To protect and serve: a review of initiatives to support of police officers to better meet the needs of older adult
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Purpose Police officers increasingly respond to incidents involving aging-related issues, where older adults are vulnerable and require tailored approaches. This scoping review aims to map initiatives aimed at enhancing interactions between older adults and police and evaluates outcomes. Findings inform the development of a geriatrics-focused police training curriculum to support age-friendly policing. A literature search across major databases and grey literature yielded 20 relevant publications. Three main initiatives were identified: geriatrics-oriented training programs, specialized geriatric police units and geriatrics-oriented policing guidelines. These insights highlight effective strategies for improving police responses to aging-related challenges and guide future research and policy in this domain. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a scoping review methodology guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual and PRISMA-ScR checklist. A comprehensive search strategy was developed and executed across multiple databases and grey literature sources. Screening and selection of relevant studies were conducted in duplicate, with data extraction focusing on key elements such as study objectives, design, interventions and outcomes. Thematic analysis was employed to synthesize findings from included studies, highlighting three principal initiatives: geriatrics-oriented training programs, specialized geriatric police units and geriatrics-oriented policing guidelines. This approach aimed to map existing evidence, inform the development of a geriatrics-focused training curriculum and identify best practices for age-friendly policing. Findings The scoping review identified 28 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Findings highlighted varied approaches to enhancing police interactions with older adults, emphasizing training as pivotal. Effective strategies included specialized units, tailored training programs and guidelines integrating geriatrics principles. Key outcomes encompassed improved officer knowledge, communication skills and attitudes toward older adults, fostering enhanced service delivery and community relations. Evidence underscored the importance of ongoing education and collaborative partnerships in optimizing policing responses to aging populations, advocating for sustainable, age-friendly policing practices. Research limitations/implications The review’s limitations stem from primarily English-language studies, potentially overlooking non-English literature. Variability in study designs and outcomes poses challenges to synthesizing findings comprehensively. Limited generalizability may result due to geographic and cultural differences in policing practices. Future research could benefit from longitudinal studies assessing long-term impacts and broader inclusion of diverse policing contexts and perspectives, enhancing applicability and depth of understanding in optimizing police interactions with older adults. Practical implications Practical implications include informing policy makers and law enforcement agencies about effective strategies to enhance interactions with older adults, emphasizing communication skills and de-escalation techniques. Training programs should integrate age-sensitive approaches to improve officers’ awareness and response to older adults’ needs and vulnerabilities. Implementing community engagement initiatives can foster trust and cooperation, contributing to safer and more supportive environments for older adults in policing interactions. These efforts can ultimately promote enhanced well-being and reduced conflicts between law enforcement and older adults. Social implications Social implications highlight the need for broader societal awareness and education regarding the challenges faced by older adults in interactions with law enforcement. Addressing ageism and promoting respectful treatment can enhance community trust and reduce misunderstandings. Improved interactions between older adults and law enforcement can foster a more inclusive and supportive society, ensuring that older adults feel valued and protected. This can contribute to overall social cohesion and a more equitable experience for older adults in their interactions with law enforcement agencies. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in its focus on the intersection of age-related issues and law enforcement interactions, a relatively underexplored area in both gerontology and criminal justice research. By examining the perceptions and experiences of older adults and law enforcement officers, it provides valuable insights into mitigating ageism and improving interactions. The study’s findings contribute to enhancing understanding of how to promote respectful and effective communication between these groups, thereby offering practical implications for policy and training initiatives aimed at fostering better relationships and outcomes for older adults in law enforcement encounters.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame distilled prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. Learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and 10,348 direct Gemma labels. Candidate is the union of thresholded teacher heads; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels or direct frontier model labels.
Codex and Gemma teacher scores by category
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.003 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.000 | 0.002 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one teacher head, not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".