Archive for July, 2008
Force Science News #102: New Study Ranks Risks of Injury from 5 Major Force Options
Force Science News #102
How would you rank the relative risk for officers and suspects suffering injury from these 5 force options:
- Empty-hand control techniques
- Baton
- OC spray
- Conducted energy weapons (Tasers)
- Lateral vascular neck restraint.
If you judged OC to be the “safest” and baton to be “most injurious” to both officers and offenders, you’re in agreement with the findings of a new study of force encounters involving officers on a major municipal department.
Force Science News #101: Practical pointers for preventing “suicide by inches”
Force Science News #101
Part 2 of a 2-part series
[Editor's note: In our last transmission, we reported on a new documentary film, "The Pain Behind the Badge," which features 3 officers who experienced emotional melt-downs from the cumulative stress of life on the street. Two contemplated suicide and the third saw the near-dissolution of his marriage before they sought help. Today we explore measures you can take to keep a career-related stress buildup from overwhelming you or another officer.]
“There’s no doubt that law enforcement is a tough profession,” says Dr. Bill Lewinski, the behavioral scientist who heads the Force Science Research Center at Minnesota State University-Mankato, “The stuff you run into can emotionally bury you unless you take care of yourself.”
