Dying for the Job: Police Mortality, 1950–2018

Details

• Personal Author:
  Andrew, Michael E. ; Charles LE ; Fekedulegn D ; Gu JK ; Violanti JM
• Description:
  Purpose: This study is a mortality assessment on police officers (68-years, 1950-2018) and includes all causes of death. Design/methodology/approach: The authors investigated 1,853 police deaths (1950-2018) using sources of mortality that included the National Death Index, New York State, and available records from the Buffalo New York police department. Standardized Mortality Ratios were calculated. Death codes were obtained from 8th and 9th International Classification of Disease revisions in accordance with the year of death. Findings: Compared to the US general population, white male police officers from 1950-2018 had elevated mortality rates for some causes of death, including diseases of the circulatory system, malignant neoplasms, cirrhosis of the liver, and mental disorders. Black and female officers had lower mortality rates for all causes of death compared to the general population. Research limitations/implications: The findings of elevated risk for chronic disease among police need to be studied in relation to stress, lifestyle, and exposure to chemical and physical agents. There is a special need to further study officers from minority populations as larger samples become available. Practical implications: The results of this study will provide police and occupational health practitioners with objective evidence to determine the health impact of work on law enforcement officers. Originality/value: This study is longest running mortality assessment on police officers ever conducted (1950-2018) and includes white, black, and female officers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Epidemiology Law Enforcement Mental Health Mortality Neoplasms Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological

  More +
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Cancer Cancer Cardiovascular Disease Job Stress Law Enforcement Mental Health Mortality Studies Occupational Health Police Police Officers
• ISSN:
  1363-951X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  44
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063756
• Citation:
  Policing 2021 Oct; 44(6):1168-1187
• Contact Point Address:
  John M. Violanti, Epidemiology and Environmental Health, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
• Email:
  violanti@buffalo.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Performing Organization:
  State University New York Stony Brook
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20200821
• Source Full Name:
  Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management
• End Date:
  20210630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:06a257b86da44e8ac47bd83e22cb82e2b2d91083c30810c157008a54112d2e6b20d01dbf1a8e31b8151d9503e0413580b57f10b49bc32c7dcb6fcf342f9f6fa7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222312/cdc_222312_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 314.51 KB ]