Local police officers and other external law enforcement officers are ubiquitous in emergency departments (EDs) across the country. But the job of law enforcement to protect public safety can sometimes conflict with clinicians’ dedication to patient care while putting patient privacy, autonomy, and trust at risk. This brief, with contributes from Terry Richmond, Sara Jacoby, and Elinore Kaufman, reviews published work examining ambiguities around the role of law enforcement in EDs.
