This proposed effort will conduct a pilot study in which correctional officers wear a safety device consisting of a wireless location tag with an alarm/assault detection feature. The Correctional Officer Distress Alarm (CODA) system localizes the endangered officer, thus allowing aid to be sent to his or her precise location. The expected outcome of the CODA intervention is two-fold. One is to reduce both the incidence and severity of violence related injury among correctional officers. The second is to reduce occupational stress in correctional officers by providing them an additional level of safety and protection as they perform their duties. Our team has successfully met the two specific aims of the Phase I feasibility study. The first was to design and prototype a CODA system. In support of this aim, we have worked with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, correctional officers, prison administrators, and a professional criminologist to distill requirements for CODA. We have produced a correctional officer tracking tag with a demonstrated assault detector and supporting client-server software capable of being scaled for larger deployments in large prisons. Our team has tested this prototype CODA system in a representative prison environment verifying performance in terms of accuracy, latency, and range. Phase II will include an impact study at a correctional facility with a ruggedized, operational prototype.
The Correctional Officer Distress Alarm effort includes a pilot study in which correctional officers wear a safety device consisting of a wireless location tag with an alarm/assault detection feature. The expected outcomes are decreased violence in the workplace and reduced stress and turnover for correctional officers.
