Aligning policing and public health promotion: insights from the world of foot patrol

Abstract

Foot patrol work is rarely described in relation to public health, even though police routinely encounter health risk behaviors and environments. Through a qualitative study of foot patrol policing in violent ‘hotspots’ of Philadelphia, we explore some prospects and challenges associated with bridging security and public health considerations in law enforcement. Noting existing efforts to help advance police officer knowledge of, and attitudes toward health vulnerabilities, we incorporate perspectives from environmental criminology to help advance this bridging agenda. Extending the notion of capable guardianship to understand foot patrol work, we suggest that the way forward for theory, policy and practice is not solely to rely on changing officer culture and behavior, but rather to advance a wider agenda for enhancing collective guardianship, and especially ‘place management’ for harm reduction in the city.

Safe and unsafe spaces: Non-fatal overdose, arrest, and receptive syringe sharing among people who inject drugs in public and semi-public spaces in Baltimore City

“…Despite these self-protective measures, it is evident from this study that the risk of law enforcement encounters is more likely when injecting drugs in semi-public spaces. Previous studies have demonstrated that law enforcement know these semi-public spaces as sites of drug use and activity, suggesting one explanation for this finding (Wood, Taylor, Groff, & Ratcliffe, 2015). …”

“…Attention to the nature of the social environment and its role in promoting or reducing the occurrence of deleterious outcomes such as overdose is an important intervention target. Having been injected by a “hit doctor” has previously been associated with receptive syringe sharing and HIV infection without the necessary harm reduction training (Wood et al, 2001; Wood et al, 2015). This result underscores the importance of tailored harm reduction interventions focused on nuances around the relationship and context of receiving an injection form a “hit doctor.” Our study further lends credence to the importance of promoting safe consumption spaces (SCSs), which are physical sites where PWID can bring previously-purchased illicit drugs to self-inject.…”

“What makes you think you have special privileges because you are a police officer?” A qualitative exploration of police's role in the risk environment of female sex workers

“…Police are not typically aware of the public health impact of their actions, despite the fact that they not only manage, but can also contribute to the health risk environment. Traditionally police role emphasize public safety (Wood et al, 2013) with FSW's more frequently perceived as criminals or informants, rather than victims. Few studies have qualitatively examined the nuanced nature of police-FSW interactions at the micro-level of daily policing (Simic & Rhodes, 2009; Milloy et al, 2011; Shannon, Kerr, Allinott, Chettier, Shoveller & Tyndall, 2008).…”

Law Enforcement Fusion Centers: Cultivating an Information Sharing Environment while Safeguarding Privacy

“…This capability includes the routine sharing of information as well as issuing of public health alerts…in preparation for, and in response to, events or incidents of public health significance." Moreover, contemporary policing has recognized the importance of integrating public health information into policing strategies to further reduce crime, disorder, and calls for service while improving the quality of communities (Wood et al, 2015). Such strategies are rooted in the movement of harm-focused policing that seeks to facilitate public safety through a more expansive view of the role of police while "An emphasis on harm would provide a welcomed focus for intelligence-led policing" (Ratcliffe, 2015, pp.179).…”