LEGAL
LINE OF DUTY INJURIES A Recovery-Based Approach to Care and Treatment
By : James Touchstone , General Counsel for California Police Chiefs Association
Police executives face a myriad of challenges leading a law enforcement
department in today ’ s environment . These challenges originate both external and internal to the organization . One critical issue facing managers and the profession is that of officer injuries that inevitably occur in a demanding policing atmosphere . These injuries can result from a variety of sources , such as physical struggles with suspects , traffic collisions and the general dangers attendant to working as a law enforcement officer . Officer injuries undermine effective and efficient staffing protocols , cause an increase in overtime costs associated with backfilling injured officers ’ positions , and can lead to morale issues for injured officers if the treatment and recovery period is prolonged as those officers are embroiled in the “ system .”
The California Police Chiefs Association identified many of these issues of concern for law enforcement executives by recently conducting a member survey . The results of the survey were somewhat startling : 76 % of responding agencies identified difficulty in maintaining staffing ; 82 % of responding agencies noted that they were experiencing increased overtime expenses as a result of officer injuries ; 62 % of responding agencies stated that they were dissatisfied or moderately dissatisfied with the treatment of their personnel by the workers ’ compensation system ; 47 % of responding agencies reported that the care of injured officers impacted their employee ’ s views of their organizations , with 37 % reporting an associated diminishment of overall employee morale ; and critically , only 7 % of responding agencies stated that they considered the care their officers were receiving was consistently timely and appropriate .
The California Police Chiefs Association took action as a result of these survey results . The Association currently is in the process of finalizing an interactive organizational development executive program for law enforcement leaders to assist them in managing their employees ’ recoveries within the confines of the system in order to ameliorate many of these concerns . The goals of this program are to foster better outcomes for our injured personnel , organizations and communities . Our purpose is to improve care , reduce lost duty time , decrease the true costs associated with prolonged treatment regimens , deal with issues of accountability , and decrease litigation associated with the process of recovery .
In order to achieve these goals , the program will focus on providing law enforcement executives with a basis to exert their authority and some control over the workers ’ compensation process concerning treatment of their personnel . The association will be providing information concerning the executive / organizational development program in the coming months . Together , we can advance better treatment outcomes and overall wellness for our law enforcement personnel who serve our communities , a critical goal of the California Police Chiefs Association and law enforcement executives throughout California .
Information contained in this article is for general use and does not constitute legal advice . This article is not intended to create , and receipt and review of it does not constitute , an attorney-client-relationship with the author . ■
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