Current Studies

Medicine is an ever-advancing science. VALOR Project hopes to continue to add to the developing body of literature, thereby empowering officers with life-saving information.

The following VALOR Project studies are currently underway. I am indebted to all those who have taken the time to help with these studies. All studies are self-funded, and therefore are free from any commercial bias.

All VALOR Project studies have undergone independent review and approval by an institutional ethics board. No study is started without such approval, ensuring the protection of all participants. All VALOR Project studies are de-identified prior to publication in order to protect participants and their families, and any data collected during the course of the study is stored in a secured environment.

Chest Trauma Study

A previous VALOR Project study identified 341 officers over a 10-year period who died of penetrating trauma within 1 hour from time of wounding. Of these officers, 90 officers died from chest trauma. As a follow-up to the original study, we are currently collecting data on all 90 victim officers, in order to determine whether a simple life-saving intervention might save lives.

This study is now complete and in peer review. The manuscript is accepted, and should be published soon. Hope to be able to share results shortly!

Helicopter EMS Study

Helicopter EMS (HEMS) is considered the most advanced prehospital medical care, and relied upon for the evacuation of the critically-injured officer. This study evaluates national trends regarding law enforcement medevac by HEMS, including whether accompanying officers can fly armed, and whether co-transport of suspect and officer may occur.

This study is now complete and in manuscript preparation.

Face/Neck Trauma Study

In follow-up to the LEOKA studies available on this website and the Chest Trauma Study, we are in the process of collecting data on officers killed in the line of duty who died from penetrating face or neck trauma. Our hope is to determine the cause of death to a greater degree than reported in LEOKA, and then to determine what interventions might prevent future deaths. Stay tuned!

Hemorrhage Control in Law Enforcement

The leading cause of preventable death in combat is isolated extremity hemorrhage, accounting for 60% of all preventable deaths. This data has driven the emphasis on bleeding control as the primary tactical medical skill, especially during periods of active threat.

Much less is known about the usefulness of this approach in the civilian law enforcement setting. The purpose of the current study is to better understand the methods of bleeding control used in civilian law enforcement. As with previous VALOR Project studies, we hope to empower officers and save officer lives through research.

The survey launches early April!

Point of Wounding Video Study

The purpose of the VALOR Project is to analyze both the nature of medical injuries and the subsequent response by law enforcement, in order to determine opportunities for life-saving interventions. Although the ideal study would be prospective and real-time, one readily available alternative is the use of squad car-based video footage of critical incidents. This will provide real-time information about tactical and medical performance. Each incident will be analyzed to determine critical incident (care under fire) response (self-aid and buddy-aid, timing), and post-event care.

***HELP NEEDED*** At present, I have about 10 videos that I purchased from the law enforcement training site "In the Line of Duty." If you have any additional videos you would be willing to share with me for this study, I would be endebted. All videos will be stored in a secured area, and none will be disseminated. Please contact me at matt@valorproject.org to discuss further.

Have a research idea? I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at matt@valorproject.org.