Emergency medicine and police collaboration to prevent community violence

An important responsibility of emergency departments is the management of i njuries sustained in assaults. Most assaults, including many causing seriou s injury, are not reported and: not recorded by the police. This is importa nt because police investigation and the conviction of offenders has a subst antial deterrent effect and because information about the circumstances, of intentional injury is key to prevention. Recent investigation of ED-police collaboration has shown that many of the injured, and ED staff want offens es to be reported but that there are attitudinal, logistic, and ethical-leg al obstacles to achieving this. Organized joint efforts by emergency medici ne personnel and police departments, on the basis of a sound, legal and eth ical framework to protect the rights of both victims and offenders, should deter more violent offenders and would-be violent offenders. They also prov ide the police with unique aggregate, nonconfidential information that is o f substantial, help in tackling violence. ED data can be used to measure an d, refine violence prevention initiatives and are being developed as the ba sis of a new, independent measure of pol:ice performance. Strategies, pract ical ideas to overcome obstacles, and directions for future research are su ggested.