Law Enforcement and Opioid Overdoses – sessions at LEPH2021
Opioid overdose is a critical issue at the intersection of law enforcement and public health, with deaths from drug overdose increasing substantially in some contexts over the last decade, in Philadelphia there has been a 200% increase in people dying from drug overdose in this period.
LEPH2021 draws attention to this important issue and below we have curated a list of sessions for delegates to learn from and connect with others who are contributing to better understand and decrease deaths from drug overdose.
List of sessions:
M8: Fostering public health and public safety collaborations to reduce overdose deaths
MoI 3: The Kensington Transit Corridor Overdose Response Study
Tu13: When pandemic meets epidemic: co-location through spatial analysis of COVID 19 and drug overdose deaths
Tu18:Proffered papers: Drug use and opioid overdoses
W11: Proffered papers: Drug use and opioid overdoses
Th11: Proffered papers: Opioid overdoses
F8: Post-overdose outreach in Massachusetts: lessons from law enforcement and public health partnerships
Mol17: Implementing a community-led response to drug use and overdose: where we are and what’s next
Session summaries:
M8: Fostering public health and public safety collaborations to reduce overdose deaths
This presentation is currently scheduled for M8 (Day 1, Monday 22 March at 12-12:50 PM EST)
Presenters will describe two initiatives led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce overdose deaths through innovative partnerships between public health and public safety: the Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) and the Public Health and Safety Teams (PHAST) framework and toolkit. These initiatives emphasize improved data availability, sharing, and use between sectors, and aim to identify and advance implementation of evidence-based responses to reduce overdoses at the community, state, and regional levels. Through the initiatives, various tools and resources have been developed to foster dissemination and scale-up of these efforts. The ORS is a unique collaboration between public health and public safety agencies at the federal level. The ORS is implemented by state teams made up of Drug Intelligence Officers (DIOs) and Public Health Analysts (PHAs), who work together on drug overdose prevention and response activities within and across sectors. Currently, there are PHAs in 30 states, and DIOs in all states, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. PHAs and DIOs also implement ORS Cornerstone projects which aim to produce actionable recommendations for public health and public safety partners in ORS communities and beyond. Each year, current practices, implementation challenges, and staff experiences of an overdose prevention program or policy is examined. Cornerstone projects have assessed law enforcement’s experience with Good Samaritan Laws, public safety-led linkage to care efforts, and jail-based overdose prevention programs in ORS states. Second, in partnership with CDC Foundation, CDC developed PHAST to help jurisdictions foster innovation and collaboration by sharing available data and expertise across sectors. The PHAST toolkit uses a data-driven process modeled after New York City’s RxStat Initiative. Presenters will share pre- and post-assessment results showing improvements in measures such as partnership building, data sharing, jurisdictional capacity, and shared accountability from two PHAST pilot sites. Tools and resources developed as part of these initiatives will be shared. This session is highly relevant for conference attendees who work at the local level to address overdose and may benefit from information on innovative public health/public safety strategies and improved engagement with multi-sector partners.
MoI 3: The Kensington Transit Corridor Overdose Response Study
This presentation is currently scheduled for Mol3 (Day 1, Monday 22 March at 1:30 PM – 2:50 PM EST)
Abstract:
In 2019, 1,150 people died from drug overdoses in Philadelphia, up 200% over a decade. Eighty percent (80%) of these deaths involved opioids. The crisis is concentrated in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, which has emerged as ground zero for the worst urban opioid crisis in the country. One of Philadelphia’s two main subway lines runs directly through Kensington, and these trends have placed significant pressure on the transit police. The Kensington Transit Corridor Overdose Response Study was designed by the region’s transit police (SEPTA Police Department) to improve police responses to opioid overdoses in one of the most concentrated overdose hotspots on the US eastern seaboard. A dedicated vehicle (OSCAR ONE) and officer have been assigned to respond to overdoses on the transit system, and now officers are paired with social workers from a local agency. Temple University researchers have been evaluating the project with over 300 hours of field work and observations. Using unique video footage, interviews and quotes from the area’s police officers, this presentation explores the implementation challenges based on the dynamic environment of the city and policing. It also offers insights into the officers’ perspectives on the opioid crisis in the largest drug market on the eastern seaboard of the United States. The two lead researchers and the SEPTA Police Chief will be available for questions during the video (on chat) and afterwards.
