Heart Rates of Law Enforcement Officers During Deadly Force Scenarios

Abstract

Law enforcement officers are forced into stressful encounters when having to protect their lives and the lives of others. They must be at peak performance in these situations. An active shooting situation is among the most stressful law enforcement officers will encounter. One effect of stress is the increase of the heart rate, Beats per Minute (BPM). Motor skills, peripheral vision and depth perception are affected by an increase in the heart rate. There are advantages to knowing if experience, training, age and Body Mass Index (BMI) have an effect on the heart rate of the law enforcement officer during a deadly force encounter. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between law enforcement officer's years of experience and training and the officer's heart rate during a deadly force encounter scenario.