing agencies, and in capabilities of deriving normative data. The aim of this investigation was to compare the variability in estimated V̇ o2 max scores derived from different 20MSFT predictive equations. The 20-m multistage fitness test data from 1,094 law enforcement recruits (male n = 741, 25.2 ± 6.3 years; female: n = 353, 25.6 ± 5.6 years) from a single agency were retrospectively analyzed. The 20MSFT scores were transformed into estimated V̇ o2 max scores using 6 different predictive equations. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results demonstrated significantly different V̇ o2 max scores between each predictive equation ( p < 0.001; d = 0.25-1.53) and between male and female recruits ( p < 0.001, r = 0.55). All estimated V̇ o2 max equations showed small to very strong correlations with each other ( p < 0.001; r = 0.32-0.99). The findings indicate considerable dispersion of V̇ o2 max scores when using differing equations, suggesting raw 20MSFT variables (e.g., shuttles or distance completed) should be preferred to measure and apply results from aerobic fitness tests if standardized approaches are not developed within law enforcement.

Spontaneous public response to a marauding knife attack on the London underground: Sociality, coordination and a repertoire of actions evidenced by CCTV footage

Across a range of recent terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom, the question of how crowds behave in confined public space is an important concern. Classical theoretical assumptions are that human behaviour in such contexts is relatively uniform, self-interested and pathological. We contest these assumptions by reporting on a study of public response to a marauding knife attack that occurred on London's underground rail network in 2015. The analysis draws primarily upon footage from 27 CCTV cameras positioned across the station footprint supplemented by social media, news footage, radio logs and incident reports. Using an innovative methodology, we topographically and chronologically mapped behaviours during the incident. The analysis demonstrates that while rapid egressions occurred as the threat escalated, at every phase of the incident members of the public intervened spontaneously with coordinated, purposeful, socially oriented actions. This behavioural pattern contrasts with classical assumptions of a chaotic and apathetic crowd in emergencies. We highlight eight complementary categories of actions in the public response that appeared functional for the collective safety of the crowd during the short period before the police arrived. The policy implications for emergency planning, and the methodological innovations involving the use of video data are discussed.

Racism and violence in policing: Perspectives from a juvenile prison

Following recent events involving racism and violence in policing, the current study sought to understand factors associated with support for related social movements and worries about personal, family, and peer safety. Data were from 78 currently incarcerated young people (M = 16.5 years; 31% Black) and 20 juvenile prison staff (M = 40.3 years; 72% Black) via online surveys. A comparable proportion of young people (47.3%) and staff (47.4%) reported participating in the Black Lives Matter movement. Among young people, prior experiences with police were significantly associated with support for social movements and worries about safety concerning racism and violence in policing. Among staff, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and racial and ethnic identity were significantly associated with social movement support and worries about safety. Civic education and interventions to promote racial and ethnic identity may promote support for systemic change and buffer against worries about racism and violence in policing.

Working with the police service and homeless services in North West England to reduce alcohol harms: A feasibility study of a tailored Blue Light approach

INTRODUCTION

Deaths caused by alcohol are increasing in England and 80 % of people with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are not in treatment. The Blue Light approach (Alcohol Change UK) is an initiative to support people with AUDs who are not in treatment. This study aimed to tailor the Blue Light approach (combined with alcohol identification and alcohol brief interventions [ABI] training) for police officers and homeless service staff in North West England, and to qualitatively evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the training.

METHODS

The Blue Light approach was tailored using co-production activities, based on Transdisciplinary Action Research. Full-day and half-day training sessions were delivered to the police (full-day N = 14, half-day N = 54) and homeless service staff (full-day N = 11, half-day N = 32), in local police stations and online (four half-day sessions). Semi-structured interviews (N = 23) were conducted to evaluate implementation and integration, analysing the qualitative data in line with Normalisation Process Theory.

