2. The Greater the At-Risk Occupational Environment Among Law Enforcement Practitioners, The Less Likely Those Officers Provide Quality Public Safety Practices

Law enforcement practitioners have an increased incidence of healthcare issues including exposure to infectious disease because of their at-risk occupational environments. It is argued that the greater the at-risk environment, the less likely quality public safety practices are experienced among constituents. To examine the relationship between at-risk environments, healthcare issues, and public safety practices provided American residents by law enforcement officers, the literature and personal experiences of officers during disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the Boston Marathon were consulted. The findings suggest that public safety practices are determined by healthcare issues of both officers and the healthcare issues of the individuals he or she encounter while providing public safety initiatives. Given that most often, members of the socioeconomic lower class interact with the criminal justice system, and those members tend to possess inferior healthcare compared to other social class members. The findings also suggest that quality healthcare is often ignored by law enforcement organizations producing inadequate health maintenance for their officers. The discussion includes methods of improving healthcare practices among officers for the purpose of enhancing his or her health and ultimately the quality of police services provided to community members regardless of the at-risk conditions or socioeconomic class of those receiving police services.