Chief: You Wouldn't Use a Public Defender to Represent Your Agency, So Why Would You Use a Hospital Appointed Physician?

The role of the police physician has evolved significantly—from conducting fitness-for-duty examinations to overseeing emergency medical operations within law enforcement agencies. Today, responsibilities include licensed medical oversight and quality review of medical response programs, such as those involving automated external defibrillators (AEDs), epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPens), and naloxone (Narcan). Police physicians also contribute to tactical medical training (e.g., “combat medical care” at mass casualty incidents), the use of tourniquets, and the immediate on-scene care of wounded officers. In recent years, high-profile incidents have received intense national attention, highlighting the urgent need for advanced training for law enforcement officers in recognizing and treating life-threatening medical and psychiatric emergencies. The police physician plays a critical role in ensuring that agency training and medical programs adhere to current standards of care through ongoing quality review. Officer health and wellness has become a central focus for agency leadership. Programs aimed at promoting health and identifying individuals at high risk for serious conditions—such as cardiovascular disease—through medical screening are increasingly prioritized to reduce morbidity and mortality. As with any command staff position, appointing a physician as the agency’s medical director (e.g., chief surgeon) is a decision of strategic importance. This appointment should be made by the police executive and not delegated to external entities such as the local health department, hospital, or corporate health care system. This session’s speakers and panelists will explore effective strategies for recruiting a qualified agency physician, outline selection criteria and credentialing processes, and discuss how a police physician can serve as a vital resource to the chief executive in both daily operations and long-term planning.