Here Comes the Flu Season (And Why It’s Important to Crime Prevention Practitioners)

Law enforcement and other crime prevention practitioners may need to play a major role in fighting the swine flu pandemic by preparing the public—and themselves—for a public safety emergency.

By Angela Sivak, NCPC Intern

This year’s flu season is expected to be a rough one. While there is no need for panic, law enforcement and other crime prevention practitioners need to make sure they are prepared for the role they may need to play in keeping people calm—and safe.

A look at the numbers illustrates the extent and urgency of the problem. The President’s Council of Advisors has predicted that half the U.S. population could be infected with the H1N1 influenza, better known as the swine flu, this year alone, that 1.8 million Americans could be hospitalized, and that 90,000 people could die of the disease. The healthcare system could have a hard time keeping up with its caseload. Moreover, the epidemic could lead to disruptions of school systems, business, industry, government, law enforcement, and the judicial system. The date of widespread release of the new H1N1 flu vaccine is still uncertain.

The United States continues to report higher numbers of new H1N1 cases than any other country, yet this type of flu is not an issue in the United States only. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the H1N1 flu had become a global pandemic. By then, more than 70 countries had reported cases.

H1N1 is still in its early stages, according to WHO’s flu chief. Because H1N1 will continue to spread for some time, especially during the coming, traditional flu season, law and order could be affected in communities where the flu is widespread, as people, including law enforcement officers, fail to show up for work; stores providing needed food and other goods become targets for thieves; robberies of financial institutions increase as people see weaknesses in law enforcement and security as an opportunity to commit crimes; and domestic violence rises as family members are quarantined or separated. These are worst-case scenarios, of course, but law enforcement may want to consider the suggestions below to keep their communities protected. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has many other specific suggestions for law enforcement.

Some tips for law enforcement are

• Assign primary responsibility for coordinating influenza preparedness planning to a single person
• Verify command and control areas for an epidemic
• Establish orientation or training sessions with civic groups that law enforcement cooperates with in times of an emergency
• Start stocking nonperishable foods at the station in anticipation of shortages
• Stock recommended personal protective equipment and other supplies for distribution to employees, contractors, and detainees. These supplies include tissues, waste receptacles, single-use disinfection wipes, and alcohol-based hand cleaner (containing at least 60 percent alcohol)
• Set a policy to top off the gas tanks of all vehicles on a daily basis in case fuel supplies are interrupted
• Train all officers on infection control procedures to be used during arrests, including masking suspects
• Be prepared with substitutes, perhaps nonsworn but trained personnel, including school resource officers, police academy students, and private security personnel, for law enforcement officers who fall ill with the virus
• Take advantage of such groups as Volunteers in Police Services to perform non-essential duties
• Establish compensation and leave policies that strongly encourage sick law enforcement personnel to stay home until they are no longer contagious
• Use social networking sites, such as Facebook or MySpace, to share up-to-date information
• Develop guidance for managing/assisting special populations (e.g., persons who are homeless, substance abusers, the elderly, and people with disabilities, etc.)
• Create a special section on websites where citizens can go to find the latest news and Web links

Providing information to citizens about the pandemic is an effective way to keep the public educated and aware of the danger they are facing while minimizing any chance of panic. Law enforcement officers and other crime prevention practitioners can take a leading role in educating the community about the best ways of staying safe and keeping the virus from spreading.

For a list of tips about how to keep safe from H1N1, visit this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web page. Additional tips include not shaking hands or giving “high fives,” and constantly cleaning door and sink handles as well as toilet levers. Being clean is a virtue.

Law enforcement agencies can also help prevent the spread of the virus by restricting people from passing in and out of contaminated areas. This may mean limiting family visits to incarcerated offenders, limiting inmate intakes, and when permitted by law, limiting trips by sick inmates to parole hearings. These measures can help prevent the disease from spreading to other areas.

As one might expect, scams that capitalize on people’s fear of the swine flu are spreading. Websites and emails that dramatize the disease and sell fake vaccines or “toolkits” for swine flu “survival” are one of the ways that scammers are making a quick profit from fear of H1N1. Telemarketers are also getting into the act. These scams are not only illegal, but they are dealing in illegal products. As a result, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) is working hard to take down websites and stop emails that are selling these products. The FDA advises not opening and deleting emails with “swine flu” in the subject line, as well as keeping anti-virus software on computers up to date. For a complete list of the FDA’s fraudulent H1N1 drug list, visit this Web page.

Visit this U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance website for a vast array of resources on the H1N1 virus and how to help your community. While no one really knows what the chances are for a wider H1N1 pandemic in the United States, it only seems wise to prepare.