Outskirts Press, INC.

INSIDE THE NYPD

On December 11, 2006 Francis V. Adams was sworn in as a Police Surgeon in the NYPD with the rank of Inspector. Dr. Adams, a pulmonologist, was motivated by his interest in the effects of 9/11 on the respiratory health of first responders and his desire to contribute to their care but was not entirely sure what his duties as a Police Surgeon would include. In OFFICER DOWN Dr. Adams recounts his experiences over a five-year period as he encounters both the physical and psychological injuries that members of the service suffer. Some of his tales involve a medical review of police men and women who are on sick leave and some involve the doctor’s more harrowing on site experiences, such as his arrival at Grand Central Station after a steam pipe exploded there in 2007. Adams already had over thirty years experience as a private practice pulmonologist when, at sixty years old, he joined the NYPD. His adjustment from a doctor used to being his own boss to one who had to adapt himself to the rigors of a military-like chain of command structure is as fascinating as his tales of the men and women he served. The medical unit of the NYPD was originally formed in the 1930’s with part-time doctors who managed the health care of the department’s members. Today there are thirty-one full-time physicians on staff and another three hundred “honorary” or volunteer physicians who also help out. Adams' personal experiences span the spectrum of human emotion from one officer who names his new pup after a dog he was forced to shoot as it had viciously attacked him while on duty to one policewoman he must lie to in order to encourage her to see that help might be possible for her psychological condition.

I did a double take when I saw the young female office sit down. Her right eye was badly blackened and her jaw was swollen. I noticed bruises on both her hands and arms. I didn’t have to ask her to tell me her story; she started when she saw me staring at her face. “There was this group of girls harassing people on the street. They looked like gang members. As soon as I approached them they attacked me, punching and pulling my hair. My partner tried to mace them but I ended up getting more than they did. I got popped pretty good.” I asked her if x-rays had been done in the ER, since I had seen a few officers with fractures of the bony orbit that supports the eye. “Yeah, they x-rayed and I even had a CAT scan, since I hit my head on the pavement. I’m just black and blue and I have a bad headache.” I tried to remember when I had last seen a woman with this type of injury and could only think of a battered wife that had come to the ER when I was still an Intern. Although the circumstances were much different, I was still disturbed by the officer’s appearance. Prior to joining the department I had never thought of female police officers as being exposed to the same dangers as their male counterparts. But there was no room for a weaker sex in the Department. She must have sensed my alarm since she said, “This will get better. I’m not worried. It comes with the territory.” I told her to rest for a week and then come back for me to see if she was ready to return to duty. She seemed relieved to have the time off. I finished my tour and headed home to await any trauma calls. None came, but I slept fitfully expecting to be called out. The disturbing image of the battered female officer drifted in and out of my mind. In my sleep I saw that the territory she spoke of was a dangerous place.