Defibrillators becoming de rigeur for police

(CBS BALTIMORE) HOWARD COUNTY, Md. -- The use of automatic life-saving defibrillators is becoming a routine part of police work in Howard County, Md., where officials are looking to make the devices available in all public places, reports CBS Baltimore.

The county is installing the defibrillators - also called AEDs -inside police vehicles. No more waiting for a medic.

"The ambulances have to leave the fire station or wherever they are. They are fewer in number," Howard County Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Schroen told CBS Baltimore. "It means when someone goes into cardiac arrest, help can be there even faster than an ambulance."

AEDs are completely automated. With little or no training, anyone can use it on a person in cardiac arrest. The device assesses the patient and, if needed, gives the heart a life-saving shock.

Howard County officers "are trained as first responders. They know CPR but the AED is just another tool they have to save lives," Schroen said.

Installing AEDs inside police cars is the latest step in the county's mission to place the devices in public places including schools, community centers and libraries.

Howard County has installed the defibrillators in 50 police cars, at a cost of thousands of dollars per unit.

Defibrillators have become increasingly commonplace for law enforcement at least since the 1990s. As one example, the New Y0rk City Police Department uses many hundreds of the life-saving devices.