Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026
A Coupled Experiment-finite Element Modeling Methodology for Assessing High Strain Rate Mechanical Response of Soft Biomaterials
Published on: May 18, 2015
Injuries sustained during contact with law enforcement: An analysis from US trauma centers
Morgan Schellenberg1, Kenji Inaba, Jayun Cho
1From the Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care (M.S., K.I., J.C., A.S., D.G., D.D.), LAC + USC Medical Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Division of Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery (J.M.T., G.B.), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California; Department of Emergency Medicine (C.B.), Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; and Division of Burns (A.E.), Trauma, and Critical Care, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
Background:
Injuries sustained by civilians from interaction with police are a polarizing contemporary sociopolitical issue. Few comprehensive studies have been published using national hospital-based data. The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiology of these injuries to better understand this mechanism of injury.
Methods:
Patients entered into the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) (January 2007 to December 2012) with E-codes E970.0 to E976.0 (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification), identifying injuries associated with law enforcement in the course of legal action, were enrolled. Patients' demographics, injury characteristics, procedures, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Patients injured by other civilians (E960.0-E968.0) were used for comparison.
Results:
Of 4,146,428 patients in the NTDB, 7,203 (0.17%) were injured during interaction with police. The numbers of patients in consecutive study years were 858, 1,103, 1,148, 1,274, 1,316, and 1,504. The incidence of these injuries was stable over time (0.17-0.18%) (p = 0.129). Patients had a median age of 31 years (range, 0-108), and 94.3% were male. Median injury severity score was 9 (interquartile range [IQR], 4-17). The most common mechanism of injury was gunshot wound (44%).Patients were white, 43%; black, 30%; Hispanic, 17%; Asian, 1%; and Other, 9%. As a proportion of the total race-specific NTDB trauma population, there was an average of 1.13 white patients, 2.71 Hispanic patients, and 3.83 black patients per 1,000. Mechanism, injury severity score, and outcomes did not vary by race. Compared to patients injured by civilians, patients injured by police are more likely to be white (43% vs 25%, p < 0.001) and injured by gunshot wounds (44% vs 32%, p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Based on data from trauma centers across the United States, the rate of injuries sustained during interactions with police has been stable over time. Gunshot wounds are the most common mechanism of injury. Proportionally, black patients are the most frequently injured race. When compared to patients injured by civilians, however, patients injured by police are more likely to be white. This study provides a step toward a better understanding of police-associated injuries.
Level Of Evidence:
Prognostic/epidemiologic study, level III.
More Related Videos
07:21Systems Analysis of the Neuroinflammatory and Hemodynamic Response to Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: May 27, 2022
04:02Author Spotlight: Developing Precise and Clinically Relevant Models for Studying Secondary Degeneration in Traumatic Optic Neuropathy
Published on: November 29, 2024
