LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY

This study is unique for several reasons:

✓ The study is supported by two federal agencies – the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). NIOSH aims to develop new knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health and transfer it into practice. The NIJ is dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science.

✓ The research team is experienced and has a strong and diverse background that includes injury researchers, criminologists, former law enforcement officers, and emergency room data experts. A multi-disciplinary approach benefits this study of nonfatal injuries among police officers.

We have a very good understanding of line-of-duty deaths and how to prevent them. What we don’t fully understand are nonfatal injuries that impact officers and their agencies in so many ways.

For example, overexertion injuries are very expensive and can lead to significant time away from work. These injuries can also impact an officer’s home life and mental health if they involve long-term pain or disability. Worse yet, these injuries could lead to the end of a law enforcement career.

We know so little about how officers get injured, how they recover, and what can the field as a whole can do to prevent these injuries.

The research team have worked with law enforcement agencies and officers for many years and understand officers’ concerns about keeping their personal data confidential. Any results will be published in an aggregate form without any personal identifiers. This study has no bearing on workers’ compensation cases. It is not possible to link a case with a particular agency or officer.

We understand that trust is pivotal to the success of the project. We need officers to feel comfortable telling their stories so we have meaningful data to point us toward injury prevention and the safety of fellow officers. Feel free to reach out to any of the investigators for more information on our confidentiality assurances.