RESULTS

Four themes were identified, each with two to three sub-themes, reflecting: (i) the importance of training for working practice, (ii) implementation of the interventions, (iii) changes to relationships within and between organizations, and (iv) recommendations for further changes to the training. Differences in findings across the organizations (police versus homeless services) and by training type attended (full-day versus half-day, in-person versus online) are presented.

CONCLUSIONS

There is evidence to suggest that the training has provided worthwhile knowledge and intervention techniques that can become embedded into working practices. Nevertheless, structural barriers were apparent, primarily within the police service, with clear disparities between recognising the value of the training and what is achievable in practice, given the competing demands.

National Burden of Injury and Deaths From Shootings by Police in the United States, 2015‒2020

Objectives. To describe all-outcome injurious shootings by police and compare characteristics of fatal versus nonfatal injurious shootings nationally. Methods. From July 2021 to April 2023, we manually reviewed publicly available records on all 2015-2020 injurious shootings by US police, identified from Gun Violence Archive. We estimated injury frequency, case fatality rates, and relative odds of death by incident and victim characteristics. Results. A total of 1769 people were injured annually in shootings by police, 55% fatally. When a shooting injury occurred, odds of fatality were 46% higher following dispatched responses than police-initiated responses. Injuries associated with physically threatening or threat-making behaviors, behavioral health needs, and well-being checks were most frequently fatal. Relative to White victims, Black victims were overrepresented but had 35% lower odds of fatal injury when shot. Conclusions. This first multiyear, nationwide analysis of injurious shootings by US police suggests that injury disparities are underestimated by fatal shootings alone. Nonpolicing responses to social needs may prevent future injuries. Public Health Implications. We call for enhanced reporting systems, comprehensive evaluation of emerging reforms, and targeted investment in social services for equitable injury prevention. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(4):387-397. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307560).

Effects of shift work on sleep quality and cardiovascular function in Taiwanese police officers

This study aimed to investigate the effects of shift work on sleep quality, cardiovascular function, and physical activity (PA) levels in Taiwanese police officers. Twenty-one male police officers aged 26.9 ± 4.1 years old located in Taipei voluntarily participated in this study. The participants completed the resting heart rate (HR) and hemodynamic variables (e.g. blood pressure, BP) before and after day-time (DTW) and night-time (NTW) shift work phases (5 working days and 2 resting days for each phase). Additionally, an actigraphy was administered to measure PA and sleep patterns in the last 3 working days. The average total sleep time and sleep efficiency were 278.5 ± 79. 6 min and 72.9 ± 10%, respectively, in the NTW phases, which were significantly lower than that in the DTW phases. A comparison of the PA characteristics between the two phases revealed that a lower proportion of moderate-vigorous PA (1.2 ± 0.8%) and a greater proportion of sedentary behaviour PA (74.8 ± 6.4%) was found in the NTW phases. The results of hemodynamic measures demonstrated that the police officers have significantly elevated systolic BP by 3.3% and diastolic BP by 3.9% after the NTW phases. Furthermore, the NTW phases exhibited a significantly higher percentage change ratio of systolic BP and diastolic BP compared to the DTW phases. Compared with the DTW phases, the NTW phase was significantly more likely to report higher decreasing parasympathetic-related HR variability with a range of -5.9% to -7.8%. In conclusion, night-time shift work resulted in negative physiological changes leading to adverse effects on the health and well-being of Taiwanese police officers.

Epidemiology of Stress Fracture in Police Trainees

BACKGROUND

Military recruits and athletes have high occurrence of stress fractures, with very high incidence among military recruits. Symptomatic stress fractures can be disabling in some people. This study aims at identifying pattern and distribution of such fractures in Nepal Police trainee and assess the risk factors and demographics that may help to develop the local guidelines.

