It may seem hard to believe, but the most minor of physical injuries can lead to severe emotional consequences that affect all aspects of an officer’s personal and professional life. A 1996 study conducted with the San Diego, California, Police Department found that nearly 74 percent of surveyed officers considered a needle stick injury to have the same significance as a knife or gunshot wound.1 This finding was bolstered by a 2000 study of more than 1,000 Baltimore, Maryland, police officers in which a needle stick injury or other exposure to blood and body fluids was reported to be the second most critical incident to an officer, resulting in a “high emotional effect” from the incident. Second only to attending a police funeral, the needle stick was considered to be more significant to surveyed officers than being the subject of an internal affairs investigation or even being involved in a shooting.2
