When leaders in law enforcement think of officer safety, issues like driving, firearms, and defensive tactics come to mind. Yet, a new initiative by the Boise (Idaho) Police Department (BPD) demonstrates the need for life-saving programs to take a much more personalized approach and consider personal health an element of officer safety, particularly heart disease.

Boise police officers are now part of a five-year Coronary Artery Disease Risk Assessment Screening Research Study conducted by Dr. Rob Hilvers, Dr. Steve Writer, and Dr. Pennie Seibert. The program originally included only firefighters, but was expanded in 2013 to include two Boise area police departments—and it’s already making a difference.