S PEC I A L IZED PAT R O L S
BY JASON BUSCH
Shots Fired:
when a police car
becomes an ambulance
In Philadelphia cops can transport penetrating-trauma patients;
will other systems follow suit?
I
f a "shots fired" call goes out over the
radio, it's a good bet police will arrive
on scene before EMS providers.
And with penetrating-trauma
patients, where moments really do
count, which option sounds better:
8
Law Enforcement Technology
waiting for an ambulance to arrive
while the patient bleeds out, or cops
loading the patient into the back of a
squad car and transporting to the nearest trauma center themselves?
There's evidence that supports the
September 2013
www.officer.com
practice of police transport, and one
need look no further than the city
of Philadelphia.
More than a decade ago the city
gave the OK to police to transport
penetrating-trauma patients. It was