METHODS

This study analysed 65 police trainees who presented to the orthopaedic Out Patient Department at Nepal Police and Province Police Hospital diagnosed as a case of stress fracture from 29 December, 2020 to 29 December, 2021. Ethical approval was obtained and different variables analysed were age, sex, Body Mass Index, location of fracture, duration of pain, method of treatment, time to heal the fracture and time to pain free mobilisation of patient.

RESULTS

There were 65 trainees with 86 sites of fracture at different bones with 50.8% (33) of male population. The majority of fracture was located at tibia (58.1%) followed by pubic rami (33.7%) with potentially debilitating fracture neck of femur seen in 4.6% subjects. Mean duration of pain was 20.7±14.2 days with mean time for pain free mobilisation 42.2±17.7 days after presentation. 96.5% of those recovered with conservative treatment (activity restriction or cast).

CONCLUSIONS

The location of stress fracture depends upon the type of training or activities. Modification of activities in early phase of training with early visit for medical care in case of trainees with increasing pain may decrease morbidities and complications requiring operative treatment.

Comparison of the number of pedestrian and cyclist injuries captured in police data compared with health service utilisation data in Toronto, Canada 2016-2021

INTRODUCTION

Pedestrian and cyclist injuries represent a preventable burden to Canadians. Police-reported collision data include information on where such collisions occur but under-report the number of collisions. The primary objective of this study was to compare the number of police-reported collisions with emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalisations in Toronto, Canada.

METHODS

Police-reported collisions were provided by Toronto Police Services (TPS). Data included the location of the collision, approximate victim age and whether the pedestrian or cyclist was killed or seriously injured. Health services data included ED visits in the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System and hospitalisations from the Discharge Abstract Database using ICD-10 codes for pedestrian and cycling injuries. Data were compared from 2016 to 2021.

RESULTS

Injuries reported in the health service data were higher than those reported in the TPS for cyclists and pedestrians. The discrepancy was the largest for cyclists treated in the ED, with TPS capturing 7.9% of all cycling injuries. Cyclist injuries not involving a motor vehicle have increased since the start of the pandemic (from 3629 in 2019 to 5459 in 2020 for ED visits and from 251 in 2019 to 430 for hospital admissions).

IMPLICATIONS

While police-reported data are important, it under-reports the burden. There have been increases in cyclist collisions not involving motor vehicles and decreases in pedestrian injuries since the start of the pandemic. The results suggest that using police data alone when planning for road safety is inadequate, and that linkage with other health service data is essential.

Emotional Eating and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the Police Force: The Carolina Blue Project

There is an association between emotional eating and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors; however, little is known about this association in the police force. This study explores the associations between emotional eating and CVD risk factors in law enforcement officers in North Carolina. Four hundred and five officers completed The Emotional Eating Scale, and 221 of them completed the assessment for CVD-related markers. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Emotional eating in response to anger was significantly positively associated with body weight (β = 1.51, t = 2.07, p = 0.04), diastolic blood pressure (β = 0.83, t = 2.18, p = 0.03), and mean arterial pressure (β = 0.84, t = 2.19, p = 0.03) after adjusting for age and use of blood pressure medicine. Emotional eating in response to depression was significantly positively associated with triglycerides (β = 5.28, t = 2.49, p = 0.02), while the emotional eating in response to anxiety was significantly negatively associated with triglycerides (β = -11.42, t = -2.64, p = 0.01), after adjusting for age and use of cholesterol medicine. Our findings offer new insights to address emotional eating and lower CVD risk in law enforcement officers.

Solutions Trial: Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in 10-17-year-olds presenting at police custody: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Within England, children and young people (CYP) who come into police custody are referred to Liaison and Diversion (L&D) teams. L&D teams have responsibility for liaising with healthcare and other support services while working to divert CYP away from the criminal justice system but have traditionally not provided targeted psychological interventions to CYP. Considering evidence that Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) leads to a reduction in internalising and externalising behaviour problems in CYP, the aim of this randomised controlled trial (RCT) was to determine whether there is a difference between services as usual (SAU) plus SFBT offered by trained therapists working within a L&D team, and SAU alone, in reducing offending behaviours in 10-17-year-olds presenting at police custody.

