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Criminologist shares good lessons from bad times

Aug. 27 Common Reading Tuesday

Bryan Vila
Bryan Vila

Scores of missteps as a soldier and cop in hazardous places have prepared Bryan Vila, professor of criminal justice and criminology, to make a career of studying deadly errors in his criminology lab at WSU Spokane.

His free, public presentation, “Mistaken Adventures around the Globe,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, in Smith CUE 203 will kick off the WSU Pullman Common Reading Program’s guest expert series for the 2013-14 academic year.

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CAS in the media: December 14, 2012

Distracted driving
Politics
Wolves in Washington

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NBC: Distracted emergency drivers cause crashes

Officer driving while using computer

NBC’s Bay Area Investigative Unit found, on average, there is a crash every other day in California, caused by an emergency driver who is distracted.

Bryan Vila
Bryan Vila

The report features Bryan Vila, a professor of criminal justice and a researcher associated with the WSU Sleep and Performance Research Center at WSU Spokane. The study reviewed more than 2.4 million collision reports recorded by the CHP from 2006-2011. Click the following link to see the NBC video report.

Vila and his team have been examining the impact of fatigue and distractions on law enforcement officer driving performance. They also have been comparing collision risks for those who work day shifts with those who work night shifts.

The work is being done under a two-year contract with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).

The study is part of a continuing line of research related to police officer performance, safety, and health spearheaded by Vila, who heads a simulation laboratory that is designed to mimic police officers’ work environments and is located in WSU Spokane’s Sleep and Performance Research Center.