New York City police officers incidence of transcutaneous exposures.

Urban based police officers may be at high risk for the transmission of infectious disease. This study was undertaken to assess the incidence of needlestick and human bites to police officers based in an urban environment. A retrospective analysis of self-reported transcutaneous exposures and demographic information of police officers in the New York City Police Department (NYCPD) for 1992-93 was performed. Urine toxicology results of arrested individuals for 1990-91 was also analyzed. The transcutaneous exposure rate of NYCPD was 38.7 per 10,000. No differences occurred between males and females although officers between 20-29 years old had the highest incidence. The highest exposure rate occurred between 4-10 years of service. Greater than 60% of arrested individuals tested positive for potentially injectable drugs. Urban based police officers continue to have transcutaneous exposure incidents during their career. Widespread vaccination and continued education on universal precautions should be considered for all officers.