Media Advisory: UB’s John Violanti to testify before federal Task Force on 21st Century Policing

BUFFALO, N.Y. – John M. Violanti, PhD, research professor in the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, has been invited to testify at a “listening session” to be held by the Task Force on 21st Century Policing on Feb. 23 in Washington, D.C.

Violanti will testify at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time as part of a panel on police officer safety and wellness. The session will take place at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. It will be the seventh event in a series of eight featuring testimony from invited witnesses and comments from the public.

A former New York State trooper, Violanti is an epidemiologist whose research and publications address the causes, prevention and treatment of work-related stress among police officers. The consequences of this stress, he says, include unusual health risks, among them post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol and drug abuse, lowered sensitivity to violence, physical illness, injury and suicide.

President Barack Obama established the task force with an Executive Order signed on Dec. 18, 2014. Its role is to identify best policing practices and make recommendations to the president on how they can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust; foster strong, collaborative relationships between local law enforcement and the communities they protect; and promote effective crime reduction.

The Task Force has been directed to provide an initial report on recommendations to the president by March 2.