CopRecruitmentLetter

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service

________________________________________________________________________________________

Centers for Disease Control

 and Prevention (CDC)

National Institute for Occupational

 Safety and Health (NIOSH)

1095 Willowdale Road

Morgantown, WV 26505-2888

PHONE: (304) 285-6067

FAX: (304) 285-6235

December 1, 2010

Dear Sir or Ma’am:

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), is embarking on a study of motor vehicle safety practices and policies among Iowa law enforcement officers. In the last 30 years, motor vehicle-related deaths have increased 40% among those in law enforcement. We hope this project will provide data on reasons for this increase and suggest viable ways to enhance officer safety while on the road.

Leading this research effort are Dr.’s Hope Tiesman & Rebecca Heick. Dr. Tiesman is an occupational epidemiologist with NIOSH. Dr. Tiesman has been in the occupational safety and health field for over 10 years. Dr. Heick is a public health faculty member at Walden University with experience in the safety behaviors of public safety professionals. Dr. Heick has close ties to Iowa law enforcement - her husband is an officer with the Davenport Police Department. Dr.’s Tiesman and Heick are personally committed to helping officers stay safe and healthy on the job.

Your agency is one of over 100 Iowa law enforcement agencies randomly selected for participation in this study. If you agree to participate, we will send a packet of surveys to you in the summer/fall of 2011. You will be asked to distribute these surveys to all sworn officers in your agency, which may require several days depending on the number and location of your officers. There is no reimbursement for participating in this study. There are no known risks or benefits associated with participation in this study. Your participation is voluntary, but would be greatly appreciated as the responses of your officers represent officers throughout Iowa. There is no penalty for not participating in this study. If you choose to participate, you may withdraw at any time.

All information collected in the surveys will be kept confidential and we will not ask for names, addresses, or other identifying information. Also, your name, your agency’s name, or other facts that might identify you will not be shown in any report or published work.

If your agency wishes to participate in the study, we ask that you return the enclosed self-addressed postcard. We will be contacting you soon to discuss your participation and answer any questions you may have. We will also be asking if you would like to meet with us in person in the months to come. In the meantime, please share information about this study with officers in your agency. We have included flyers which may be posted in visible areas of your agency’s facilities.

Thank you for considering participation in this important study. If you have questions about this research project, please feel free to contact Hope Tiesman at (304)285-6067 or Rebecca Heick at (309)738-2316. We look forward to working with you!

Respectfully,

Hope M. Tiesman, PhD Rebecca Heick, PhD, EMT-P

NIOSH Walden University School of Health Sciences