Moderator:
Jerry Ratcliffe, Temple University (USA)
Speakers:
Jerry Ratcliffe, Temple University (USA)
Thomas Nestel III, SEPTA Police chief (USA)
Hayley Wight, Temple University (USA)
Biography’s of speakers
Jerry Ratcliffe:
Jerry Ratcliffe is a former British police officer, college professor, and host of the Reducing Crime podcast. He works with police agencies around the world on crime reduction and evidence-based policing. After an ice-climbing accident ended a decade-long career with London’s Metropolitan Police, he earned a first class honors degree and a PhD from the University of Nottingham. He has published over 100 research articles and nine books, including most recently “Reducing Crime: A Companion for Police Leaders”. Ratcliffe has been a research adviser to the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Commissioner, an instructor for the ATF intelligence academy, and he is a charter member of the FBI Law Enforcement Education and Training Council. He is a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University in Philadelphia, USA (Twitter: @jerry_ratcliffe)
Hayley Wight:
Hayley Wight is a PhD student in the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hayley holds a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from Temple University and BAs in Criminal Justice and Psychology. While completing her undergraduate and graduate studies, Hayley has been involved in a variety of qualitative and quantitative research projects on topics including prisoner reentry and reintegration, body-worn cameras and police technology, and the role of police in the drug-crime nexus. Currently, Hayley is the Graduate Researcher on the Kensington Transit Corridor Overdose Response Study with SEPTA Transit Police.
Tom Nestel:
Thomas J. Nestel III started as a Patrol Officer with the SEPTA transit police in 1982, and then served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 22 years. He reached the rank of Staff Inspector, before becoming Chief of Police for Upper Moreland Township, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He has a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and has earned three Master’s degrees – Criminology from University of Pennsylvania, National Security Studies from the United States Naval Postgraduate School, and Public Safety from St. Joseph’s University. Nestel has conducted extensive research on the use of public domain surveillance systems (CCTV) and assisted in the authoring of the operating policy to guide Philadelphia’s program. He has also conducted several studies to determine the effectiveness of red light camera systems on intersection safety. In 2012 he returned to the SEPTA Transit Police Department as chief. You can follow chief Nestel on twitter @TNestel3
Tu13: When pandemic meets epidemic: co-location through spatial analysis of COVID 19 and drug overdose deaths
This presentation is currently scheduled for Tu13 ( Day 2, Tuesday 23 March at 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM EST)
Presenters:
Navya Tripathi, Student at Buchholz High School and Dr. Nancy Hardt (Co-presenter), Professor Emerita, University of Florida College of Medicine
Abstract
Drug overdose deaths in the last two decades have increased over 300 percent. Between 2010 and 2019 an 88% increase in overdose deaths was observed. In 2019 alone, 72,000 deaths represented a 7% increase from the prior year. This rapidly growing cause of death makes the drug epidemic more deadly than gun violence, car crashes, and AIDS. Now, CDC counts an uptick in fatal overdoses with 75,500 drug-related deaths from March 2019 to March 2020. Early 2020 saw the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. With an even more rapid rise in drug deaths, CDC suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the previously alarming situation.
This study is an extension of a prior study on drug overdose deaths “Death By Drugs” which examined the spatial correlation between drug overdose deaths and pertinent demographic and socio-economic segments. We sought a spatial correlation between the drug overdose deaths and deaths by COVID-19 at the state level on a monthly time step. Spatial analysis, map visualization is used to study the correlation between deaths by drugs and deaths by COVID-19. Results: The maps collectively reveal the complex and evolving dynamics of drug use deaths and COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Preliminary data analysis indicates a strong spatial correlation between the deaths by drugs and deaths due to COVID-19. Conclusion: Since drug overdose deaths are a leading contributor to largely preventable deaths, the results of the study may aid in the focus of effective programs to reduce drug abuse and pandemic disease transmission prevention strategies.
