NCJ Number
79174
Journal
Police Review Volume: 89 Issue: 4614 Dated: (July 10, 1981) Pages: 1342-1345,1366
Date Published
1981
Length
5 pages
Annotation
In this first of three articles on the role of physicians who advise the police, a British police surgeon describes this role in cases involving alcohol intoxication, drugs, and mental impairment and presents numerous illustrative anecdotes from his personal experience.
Abstract
Police surgeons may be specialists in any medical field. They work under contract to the police and give advice on any cases which have a medical component. They must remain independent and free from bias, must keep careful records, and must testify in court if necessary, acting as professional witnesses for the benefit of the court. Although drinking driver cases constitute the largest single group of cases, police surgeons encounter many other types of cases. Introduction of the new breath test procedure will result in fewer drunk driving cases for police surgeons, although the present blood and urine tests will still be needed. Among problems with the present laws about abuse of drugs are that alcohol is treated differently from drugs and that not all drugs posing grave dangers are restricted. In addition, arguments in favor of cannabis legalization are invalid, including the argument that cannabis should be freely obtainable if alcohol and tobacco are. Moreover, alcohol abuse and drug abuse may both imitate psychiatric conditions or actually cause them. Police surgeons will also see many cases deemed to be mental cases and must diagnose and dispose of them. Physicians should use caution in handling these cases to ensure appropriate dispositions. Doctors should also be aware that prisoners may fake mental illness as excuses for the crimes they have committed. Vagrants seeking a bed for the night may also feign mental illness or drunkenness. For discussions of the physician's role in violent cases and in sex offense cases, see NCJ 79175-76.