Looking to improve civilian survival rates, Philadelphia police are taking gunshot and stabbing victims directly to hospitals, rather than waiting for ambulance to arrive at the scene. Called “scoop and run” or “scoop and go”, the policy (as reported by Slate) is a key part of the city’s law enforcement routines, particularly in heavily patrolled areas where the police may arrive at the crime scene well before emergency services.
While the conventional wisdom is that those injured should wait for medical services to arrive, doctors in Philadelphia are supporting of the “scoop and run” strategy. “Patients often survive the initial gunshot, but unfortunately a large number of them bleed out fairly quickly, within seconds and minutes,” Dr. Marcin Jankowski, head of trauma and surgical critical care for Hahnemann University Hospital, told Slate. “Philadelphia is unique. The police have definitely taken ownership of getting patients to us as quickly as possible.” In 2017, roughly a third of gunshot victims were transported to hospital by police, making clear just how deeply the tradition is embedded. “It was just something that was understood, that getting the person to the hospital was part of your duties,” former deputy police commissioner Kevin Bethel told Slate.
While Philadelphia is not the only city with a policy permitting “scoop and runs,” it does seem to be the one where the practice is most common. Police departments in Chicago, Detroit, and Stockton all permit the practice, but do not describe performing it with regularity.
Source:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/11/philadelphia-police-scoop-and-run-ambulance.html
