Thursday, February 19, 2004

Law Enforcement and Epidemiology
The Center held a program in December 2003 to investigate the role of law enforcement officers as forensic epidemiological investigators in the event of a bioterrorism attack. If such an attack occurs, it is predicted there will be an inadequate number of epidemiologists to effectively respond to the event. The Center presented a two-day workshop to address this concern by bringing together law enforcement officials and epidemiologists. Both professions use similar techniques when investigating a case, i.e., discovering the who, what, where, and when of an event. The workshop brought together approximately 300 epidemiologists and law enforcement officials from the metro region to discuss their similarities in training and investigation and to appreciate how each profession can play an important role in responding to a bioterrorism event.

Have a question or comment? Email bioterr@slu.edu