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Police Patrol Vehicles Equipped with Automated External Defibrillators

Receiving defibrillation from an automated external defibrillator (AED) is a key component of the ‘chain of survival’ for victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Chances of survival from a SCA decrease by 7-10 % every minute that the victims does not receive defibrillation. Equipping police vehicles with AEDs and incorporating them in the emergency dispatching process when a SCA is suspected, can reduce the time until defibrillation for a victim suffering an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. In recognition of this reduced response time, police departments have begun equipping their vehicles with AEDs.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Several police departments in Canada equip their police vehicles with defibrillators; however, this practice remains inconsistent. Within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) there are no federal regulations that necessitate equipping RCMP vehicles or detachments with AEDs. Despite this there are currently four departments within the RCMP which do deploy AEDs. These departments are the Prime Minister Protective Detail, the Emergency Medical Response Team (EMRT), the Division Fitness and Lifestyle and “E” Division.

British Columbia
“E” Division of the RCMP operates in the province of British Columbia and is responsible for federal, provincial and municipal policing services throughout the province, with the exception of 11 communities. Despite the absence of federal regulations requiring RCMP officers to be equipped with AEDs, the BC Provincial Policing Standards state that, as of January 30th, 2013, "the chief constable, chief officer, or commissioner must:


 * (1) Ensure that, for a rural police force that provides policing to a jurisdiction of less than 5,000 population, Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) operators who have been assigned a CEW while on‐duty must also be equipped with an AED that is to be carried in their police vehicle.
 * (2) Ensure that, for an urban police force that provides policing to a municipality of greater than 5,000 population, all on‐road patrol supervisors must be equipped with AEDs that are to be carried in their police vehicles.
 * (3) Ensure that all officers who are authorized to use an AED receive and maintain training in accordance with Emergency and Health Services Commission consent requirements for police use of an AED."

In August of 2014 Constable Brian Mulrooney, an RCMP officer from “E” Division who was equipped with an AED, was dispatched to a suspected sudden cardiac arrest at Snug Cove, Bowen Island. Constable Mulrooney arrived within 2-3 minutes with the AED and administered multiple shocks to the victim. The victim was revived and flown to the Vancouver General hospital for further assistance.

Vancouver Police Department
As of December 31st, 2014 the Vancouver Police Department Regulations and Procedures Manual states the following:

There shall be an AED deployed in the following vehicles:


 * a. BET NCO vehicle
 * b. CSIU NCO vehicle
 * c. Patrol NCO vehicles
 * d. Dog Squad NCO vehicle
 * e. ERT NCO vehicle
 * f. Marine Squad vessels (R.G. McBeath and the zodiac)
 * g. Traffic NCO vehicle
 * h. Police wagons; and
 * i. Any other vehicle deemed appropriate.

This policy came in to effect January 22nd 2013, and indicates that many Vancouver Police Department supervisor vehicles are equipped with AEDs.

Victoria Police Department
In 2005, the Victoria Police Department distributed 5 AEDs among their patrol vehicles, making them the first police department in the Province of British Columbia to do so.

Medicine Hat Police Department
The Medicine Hat Police department has been progressively equipping their police cruisers with AEDs. The city of Medicine Hat Major Operating Expense Budget Request for 2012-2021 outlines the municipalities intention to increase their number of AEDs available to the Medicine Hat Police department, so that every police patrol vehicle is fully equipped with an AED.

Ottawa Police Service
The city of Ottawa has equipped every marked police car of the Ottawa Police Force with an AED, accounting for 141 AEDs. In addition to the AEDs distributed among marked vehicles, the Ottawa Police Service has 28 AEDs located in their facilities, including police stations, community policing centres and Ottawa Police headquarters.

Brockville Police Service
In Brockville Ontario, as of September 2013, 4 AEDs were donated to the Brockville Police to be issued to trained officers while on vehicle patrol.

Perth and Smiths Falls
Elsewhere in Ontario, in the towns of Smiths Falls and Perth, the respective police services received 12 AEDs which were donated by the local Member of Parliament, Scott Reid. These AEDs equipped the 8 police cruisers in Smiths Falls Police Department and 4 the police cruisers of the Perth Police Department. The Perth Police Department was amalgamated in April 2013, with the Ontario Provincial Police and it remains unclear what happened to the AEDs donated by Mr. Reid.

Cobourg Police Department
The Cobourg Police Department acquired 6 AEDs to equip all Police Cruisers within their department, in the spring of 2012. By the fall of 20012, one of the AEDs was used by a police officer, to revive a man, prior to the arrival of an ambulance.

Laval Police Department
In 2012, the Laval Police Department purchased 22 AEDs which were strategically deployed among police patrol cars. By 2014, these 22 AEDs resulted in 14 lives saved. The Laval Police Department purchased an additional 48 AEDs in 2014, bringing their total number to 70, allowing for an AED to be placed in every patrol vehicle and community police station.

Saint-Jérôme Police Department
On June 18th, 2012, the Saint-Jérôme Police Department announced an agreement to train all their police officers how to use an AED, and to equip 12 of their vehicles with AEDs.

United States
There are many state and county police departments within the United States that equip some or all of their officers with AEDs, in their vehicles. There have also been numerous studies conducted in the United States to determine the effectiveness of equipping police with AEDs, as well as their ability to provide reduced response times in rural and suburban communities.

Rochester, MN Police Department
In November of 1990, the Rochester Minnesota Police Department received 4 defibrillators to put in patrol vehicles. This initiative began as a part of a study to examine the effectiveness of equipping police vehicles with AEDs to improve patient survival. The number of AEDs grew until in 2006, every marked police vehicle in the department had an AED. As of September 2011, this program has saved over 142 lives. As of September 2013, Rochester Minnesota achieved a survival rate from SCA of 58%, which is due to their Police AED Program.

Miami Dade County Police Department
In 1999 the Miami Dade County Police partnered with the Metropolitan Miami-Dade County Public Health Trust and the Miami Heart Research Institute to examine the impact of police response in combination with Emergency Medical Service (EMS) on response times and survival rates from SCA. In 1999, between the first of February and the first of July, all Miami-Dade Police officers were equipped with AEDs. This program involved 1900 police officers across 9 districts. The Metropolitan Miami-Dada County 9-1-1 emergency dispatching system was adjusted to accommodate a dual dispatching process. The results of this study indicated that dispatching police officers equipped with AEDs simultaneously with traditional EMS, in a large urban area can provide substantially reduced response times. This improved response time directly relates to improved survival rates for victims of SCA with ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT/VF). During this experiment, the survival rate for witnessed victims of SCA with VT/VF who were assisted by simultaneously dispatched police and EMS was 24%. The survival rate for witnessed victims of SCA with VT/VF who were assisted by EMS alone was 10.5%.

Pennsylvania
Between January 1st, 1990 and January 31st, 1995, a study was conducted across 7 rural municipalities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of AED equipped Police officers at improving survival rates from victims of SCA in rural communities. In total, 200 police officers received CPR and AED training and 30 AEDs were deployed. Over the course of the study, the effect of police officers using AEDs is illustrated by the 3.5 minute (51%) decrease in the interval between the 9-1-1 call and the application of the AED. The study concluded that in the “7 suburban communities, police use of AEDs decreased time to defibrillation and was an independent predictor of survival to hospital discharge.”