Guest blogger: David McArdle, MD FACEP, IACP Physician Section Chair

What are those doctors doing?

The Physician Section of the IACP has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. Originally, this was a small group of occupational medicine specialists who were meeting to build consensus on the best ways to screen candidates for police work and keep them safe doing the job they love. We still do that as a core principle but we have grown to represent many other areas of expertise and are attempting to educate the chief executives on how medical issues can impact law enforcement. This year, at IACP 2015, the Police Physicians Section Track has a number of informative sessions planned.

This year, Captain Frank Butler USN will be part of a panel to discuss further implementation of Combat Medical Training and the need for review of cases looking for better ways to treat officers at “the point of wounding” (Monday, 2:00 - 2:45 PM). Closely aligned with this topic will be a follow up by the Tucson Police Department on their program to save injured officers in the field (Monday, 12:00 noon - 12:45 PM).

Forensic evidence is often lost during medical treatment. Bill Smock, MD, the Police Surgeon for Louisville Metro Police will discuss their Forensic Nurse Examiner program and how it can affect preserving evidence in Officer Involved Shootings (Monday, 1:00 - 1:45 PM).

Predictions are that this winter the weather may be even worse than last year’s for much of the country. The cadre from the Law Enforcement Mountain Operations School in Priest Lake, Idaho will share their experience in what it takes to continue routine law enforcement operations and rescue individuals in severe winter weather (Tuesday, 1:00 - 1:45 PM).

The legalization of marijuana has been largely driven by its purported medical uses. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Marijuana will be discussed as well as the impact on the state of Colorado since legalization (Sunday, 2:00 - 3:30 PM).

Opiate use is on a tremendous upsurge. The use of intranasal narcan by police officers to save lives and build cases will be discussed (Tuesday, 8:00 - 8:45 AM).

Please review the Physician Section Track agenda for other topics. We promise not to have too much “doctor speak” and address a variety of issues such as cardiovascular disease and mental health that should be insightful for police executives. Operational medical support for law enforcement is a rapidly growing specialty which crosses many traditional specialty boundaries. We continue to press forward on a variety of medical issues that will help keep our officers and the public they serve safe.

For more information on the IACP Annual Conference and Exposition, visit the official conference website. See you in Chicago!