§ 133.518 Duty of peace officer to request emergency medical services

If a police officer restrains someone and that person starts having trouble breathing or shows signs of a heart problem, the officer must call for emergency medical help right away. This applies to any officer, as long as calling for help is realistic given the situation and the officer has a way to make contact with emergency services.

The rule only kicks in when two things are true at the same time. First, it has to be safe and practical for the officer to make the call without putting themselves or others at risk. Second, the officer needs to actually have a phone, radio, or other way to reach emergency services. If both of these are true, the officer cannot wait or ignore the person's medical distress.

This rule exists to protect people who are in police custody and cannot get help on their own. Because they are restrained, they depend on the officer to notice medical problems and act fast. The rule makes clear that getting medical help is not optional once these conditions are met.