Tactical and Law Enforcement Medicine Newsroom

January 4, 2021

In Memoriam

On December 1, 2020 Officer Johnson was responding to a parking complaint when the suspect (with a history of violence and prior incarcerations, out on parole) fired a bullet that struck Officer Johns...

January 4, 2021

Featured Article: Law Enforcement Laser Eye Injuries - Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management

Laser eye injuries to tactical officers and other law enforcement personnel is an increasing threat. The definition of a laser is this: a device that emits light through a process of optical amplific...

January 4, 2021

Case Report from the Field

The following tactical team deployment took place in the Midwest, involving a 30-person multi-jurisdictional SWAT team.

January 4, 2021

International Operational Medicine

The following article included in this edition focuses on a mass-casualty, active-shooter event that occurred in 2017.

January 4, 2021

Research Article

JSOM November 2020 featured article reviewing the use of ketamine by military paramedics.

January 4, 2021

Message from the Newsletter Editor

Greetings fellow TEMS section members I want to thank Dr. Keegan Bradley for his exceptional work as TEMS newsletter editor over the past 2 years. By way of introduction, I have been an ACEP TEMS memb...

January 4, 2021

Message from the Chair

Hello and Happy New Year to you and yours! Welcome to 2021. I sincerely hope this letter finds you and your loved ones doing well. Most of us look back on this past year with mixed emotions. The CO...

August 25, 2020

What’s New with Tactical?

ACEP is approaching, and as many of you are aware the in person portions have been cancelled. What it will look like this year is yet to be determined, but we still plan to host our section meeting to...

August 25, 2020

Prehospital Fluid Resuscitation

A 60 year-old male was shot with a 12 gauge rifled slug through his car door after stopping at a car wash on his way home from work. 30 minutes before on an interstate miles away, the assailant believ...

August 25, 2020

Tactical Use of Robots in a Barricaded Suspect / High Risk Arrest / Search Warrant

There are many potential uses of robots in tactical law enforcement response. In this particular tactical team activation, in a midwestern town in late November with freezing temperatures, several su...

August 25, 2020

Message from the Chair

Over the past 4 months, I have been involved in many conversations that have ranged from fiery outrage (on pick your topic) to exhausted resignation (again, pick your topic).

June 11, 2020

Khalil Gibran Quote

No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.

June 11, 2020

Featured Article

Developing an Appropriate Police Response to COVID-19.

June 11, 2020

Product Review

This update from WHO gives very nice basic guidelines on mask handling and safety. It lays out basic use procedures that will be helpful to hand out to TEMS personnel as well as LEO’s as well for gene...

June 11, 2020

International Operational Medicine

Kabul Hospital Attack: They Came to Kill the Mothers.

June 11, 2020

Training Programs

This training involves an ACEP-sponsored CONTOMS course, where the U.S. Park Police helicopter is interfacing with the CONTOMS students, who have taken a casualty from the armored vehicle and, under t...

June 11, 2020

What's New

Dr. Keegan Bradley and Dr. John Wipfler have taken the lead on the with some assistance from some of the other leadership team.

June 11, 2020

Case Report from the Field

Listen to the Podcast here!

June 11, 2020

Message from the Chair

I would like to start this newsletter with a thank you to all of the support teams, in the field and in the hospitals, that allow us mission success.

April 16, 2020

No More Preventable Law Enforcement Deaths

There is no doubt that law enforcement is a dangerous job, but what makes law enforcement work dangerous? Law enforcement work is dangerous because of the risk of injury, illness, harm or death.

April 16, 2020

International Operational Medicine

The experiences of war time combat medical care in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, together with a growing understanding of field care, rapid evacuation, transportation and the definitive treatment o...

April 16, 2020

STORM Training Program - Featured Program

The Specialized Tactics for Operational Rescue and Medicine (STORM) family of training courses use science, competency and evidence-based standards for Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) method...

April 16, 2020

Prehospital Chemical Restraint of a Noncommunicative Autistic Minor by Law Enforcement

When responders are dealing with an agitated patient in the field, safety for all involved may sometimes only be accomplished with physical or chemical While experiences using chemical restraint in th...

April 16, 2020

Lessons Learned in Tactical Combat Casualty Care- Afghanistan

Domestic terrorism events, such as the Boston Marathon bombing, make evident that lessons learned from the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq deserve a role in disaster medicine management and m...

April 16, 2020

Letter from the Co-Editor

Welcome to the ACEP Tactical Emergency Medical Section (TEMS) newsletter section. Our section is happy to bring the most current and interesting events taking place in the field of Tactical Medicine.

May 22, 2019

To Be Or Not To Be – Should Tactical EMS Providers Be Armed?

A debate as old as the field of Tactical EMS (TEMS) itself, the question has long been “should TEMS providers be armed?”

May 22, 2019

Product Review: The Reactor® (Sharp Medical Products)

The Reactor® (Sharp Medical Products) offers a novel approach to the technique of chest tube insertion which has largely remained unchanged for many years. Open tube thoracostomy has been the standar...

May 22, 2019

After Action Report and Lessons Learned – Tree of Life Synagogue - Pittsburgh, PA

This article will present a detailed after-action report of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting that occurred on October 27, 2018 in the Squirrel Hill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

May 22, 2019

The Use of Low Titer Group O Whole Blood for TEMS

The job of the tactical law enforcement officer (LEO) is inherently dangerous. Tactical teams throughout the US in the last two decades have begun to more heavily rely on specially trained paramedics ...

May 22, 2019

TEMS Section Update from the Chair

It is an honor to serve as your section Chair. Since my involvement with ACEP, the Chair position has been held by a long line of stellar leaders; Gina Piazza (of High Threat Task Force fame), Rich Ka...