METHODS

Design: two-arm individually RCT with internal pilot and process evaluation.

PARTICIPANTS

N = approximately 448 CYP aged 10-17 years presenting at one of three police custody suites in the area served by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) who are referred to the L&D team. Participants will be recruited and allocated to intervention:control on a 1:1 basis. Interviews will be performed with 30-40 CYP in the intervention arm, 15 CYP in the control arm, up to 20 parents/guardians across both arms, up to 15 practitioners, and up to 10 site staff responsible for screening CYP for the trial. Intervention and control: Those allocated to the intervention will be offered SAU plus SFBT, and control participants will receive SAU only.

PRIMARY OUTCOME

CYP frequency of offending behaviours assessed through the Self-Report Delinquency Measure (SRDM) at 12 months post-randomisation.

SECONDARY OUTCOMES

criminal offence data (national police database); emotional and behavioural difficulties (self-report and parent/guardian reported); gang affiliation (self-report). Process evaluation: evaluation of acceptability and experiences of the CYP, parents/guardians, site staff and practitioners; fidelity of SFBT delivery.

DISCUSSION

This two-arm individually RCT will evaluate the effectiveness of SFBT in reducing offending behaviours in CYP presenting at police custody suites within the area served by LSCFT. Our process evaluation will assess the fidelity of delivery of SFBT, the factors affecting implementation, the acceptability of SFBT in CYP aged 10-17 years and recruitment and reach. We will also examine systems and structures for future delivery, therefore assessing overall scalability.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov  ISRCTN14195235 . Registered on June 16, 2023.

The function of power: A herstorical model of power, trauma, and policing African Americans

OBJECTIVE

Transmitting trauma narratives is intergenerational by nature. Few studies have taken a qualitative approach to analyzing the most pervasive trauma of the United States: the chattel slavery of Black people. Examining the lived experiences of the formerly enslaved, through their childhood and adult narrative memories of personal and second-hand interactions with White authority figures, is critical to the recognition of today's ongoing impact of policing, generational trauma, and mental health in the African American community.

METHOD

Using interviews archived in the Library of Congress from women (N = 19) who were identified as being members of the last living generation of formerly enslaved African Americans, researchers used a feminist-forward grounded theory methodology to understand the following: (a) What are the historical relationships between African Americans and White authority figures? (b) What are the memories associated with the interactions between African Americans and White authority figures? (c) How did these interaction processes come to be? and (d) How did these memories get passed on?

RESULTS

The analysis of childhood memories and interactions between enslavers and African Americans close to home (i.e., on the plantation) produced six themes: (a) enmeshment with enslaver, (b) enslaver as good, (c) caretaking by enslaver, (d) enslaver control, (e) violent control by policing figures, and (f) following orders. Theoretical coding led to the formation of a full model of the function of power within the herstorical policing of African Americans close to home.

CONCLUSIONS

The themes uncovered highlight the potentially traumatic violence and control that characterized the environment in which enslaved children lived and the systems through which White power was maintained. The herstorical analysis and results confirm the ways police violence has sought to control and harm African Americans for over 400 years and underscores the role that police violence has played in the perpetuation of intergenerational trauma and the maintenance of White power. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

"That is Not Behavior Consistent With a Rape Victim": The Effects of Officer Displays of Doubt on Sexual Assault Case Processing and Victim Participation

