May 2018

Guest Editors: Stephanie Lash and Kathleen Kelly

Officer safety and wellness has become more of a focus for many agencies in recent years, but it must be acknowledged that the very nature of law enforcement presents risks to those who serve. However, wellness research, holistic wellness programs, officer fitness initiatives, and new health and safety tools can help law enforcement agencies and leaders manage those risks and increase their officers’ quality of life and overall safety.

Articles

• Optimal Wellness Program Design: Research-Based Strategies to Achieve Measurable Success

  By Mandy Nice, NSCA-CPT, NPTI-MPT, President, the Nice Life, LLC
  “I got your six” is perhaps among the most noble and meaningful promises that members of the law enforcement industry can make to one another—the unconditional promise to have each other’s ba...

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• Effects of Shift Work on Officer Safety and Wellness

  By John M. Violanti, PhD, New York State Police (Ret.), Research Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, State University of New York at Buffalo

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• Police and Physical Fitness: Convincing the Caretakers to Take Care

  By Marc R. Partee, Major, Baltimore, Maryland, Police Department
  Almost any police officer, if asked, will emphasize how special those are who wear the badge and point out that not just anyone can be a cop. An important part of this distinction is the idea of indes...

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• FirstNet Will Offer Law Enforcement a Reliable Connection and New Tools to Support Officer Wellness and Safety

  By Ehrin Ehlert, Regional Lead, First Responder Network Authority
  In the fall of 2017, a Pennsylvania police officer suffered a cardiac arrest while pursuing a suspect on foot. According to media accounts, the 44-year-old Allegheny Township officer had been called t...

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• Insights on Officer Safety from Officer-Involved Shooting and Near Miss Incidents

  By Amber Askey, Senior Research Associate; Brett Cowell, Project Associate; and Jim Burch, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Police Foundation; and Darrel Stephens, Executive Director (Ret.), Major Cities Chiefs Association
  Officer safety efforts, including those to reduce and prevent line-of-duty deaths, are continually of critical importance to the field, officers, and public safety. Two groundbreaking initiatives spea...

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• IACP Through the Years: Women Police and Stress (1983)

  By Carol Ann Martin
  Police chiefs from around the country often ask me various questions about women police. These questions often include: Why would any woman in her right mind choose a career in law enforcement? Why no...

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