Police work often requires long hours, rotating shifts, and high-stress environments—factors that can lead to sleep loss and fatigue with serious consequences for health, safety, and job performance. To address this challenge, Dr. Lois James of Washington State University College of Nursing led a multi-year study to evaluate and implement a fatigue risk-management strategy for the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
The project, Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Police Fatigue Risk-Management Strategy for the Seattle Police Department, Washington, 2020-2023 (ICPSR 39029), funded by the National Institute of Justice, ran from 2020 to 2023 and involved more than 400 SPD officers. It began with baseline data collection, including wrist actigraphy to measure sleep quality and quantity, as well as surveys assessing physical health, mental health, and quality of life. Findings confirmed that fatigue and disrupted sleep were significant issues for many officers.
Based on the data, James and her team designed an eight-week training program that addressed the risks of fatigue, effects of shift work, and practical countermeasures. Topics included sleep science, nutrition, exercise, stress management, and sleep hygiene. Officers were randomly assigned to either a training group or a wait-listed control group.
Post-intervention results showed measurable improvements in officer well-being among those who participated in the training. By providing evidence-based strategies, the program demonstrated that police departments can proactively address fatigue, leading to safer officers and stronger community service.
James’s research is among the first large-scale randomized trials in policing to rigorously test fatigue risk-management strategies. The dataset is now available through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), expanding opportunities for further study on police wellness and public safety.
Read the full study here: ICPSR 39029.