Despite the prevalence and severity of sexual violence, case attrition has been identified as a significant issue. Of the cases that are reported to police, only a small portion result in arrest, prosecution, or conviction. Research has revealed that much of this attrition occurs early in the process and that a number of theoretically supported legal (e.g., physical evidence, victim participation) and extralegal (e.g., demographics, victim credibility) factors influence how and whether a case progresses through the criminal justice system. However, few researchers have directly examined the impact of officer doubt on case processing. Whereas legal and extralegal factors represent case characteristics, doubt represents officer cognition about these characteristics. These perceptions can affect how victims are treated, how police investigate the case, and ultimately, the case's progression through the system. A random sample of sexual assault reports from one police department in a medium-sized jurisdiction in the western U.S. was drawn to examine the expression of officer doubt, as well as its impact on victim participation, arrest, and referral for prosecution while controlling for relevant legal and extralegal factors. The findings suggest that officer doubt is an important consideration in sexual assault case processing, independent of other legal and extralegal factors, and that it significantly impacts the likelihood of arrest and referral for prosecution. Consistent with previous research, police decision-making was also impacted by certain legal factors. Victim participation was not directly affected by officer doubt but it was predicted by extralegal factors. Implications for future sexual assault research and practitioner training are discussed.

Looted artifacts and museums' perpetuation of imperialism and racism: Implications for the importance of preserving cultural heritage

In the midst of recent protests and antiracism movements following the death of George Floyd in May of 2020 and other Black, Indigenous, and people of Color (BIPOC) murdered in the United States by police violence, protestors and advocates around the world recognized the need for Western governments and other institutions to reckon with their own imperial history-to acknowledge the linkage between the slave trade, colonialism, and racism in their countries. This recognition led to the tearing down of statues depicting racist colonial leaders and calling for museums who have perpetuated imperialism and racism through their acceptance and display of looted artifacts to return them. This article sought to answer the question posed in the call for papers, can the many manifestations of racism be effectively dealt with in our society if the status quo is unwilling to engage with the issues, address them, and relinquish power. Further the author argues that cultural looting has its roots in colonialism and racism and discusses implications of the linkage between one's stolen cultural heritage and individual and community well-being. Answers to the question include both yes, manifestations of racism can be addressed, and no, they cannot be addressed when institutions and governments refuse to engage, address the issue and do not relinquish power. The article also includes the author's thoughts on using a living heritage approach to preserve cultural heritage and offers suggestions that community psychologists, advocates and activists can help to decolonize museums as part of the broader social and racial justice movement.

Police and hospital data linkage for traffic injury surveillance: A systematic review

This systematic review examines studies of traffic injury that involved linkage of police crash data and hospital data and were published from 1994 to 2023 worldwide in English. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were the basis for selecting papers from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, and for identifying additional relevant papers using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and supplementary snowballing (n = 60). The selected papers were reviewed in terms of research objectives, data items and sample size included, temporal and spatial coverage, linkage methods and software tools, as well as linkage rates and most significant findings. Many studies found that the number of clinically significant road injury cases was much higher according to hospital data than crash data. Under-estimation of cases in crash data differs by road user type, pedestrian cases commonly being highly under-counted. A limited number of the papers were from low- and middle-income countries. The papers reviewed lack consistency in what was reported and how, which limited comparability.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of data linkage between motor vehicle crash and hospital-based datasets

Motor vehicle crash data linkage has emerged as a vital tool to better understand the injury outcomes and the factors contributing to crashes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to explore the existing knowledge on data linkage between motor vehicle crashes and hospital-based datasets, summarize and highlight the findings of previous studies, and identify gaps in research. A comprehensive and systematic search of the literature yielded 54 studies for a qualitative analysis, and 35 of which were also considered for a quantitative meta-analysis. Findings highlight a range of viable methodologies for linking datasets, including manual, deterministic, probabilistic, and integrative methods. Designing a linkage method that integrates different algorithms and techniques is more likely to result in higher match rate and fewer errors. Examining the results of the meta-analysis reveals that a wide range of linkage rates were reported. There are several factors beyond the approach that affect the linkage rate including the size and coverage of both datasets and the linkage variables. Gender, age, crash type, and roadway geometry at the crash site were likely to be associated with a record's presence in a linked dataset. Linkage rate alone is not the only important metric and when linkage rate is used as a metric in research, both police and hospital rates should be reported. This study also highlights the importance of examining and accounting for population and bias introduced by linking two datasets.

