They should be concerned in light of the police dept. being investigated for alleged police brutality! They might get the blood of alleged criminals on them while assaulting them!
Police chief: Blood exposure a 'huge' concern to officers
York City Police Chief Wes Kahley said he plans to talk to state lawmakers about the dangers police officers face by being exposed to blood while on the job.
In Pennsylvania, it's a crime to deliberately put bodily fluids -- including blood, saliva and urine -- on prison guards, Kahley said. But state law does not protect police officers from such assaults, and it should, the chief said.
"It's a huge concern. Once you get some of these diseases, there's no going back," he said. "On a daily basis our officers are coming into contact with people who are bleeding."
Ambulance crew members and hospital workers have time to don gloves, masks and eye protection, he said.
"Our officers don't have that luxury," Kahley said. "There's only so many things we can do to try to protect ourselves."
About a year ago, the department supplied every officer with portable cans of Myclyns, a spray that kills more than 60 pathogens, including HIV, MRSA and hepatitis B and C, according to Mark Steffen, national sales manager for Myclyns.
"We've had officers contract MRSA, but luckily nothing as serious as hepatitis B or HIV," Kahley said. "But we've had other diseases transferred from prisoners to our officers, or from other people we're dealing with."
And officers exposed to a prisoner's blood can't force the prisoner to take a blood test. That means six months of waiting, worrying and decision-making, he said.
"If something happens to us, we think, 'this is the job I chose,'" the chief said. "But we never want to bring any of those dangers home to our family."
The Centers for Disease Control advises police and other agencies to have what's called an "exposure control plan" that includes methods to control the spread of pathogens, having officers vaccinated against hepatitis B, and post-exposure follow-up procedures.
"First responders face unique scenarios due to uncontrolled settings and the possible presence of large volumes of blood at the scene," according to the CDC's website.
Kahley said officers exposed to someone's blood must undergo blood testing over a several month period, as well as counseling for HIV and hepatitis B. They also must decide whether to immediately begin taking post-exposure HIV medication.
-- Reach Elizabeth Evans at levans@yorkdispatch.com, 505-5429 or twitter.com/ydcrimetime.
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