Managing Fatigue & Reducing Distractions in Law Enforcement: Enhancing Road Safety & Performance

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM PT

Location: 102

Moderator/Speaker(s)

Brett Cowell

Senior Program Manager
National Policing Institute
Arlington, Virginia

Slides Handouts

Speaker(s)

Stephen James, PhD

Assistant Professor
Washington State University
Spokane, Washington
Sean E. Moriarty, Ed.D.

Executive Director/ Major (Ret DSP)
Delaware Police Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) / Delaware State Police
Dover, Delaware
Mark Lashell

Chief of Basic Driving
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (Retired)
Augusa, Georgia

Policing requires officers to be awake at all hours. Combined with staffing shortages and increased operational demands, the job leaves many law enforcement officers chronically fatigued. Fatigue increases the risk of vehicle collisions and impairs decision-making. At the same time, officers face numerous distractions in patrol vehicles from MDTs, cell phones, radios, and other tasks and devices, with comparable impairment effects to alcohol. By themselves, fatigue and distraction are very detrimental to safe driving, but combined, the effects can be catastrophic. Driving risks from fatigue and distraction, suggested changes in practice, and implementing rest and fatigue management policies will be discussed here. It will also debunk the multitasking myth and offer strategies to reduce distractions for safer driving.