Labeling Victimization Experiences and Self as Predictors of Service Need Perceptions and Talking to Police

Theoretical frameworks suggest that how victims of violence against women (VAW) label their experiences and selves shapes their help-seeking intentions and behaviors. Quantitative studies assessing this relationship have focused on sexual assault and have neglected self-labels, thus this study adds to the research by including multiple forms of VAW and both experience-labels (e.g., "abuse") and self-labels (e.g., "victim"). Data came from a community-based sample of 1,284 adult, female victims of physical intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking. These women participated in a state-wide phone survey in 2020 to determine victimization prevalence and were selected for the present analyses based on their victimization experiences. Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine whether experience- and self-labels predicted the likelihood of perceiving the need for legal services, victim services, shelter or safe housing, and/or medical care, as well as talking to police. Both applying a label to one's experiences with VAW and applying a label to oneself in relation to those experiences approximately doubled the odds of perceiving a need for formal services. The significance of self-labels seemed to be driven by the "survivor" label, as using a "victim" label was not related to need perceptions, but a "survivor" label doubled or tripled the odds of perceiving a need for formal services. Applying a label to one's experiences with VAW almost doubled the odds of talking to the police, and, again, use of the "survivor" self-label significantly increased the odds of talking to the police. These findings confirm the importance of labeling one's victimization experiences and self, and indicate that greater attention be paid to the labels that victims use and how the use of labels might be improved so that they are more likely to seek and attain meaningful help and services.

Return-to-Work Experiences in Ontario Policing: Injured But Not Broken

PURPOSE

Police officers and others working in police services are exposed to challenging and traumatic situations that can result in physical and/or psychological injuries requiring time off work. Safely returning to work post-injury is critical, yet little is known about current return-to-work (RTW) practices in police services. This study examines RTW practices and experiences in police services from the perspective of RTW personnel and workers with physical and/or psychological health conditions.

METHODS

We used a purposive sampling approach to recruit sworn and civilian members from several police services in Ontario, Canada. The recruited members had experienced RTW either as a person in a RTW support role or as a worker with a work-related injury/illness. We conducted and transcribed interviews for analysis and used qualitative research methods to identify themes in the data.

RESULTS

Five overarching themes emerged. Two pointed to the context and culture of police services and included matters related to RTW processes, injury/illness complexity, the hierarchical nature of police organizations, and a culture of stoicism and stigma. The remaining three themes pointed to the RTW processes of accommodation, communication and trust-building. They included issues related to recovery from injury/illness, meaningful accommodation, timely and clear communication, malingering and trust.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings point to potential areas for improving RTW practices in police services: greater flexibility, more clarity, stricter confidentiality and reduced stigma. More research is needed on RTW practices for managing psychological injuries to help inform policy and practice.

Race, disadvantage, and violence: A spatial exploration of macrolevel covariates of police-involved homicides within and between US counties

Efforts to explore the macrolevel determinants of police-involved homicides have expanded in recent years due in part to increased scrutiny and media attention to such events, and increased data availability of these events through crowdsourced databases. However, little empirical research has examined the spatial determinants of such events. The present study extends the extant macrolevel research on police-involved homicides by employing an underutilized spatial econometric model, the spatial Durbin model (SDM), to assess the direct and indirect county effects of racial threat, economic threat, social disorganization, and community violence on police killings within and between US counties from 2013 through 2020. Results indicate a direct inverse relationship between racial threat and police-involved homicides, no support for economic threat, and a direct positive association with two measures of social disorganization. Additionally, we find firearm availability exhibits significant direct and indirect spatial dependence on focal county police-involved homicides, reflecting spatial spillover processes. In essence, as firearm availability in neighboring counties increases, police-involved homicides within a focal county increase. The implications of these findings for racial threat, economic threat, social disorganization, and community violence are discussed.