Tu18: Proffered papers: Drug use and opioid overdoses
This presentation is currently scheduled for Tu18 ( Day 2, Tuesday 23 March at 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM EST)
Addressing the opioid crisis in Delaware: The Hero Help Program as a case study in addiction and behavioral health responses among law enforcement
● Ellen Donnelly, University of Delaware (USA)
Factors associated with the awareness of the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act among people who use drugs, in B.C., Canada
● Amiti Mehta, University of British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (Canada)
Take home Naloxone kits, phone ownership and knowledge of the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act among people being released from correctional facilities in BC, Canada
- Jessica Xavier, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) (Canada)
W11: Proffered papers: Drug use and opioid overdoses
This presentation is currently scheduled for W11 ( Day 3, Wednesday 24 March at 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM EST)
Police officers’ experiences responding to overdoses: knowledge and attitudes of the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act
- Jessica Xavier, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) (Canada)
Recognition and respect: a critical need for experiential workers in overdose response settings in British Columbia, Canada
- Zahra Mamdani, BC Centre for Disease Control (Canada)
Police attendance at overdose events following a provincial policy to not routinely inform enforcement of 9-1-1 calls for overdose
- Amiti Mehta, UBC Centre for Disease Control (Canada)
Th11: Proffered papers: Opioid overdoses
This presentation is currently scheduled for Th11 ( Day 4, Thursday 25 March at 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM EST)
Exploring the influence of drug trafficking gangs on drug overdose deaths: implications for law enforcement and social service provision
● Nicole Johnson, Temple University (USA)
Police officers, stigma, and the opioid epidemic
● Richard Donohue, RAND Corporation (USA)
Community outpatient care and risk of fatal and non-fatal overdose after release from prison in British Columbia, Canada
● Katherine E. McLeod, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, (Canada)
F8: Post-overdose outreach in Massachusetts: lessons from law enforcement and public health partnerships
This presentation is currently scheduled for F8 ( Day 5, Friday 26 March at 11:00 AM to 11:50 AM EST)
Moderator:
Emily Cummins, Boston Medical Center (USA)
Speakers:
● David Costa, Beverly Police Department (USA)
● Chris Alba, Healthy Streets (USA)
● Brittni Reilly, Massachusetts Department of Health (USA)
● Jennifer Carroll, Elon University (USA)
Session overview:
In response to high rates of opioid overdose in Massachusetts, public health/public safety partnerships have emerged across the state to implement outreach efforts typically targeting overdose survivors, generally within 24-48 hours after the overdose event. Often, this involves a 2-3 person team composed of peer recovery counselors, harm reductionists, or other community health workers—as well as a member of the local police force—visiting an individual’s home and attempting to refer them to available treatment options. Given traditionally antagonistic relationship between law enforcement and people who use drugs, as well as the generally orthogonal goals of public safety and harm reduction organizations, many questions about the potential benefits, pitfalls, and individual or community impacts of these partnerships have emerged.
This panel presents preliminary findings from a mixed-methods project that examines the individual and community level outcomes of Massachusetts-based public health/public safety partnerships engaging in post-overdose outreach. Informed by quantitative and qualitative data collected as part of the statewide study,, this panel will address many of these unanswered questions:
What is gained or lost when harm reductionists seek partnerships with law enforcement?
How does participation in these programs change the viewpoints of public health professionals and law enforcement officers—for better or for worse?
Are officers able to separate themselves from the institutionalized aspects of policing: conducting outreach visits in uniform and marked cars, engaging processes for mandatory treatment or involuntary commitment, running warrants, and using outreach data for investigative purposes?
Can harm reduction goals be achieved through public health/public safety partnerships, and, if yes, how can we maximize that success?
Mol17: Implementing a community-led response to drug use and overdose: where we are and what’s next
This presentation is currently scheduled for MoI 17 (Day 4, Thursday 25 March at 10:00 AM to 11:50 AM)
There are increasing calls in the US and in many countries around the world for divestment from police and investment in alternative models for promoting community safety and well-being. Given drug criminalization and the frequent role of police as crisis first responders, police involvement in drug use and overdose response is common. Such involvement, however, may act as a deterrent to calls for crisis response to overdose, because of fears of drug-related arrest on the scene. This panel will address ongoing efforts to develop and implement a community-led response to drug use and overdose. While models of crisis response to people with serious mental illness have been well established, comparatively little attention has been directed at crisis response and drug use. Discussion will include the process of gaining community input and buy-in, stakeholder engagement, and the navigation of programmatic and operational challenges in establishing such a program at the neighborhood or city level.
Discussion facilitation and moderation
Vital Strategies staff (USA)
Panelists (proposed)
- Salvation and Social Justice (New Jersey)
- Michigan Liberation (Michigan)
- Newark Community Street Team (Newark, New Jersey)
- New Haven Overdose Prevention and Response Task Force (New Haven, Connecticut)
