Background
Over 48 000 people were killed by firearms in the US in 2022. Evidence suggests minimal prehospital intervention and rapid transport to definitive care reduce mortality. Police vehicles typically arrive before ambulances and could enable immediate transport. Since police face firearm injuries as an occupational hazard, their transport practices may inform civilian care, yet these practices remain unstudied.
Methods
We identified law enforcement personnel wounded by firearms using the Gun Violence Archive. We then conducted a case-by-case analysis of news reports, investigation documents, and media and body camera video footage to determine how each officer was transported from the scene. We focused on cities with at least 10 injured officers between April 2018 and April 2024, totalling 574 officers in 27 cities. Our final sample included 18 cities where we confirmed transport mode for at least 70% of cases, yielding 335 cases.
Results
Among 335 wounded officers, 35 were transported by means other than police or ambulance. Of the remaining 300, 44% were transported by police vehicle versus 56% by ambulance, with substantial variation across cities. In contrast, police rarely transport civilian gunshot victims, despite written procedures in several cities allowing this practice.
Conclusion
Police transport practices reveal differences in prehospital care for police versus civilians. Reforming prehospital policies may be a significant opportunity to save lives after gun violence. Evidence-based changes can be implemented now; new, rigorous research is urgently needed to evaluate police transport as a life-saving option for both police and civilians.