Sexual orientation and experiences with police contact in Canada

PURPOSE

To investigate the relationship between sexual orientation and police contact-including police contact with intrusion (i.e., use of intrusive verbal or physical force) and police contact with harassment (i.e., actions making one feel inferior based on appearance, identity, or demographic background)-among a national sample in Canada.

METHODS

Logistic and multinomial logistic regression were used to assess the association between sexual orientation and experiences with police contact among a sample of 940 persons ages 16-30 across Canada.

RESULTS

Compared to heterosexual participants, persons identifying as bisexual were significantly more likely to report having any police contact in the past 12 months (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.09, 2.70). Bisexual (RRR = 3.45, 95% CI = 1. 83, 6.50) and queer, questioning, and other (RRR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.15, 4.73) identifying participants were more likely to report having experienced police contact with harassment relative to no police contact, compared to heterosexual individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study provides the first analysis of the relationship between sexual minority identity and experiences with adverse police contact in Canada, revealing higher levels of police contact and police contact with harassment, especially among bisexual and queer, questioning, other individuals. Findings suggest that sexual minority persons in Canada experience potentially harmful police contact at elevated rates, which may have significant ramifications for health and traumatic stress responses.

[Suicides among children, adolescents, and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic - An analysis of police data from three German federal states]

OBJECTIVE

The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected young people, resulting in increased psychological distress and rising prevalence rates for mental disorders. There is concern that completed suicides have increased in addition to the observed increase in suicide attempts.

METHOD

The study is based on the police crime statistics (01/2017 to 12/2022) of three federal states in Germany, representing 13% of Germany's overall population. Suicide counts and rates for the child, teenage, adolescent, and young adult age groups were compared between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods using chi-squared tests.

RESULTS

860 people under age 30 died from suicide. Suicide rates did not differ between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods in any of the age groups studied.

CONCLUSION

So far, there has been no discernible increase in suicides among young Germans. Ongoing suicide monitoring is recommended.

Assessing Verbal Eyewitness Confidence Statements Using Natural Language Processing

After an eyewitness completes a lineup, officers are advised to ask witnesses how confident they are in their identification. Although researchers in the lab typically study eyewitness confidence numerically, confidence in the field is primarily gathered verbally. In the current study, we used a natural language-processing approach to develop an automated model to classify verbal eyewitness confidence statements. Across a variety of stimulus materials and witnessing conditions, our model correctly classified adult witnesses' (N = 4,541) level of confidence (i.e., high, medium, or low) 71% of the time. Confidence-accuracy calibration curves demonstrate that the model's confidence classification performs similarly in predicting eyewitness accuracy compared to witnesses' self-reported numeric confidence. Our model also furnishes a new metric, confidence entropy, that measures the vagueness of witnesses' confidence statements and provides independent information about eyewitness accuracy. These results have implications for how empirical scientists collect confidence data and how police interpret eyewitness confidence statements.

Rally 'round the flag effects are not for all: Trajectories of institutional trust among populist and non-populist voters

Using the Consequences of COVID-19 (COCO) dataset (quota sample of the adult Italian population, surveyed seven times by email), we analysed the trend of trust in political (political parties, parliament and local administrations), super partes (president of the Republic, judiciary and police) and international (the European Union and the United Nations) institutions from June 2019 to October 2022. Three latent growth curve models showed that trust in political institutions increased between June 2019 and April 2020 and subsequently decreased below the pre-pandemic level. Trust in super partes institutions decreased slightly between June 2019 and April 2020, decreased from April 2020 to April 2022 and increased in the subsequent months. Trust in international institutions declined between June 2019 and April 2020 and then returned to pre-pandemic levels. Three piecewise decompositions showed different trends in trust for non-populist voters, populist voters and non-voters. Strengths, weaknesses and possible developments of the study are discussed.

