Darryl Plecas

Physical evidence of police officer stress

The purpose of the present study was to identify common stressors and the magnitude of stress reactivity in police officers during the course of general duty police work. Using heart rate as a primary indicator of autonomic nervous system activation, coupled with observed physical activity data collected through 76 full shift ride‐alongs, this study differentiates between physical and psycho‐social stress. The results, confirming previous research based on self‐report data alone, demonstrate that police officers experience both physical and psycho‐social stress on the job, anticipating stress as they go about their work, while suffering anticipatory stress at the start of each shift. The results demonstrated that the highest levels of stress occur just prior to and during critical incidents, and that officers do not fully recover from that stress before leaving their shift. Overall, the results illustrate the need to consider stress reactivity and repressors in the assessment of police officer stress while clearly demonstrating the need for debriefing after critical incidents and increased training in stress management and coping strategies.

Police officer physical ability testing – Re‐validating a selection criterion

The aim of this study was to determine the bona fide occupational requirements of general duty police work, and use this information to re‐validate a physical abilities test used in the police recruit selection process. A systematic random sample (n = 267) of general duty police officers completed two questionnaires: one concerning “average” duties, and one concerning the most physically demanding critical incident occurring in the 12 months prior. Of those completing the surveys, observational data were collected on every second officer, resulting in observational data collected for 121 officers, involving the recording of all physical activities and movement patterns observed throughout a ten hour shift. Data collected suggest there is a core of bona fide occupational requirements for general duty police work – walking, climbing stairs, manipulating objects, twisting/turning, pulling/pushing, running, bending, squatting and kneeling, and lifting and carrying. Many of these are involved in physical control of suspects, and can be tested using a well designed physical abilities test that simulates getting to the problem, controlling the problem, and removing the problem.

Reduced frequency and severity of residential fires following delivery of fire prevention education by on-duty fire fighters: Cluster randomized controlled study

INTRODUCTION In 2008, Surrey Fire Services, British Columbia, commenced a firefighter-delivered, door-to-door fire-prevention education and smoke alarm examination/installation initiative with the intention of reducing the frequency and severity of residential structure fires in the City of Surrey. METHOD High-risk zones within the city were identified and 18,473 home visits were undertaken across seven temporal delivery cohorts (13.8% of non-apartment dwellings in the city). The frequency and severity of fires pre- and post- the home visit intervention was examined in comparison to randomized high-risk cluster controls. RESULTS Overall, the frequency of fires was found to have reduced in the city overall, however, the reduction in the intervention cohorts was significantly larger than for controls. Furthermore, when fires did occur within the intervention cohorts, smoke detectors were activated more frequently and the fires were confined to the object of origin more often post-home visits. No equivalent pattern was observed for the cluster control. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY On-duty fire fighters can reduce the frequency and severity of residential fires through targeted, door-to-door distribution of fire prevention education in high-risk areas.

Predicting shooting scores from physical performance data

Selecting the right people for police work is not only important for the employer, but is also in the best interest of the public. Failure to screen out individuals who cannot perform the physical duties has a large human and economic cost. The present study investigated whether physical performance and anthropometric measures can predict recruits’ handgun marksmanship. While significant correlations were found between handgun marksmanship and dominant grip strength, combined grip strength, forearm girth and second ray length, significance was only found when the genders were analyzed together. A step‐wise multiple regression could not generate an equation to predict shooting score from the available data.

Evidence‐based solution to information sharing between law enforcement agencies

Purpose – The aim of this study is to test a technological solution to two traditional limitations of information sharing between law enforcement agencies: data quality and privacy concerns.Design/methodology/approach – Entity Analytics Software (EAS) was tested in two studies with North American law enforcement agencies. In the first test, duplicated cases held in a police record system were successfully identified (4.0 percent) to a greater extent than the traditionally used software program (1.5 percent). This resulted in a difference of 11,954 cases that otherwise would not have been identified as duplications. In the second test, entity information held separately by police and border officials was shared anonymously between these two organizations. This resulted in 1,827 alerts regarding entities that appeared in both systems; traditionally, this information could not have been shared, given privacy concerns, and neither agency would be aware of the relevant information held by the other. Data dupli...

An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Associated With Repeat Homicide in Canada

The current study presents the results of the first Canadian national study on the characteristics of repeat homicide offenders and the factors associated with homicide recidivism. The research involves an analysis of National Parole Board (NPB) files for all homicide offenders in Canada who committed more than one homicide ( n = 86) between 1975 and 2005 and a matched sample of homicide offenders who only committed one homicide (n = 84). Descriptive and bivariate analyses are used to examine and compare characteristics of single-time homicide offenders (SHOs) and repeat homicide offenders (RHOs). Logistic regression analysis reveals that RHOs lacked employment prior to their first homicide and became involved in alcohol and drug-influenced lifestyles. Furthermore, RHOs experience reductions in family and community support after release from custody for the first homicide. This reduction of support will likely reflect at-risk behavior and crime lifestyles associated with being unlawfully at large and alcohol and drug involvement.