Black and Blue : Injuries Sideline LAPD Officers Daily

It is common knowledge that police work can be a deadly, dangerous business. But less publicized are the countless bumps and bruises officers receive doing everything from chasing suspects to wrestling them to the ground.

As a result, more than one-third of the Los Angeles Police Department’s 7,722 sworn officers, or about 37.3%, have been hurt on the job every year since 1991. According to the department’s medical liaison section the injuries average out to one week off for every officer on the force.

Although the number of injuries has declined in recent years, they remain an inescapable part of police work. It’s difficult to establish the financial cost to the state’s worker’s compensation program, because LAPD records combine stress claims with those for physical injuries. But in 1990-91, claims from the department totaled $72 million. In 1992-93, they reached $86 million. *Death and Injury Officers killed in the Line of Duty 1990: 1 1991: 3 1992: 3 1993: 0 1994*: 2 * Year to date *Injuries by Patrol Area 1992 Valley Divisions Van Nuys: 78 West Valley: 66 Foothill: 65 N. Hollywood: 63 Devonshire: 58 Traffic: 52 *Cityside Divisions (Top Five) Central: 104 Newton: 102 Metro (SWAT): 101 Rampart: 91 Hollywood: 87 *1993 Valley Divisions West Valley: 97 Foothill: 91 North Hollywood: 81 Van Nuys: 79 Devonshire: 72 Traffic: 61 *Cityside Divisions (Top Five) Central: 112 Hollywood: 99 Rampart: 91 Metro (SWAT): 87 Northeast: 83 * Note: The Narcotics Division, which works across the city, has seen injuries increase to 122 in 1993 from 76 in 1992. *Most Common Injuries-1991- 93 Physical altercations 1991: 443 1992: 329 1993: 218 *Traffic accidents 1991: 350 1992: 251 1993: 218 *Foot pursuit incidents 1991: 247 1992: 129 1993: 90 *Slips and falls 1991: 191 1992: 150 1993: 191 *Cuts and punctures 1991: 155 1992: 61 1993: 68 *Chemical exposures 1991: 60 1992: 43 1993: 56 “A close friend of mine that will probably never make it back on the job chased a burglar over a fence and hurt his back. He has been through five surgeries and had metal plates placed in his back, and this man wants very badly to be a police officer. The potential for danger is there.” -Sgt. Horace Frank, Field supervisor at the Van Nuys division. Sources: LAPD; Researched by CHIP JOHNSON / Los Angeles Times