Police-mental health co-response versus police-as-usual response to behavioral health emergencies: A pragmatic randomized effectiveness trial

BACKGROUND

People with mental illness are overrepresented in United States (US) criminal legal systems. In response, alternatives to traditional police response to behavioral health emergencies have become more common, despite limited evidence for their effectiveness. We conducted the first randomized controlled trial of a police-mental health co-response team to determine program effectiveness relative to a police-as-usual response on key outcomes identified by community stakeholders.

METHODS

Between January 2020 and March 2021, we randomized behavioral health emergency calls for service in one of six police districts in Indianapolis, Indiana to receive a co-response or police-as-usual response during operational hours between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays - Fridays. Eligible calls for service were determined via pre-specified phrases indicating a behavioral health incident over the police dispatch radio. Researchers then communicated random assignment with the co-response team to indicate whether they should respond or withhold. Logistic and negative binomial regression were used to assess group differences in emergency medical services (EMS) events within 12 months of the randomized incident along with jail booking, outpatient encounters, and emergency department visits.

FINDINGS

We randomized 686 calls for service with co-response completed in 264 cases and police-as-usual response in 267 cases. The overall rate of attrition was similar across conditions and the final sample included 211 co-responses and 224 police-as-usual responses. We found no significant differences in any EMS event (odds ratio [OR]: 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-1.88, p = .246) or event counts (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.52-1.37, p = .504). We also found no differences in secondary outcomes (jail booking, outpatient encounters, and emergency department visits).

DISCUSSION

A police-mental health co-response team model was not more effective than traditional police response on key outcomes. Co-response team models, such as the one reported here, may unintentionally foster emergency services utilization among persons with behavioral health needs. Without a functioning national mental health system, communities in the US will continue to struggle to identify solutions to meet the needs of community members with complex behavioral health issues.

Musculoskeletal complaints in English law enforcement officers: a cross-sectional study

Objectives. Musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints are prevalent in law enforcement officers (LEOs), but research that examines their risk factors is limited. This study aimed to identify the self-reported MSK complaint prevalence and perceived causes in LEOs. Methods. The Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to identify the 12-month and 7-day prevalence of MSK 'trouble' (ache, pain, discomfort) for nine body sites. The perceived cause, participant characteristics and occupational role were reported. Body fat percentage was measured using bioelectrical impedance. Results. Complete submissions of 186 questionnaires were received (80% male, median age 40.6 years, interquartile range 10.1). Eighty-six per cent of officers reported having an MSK complaint in the last 12 months, where lower back, shoulder and neck complaint prevalence was 59.1, 48.4 and 42.5%, respectively. The occupational role was associated with the site and presence of complaints (p < 0.05), where armed officers presented with more shoulder, lower back and hip/thigh complaints. Age, sex and body fat did not impact complaint prevalence. Participants mainly attributed their complaints to occupation equipment or to sport and exercise. Conclusion. MSK complaints were highly prevalent in this cohort, particularly armed officers. Further research is required to establish the impact of these complaints and how they can be mitigated.

Risk, race, and predictive policing: A critical race theory analysis of the strategic subject list

Predictive policing is a tool used increasingly by police departments that may exacerbate entrenched racial/ethnic disparities in the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC). Using a Critical Race Theory framework, we analyzed arrest data from a predictive policing program, the Strategic Subject List (SSL), and questioned how the SSL risk score (i.e., calculated risk for gun violence perpetration or victimization) predicts the arrested individual's race/ethnicity while accounting for local spatial conditions, including poverty and racial composition. Using multinomial logistic regression with community area fixed effects, results indicate that the risk score predicts the race/ethnicity of the arrested person while accounting for spatial context. As such, despite claims of scientific objectivity, we provide empirical evidence that the algorithmically-derived risk variable is racially biased. We discuss our study in the context of how the SSL reinforces a pseudoscientific justification of the PIC and call for the abolition of these tools broadly.