Attitudes of police officers towards syringe access, occupational needle-sticks, and drug use: A qualitative study of one city police department in the United States

Beletsky, Leo; Macalino, Grace; Burris, Scott

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2005.01.009

Cited by 103 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…It is not atypical for police officers to exhibit substantial gaps in knowledge of the law related to public health interventions. 16 Similarly, research among drug users and other at-risk groups has identified pervasive lack of clarity about the law. [27][28][29][30] Our findings underscore the critical role of policy evaluation to evidence-based tailoring of public health laws in order to guarantee their positive impact.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3,15 Previous research suggests that police are sometimes under-informed, and often ambivalent to public health laws, especially those based in a risk reduction framework. 16,17 In June 2010, Washington State became the second state to enact legislation to address these issues (Revised Code of Washington 69.50.315). 18 The law included both a Good Samaritan immunity provision for overdose victims and bystanders who seek medical aid, as well as allowed for naloxone to be prescribed to those at risk for having or witnessing an opioid overdose.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Police Officers’ and Paramedics’ Experiences with Overdose and Their Knowledge and Opinions of Washington State’s Drug Overdose–Naloxone–Good Samaritan Law

et al. 2013

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Opioid overdoses are an important public health concern. Concerns about police involvement at overdose events may decrease calls to 911 for emergency medical care thereby increasing the chances than an overdose becomes fatal. To address this concern, Washington State passed a law that provides immunity from drug possession charges and facilitates the availability of take-home-naloxone (the opioid overdose antidote) to bystanders in 2010. To examine the knowledge and opinions regarding opioid overdoses and this new law, police (n=251) and paramedics (n=28) in Seattle, WA were surveyed. The majority of police (64 %) and paramedics (89 %) had been at an opioid overdose in the prior year. Few officers (16 %) or paramedics (7 %) were aware of the new law. While arrests at overdose scenes were rare, drugs or paraphernalia were confiscated at 25 % of the most recent overdoses police responded to. Three quarters of officers felt it was important they were at the scene of an overdose to protect medical personnel, and a minority, 34 %, indicated it was important they were present for the purpose of enforcing laws. Police opinions about the immunity and naloxone provisions of the law were split, and we present a summary of the reasons for their opinions. The results of this survey were utilized in public health efforts by the police department which developed a roll call training video shown to all patrol officers. Knowledge of the law was low, and opinions of it were mixed; however, police were concerned about the issue of opioid overdose and willing to implement agency-wide training.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Police Officers’ and Paramedics’ Experiences with Overdose and Their Knowledge and Opinions of Washington State’s Drug Overdose–Naloxone–Good Samaritan Law

et al. 2013

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“…58,59 Implementation of these policy reforms may be limited by resource constraints, lack of political will, and governance failures. 4,6,26,28,31,62 Auxiliary mechanisms such as making federal grants contingent on specific implementation targets may improve policy implementation. 63 By adding a public health dimension to the societal costs of civil and human rights violations, our analysis magnifies the imperative to use a range of tools to curb extra-judicial police practices like syringe confiscation while also amplifying the broader calls to strengthen the rule of law in Mexico.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Removal of injection equipment directly reduces drug user access to sterile syringes. Although police officers may perceive syringe confiscation as deterring drug use and furthering occupational safety, 31 evidence suggests that it instead triggers HIV risk behaviors: IDUs may react to confiscation by sharing syringes with others, rushing injection and injecting in public places most proximate to drug acquisition points, and using services of hit doctors or shooting galleries. 23,24,32,33 Syringe confiscation may also deter IDUs from carrying syringes to avoid detection, extortion, and abuse, meanwhile encouraging dangerous injection behaviors designed to conceal track marks, including groin injection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Syringe Confiscation as an HIV Risk Factor: The Public Health Implications of Arbitrary Policing in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Lozada²,

et al. 2012

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Female sex workers who inject drugs (FSW-IDUs) face elevated risk for HIV/ STIs and constitute a key population for public health prevention. Through direct and indirect pathways including human rights violations, policing practices like syringe confiscation can compound FSW-IDU health risk and facilitate the spread of disease. We studied correlates of experiencing syringe confiscation among FSW-IDUs in northern Mexico, where formal policy allows for syringes to be available over the counter without a prescription, but police practices are often at odds with the law. FSWIDUs reporting recent syringe sharing and unprotected sex with clients in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez were administered surveys and HIV/STI testing. Logistic regression was used to identify correlates of syringe confiscation. Among 624 respondent FSW-IDUs, prevalence of syringe confiscation in the last 6 months was 48 %. The following factors were positively associated with syringe confiscation: testing positive for HIV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.54, 95 % confidence interval [CI]=1.11-5.80), reporting sexual abuse by police (aOR=12.76, 95 % CI=6.58-24.72), engaging in groin injection (aOR=1.84, 95 % CI=1.15-2.93), injecting in public (aOR=1.64; 95 % CI=1.14-2.36), and obtaining syringes from pharmacies (aOR=1.54; 95 % CI=1.06-2.23). Higher education level was negatively associated with syringe confiscation (aOR= 0.92, 95 % CI=0.87-0.98) as was frequent injection with clients within the last month (aOR=0.64,). This analysis adds to the body of evidence linking unauthorized law enforcement actions targeting high-risk groups with HIV and other adverse health outcomes. Using a public health lens to conceptualize abuse as a structural risk factor, we advocate for multi-prong prevention, systematic monitoring, and evidence-based intervention response to deleterious police practices.

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“…Police officers face elevated risk of acquiring blood-borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C from accidental needle stick injuries (NSIs) [1][2][3][4][5]-one of the highest puncture injury risks among all occupations [6]. This can detrimentally impact recruitment, retention, occupational stress, and police-community relations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational Safety in the Age of the Opioid Crisis: Needle Stick Injury among Baltimore Police

et al. 2017

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At a time of resurgence in injection drug use and injection-attributable infections, needle stick injury (NSI) risk and its correlates among police remain understudied. In the context of occupational safety training, a convenience sample of 771 Baltimore city police officers responded to a self-administered survey. Domains included NSI experience, protective behaviors, and attitudes towards syringe exchange programs. Sixty officers (8%) reported lifetime NSI. Officers identifying as Latino or other race were almost three times more likely (aOR 2.58, 95% CI 1.12-5.96) to have experienced NSI compared to whites, after adjusting for potential confounders. Findings highlight disparate burdens of NSIs among officers of color, elevating risk of hepatitis, HIV, and trauma. Training, equipment, and other measures to improve occupational safety are critical to attracting and safeguarding police, especially minority officers.

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Attitudes of police officers towards syringe access, occupational needle-sticks, and drug use: A qualitative study of one city police department in the United States

Cited by 103 publications

References 29 publications

Police Officers’ and Paramedics’ Experiences with Overdose and Their Knowledge and Opinions of Washington State’s Drug Overdose–Naloxone–Good Samaritan Law

Police Officers’ and Paramedics’ Experiences with Overdose and Their Knowledge and Opinions of Washington State’s Drug Overdose–Naloxone–Good Samaritan Law

Syringe Confiscation as an HIV Risk Factor: The Public Health Implications of Arbitrary Policing in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Occupational Safety in the Age of the Opioid Crisis: Needle Stick Injury among Baltimore Police

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