The Effect of Tactical Tasks and Gear on Muscle Activation of SWAT Officers

Abstract

Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officers constitute a subgroup of specialized law enforcement officers that perform a variety of tactical operations while wearing approximately 40 kg of tactical gear. Lower back pain is a prevalent musculoskeletal injury suffered by SWAT officers. Tactical gear places significant stress on the lower back. Thus, it is important to quantify the effect that tactical gear has on muscle activation levels of torso musculature while performing occupational tasks. Electromyography was evaluated on 20 male subjects (age: 34.7±4.5 yr.; height: 1.79±.10 m; body mass: 91.53±17.32 kg; mass of gear: 13.82±1.90 kg) while performing four tactical tasks (standing, rifle walk, sitting, & shield walk) with and without gear. Electromyography was evaluated bilaterally on the erector spinae, rectus abdominis, and external oblique muscles. The dominant erector spinae (mean delta: +0.16%) and external oblique (mean delta:-0.124%) demonstrated significant changes in muscle activation with the addition of gear, which may indicate increased spinal compression. There were also trends of increased co-activation of core musculature with the addition of gear. The rifle walk and shield walk task mean muscle activations were significantly higher than the standing and sitting tasks. The shield walk produced the highest mean activations for each muscle. Physical training for SWAT officers should emphasize exercises that simulate task-specific movement patterns without gear to decrease the spinal compression associated with load carriage.

Profiling the metabolic fitness of a special operations police unit

“…However, elite police units are often called upon to respond to the most dangerous and physically demanding situations 29) . Furthermore, they undertake their tasks in those situations while carrying loads notably heavier than those of the general police officer, and research shows that heavier loads increase the metabolic demand and energy expenditure of the carrier 4) . This requirement for carrying heavy loads may be an impetus for maintaining, if not increasing, their aerobic fitness.…”

“…SWAT units require, and hence carry, additional equipment to be able to effectively manage these unique situations 2) . While general duties police perform their occupational tasks carrying external loads of up to 10 kg in weight 3) , specialist police personnel can be expected to carry loads of up to 40 kg 4) . These external loads can have a detrimental effect on task performance and lead to injury 3) .…”

“…Aerobic fitness measures have been used as a pre-selection fitness criterion in various specialist tactical populations in attempts to reduce injury risk and promote successful applicant outcomes 10 , 11) . This is imperative in the case of specialist police units, as their high external loads lead to increased metabolic demands and energy expenditure 4) . In addition, by establishing the typical specialist police officer's aerobic fitness level, validated standards can be put into place for those attempting to join these elite units 10) .…”

Soldier Load Carriage, Injuries, Rehabilitation and Physical Conditioning: An International Approach

“…It must be acknowledged that the requirement to carry load is not unique to soldiers. Law enforcement personnel are required to carry daily occupational loads that can range from approximately 10 kg for a general duties officer [22] up to approximately 20-25 kg [23,24] and even 40 kg [25] for a specialist tactical response officer. Likewise, firefighters are often required to generally carry loads of over 20 kg while wearing firefighting personal protective clothing [26].…”

Associations between Fitness Measures and Change of Direction Speeds with and without Occupational Loads in Female Police Officers

“…Often these foot pursuits can occur while the officer is wearing their daily occupational load. Occupational loads for police officers can vary depending on job type, but they are typically around 10 kg for general duties officers [4] and over 20 kg [5], or even 40 kg [6], for specialist response police. For the general duties officer, these loads typically comprise essential equipment like a baton, radio, handcuffs, flashlight, etc.…”