2022 Law Enforcement Drug Response Summit
This Arnold Ventures-supported study aimed to develop a better understanding of law enforcement drug response programs in the United States. As a part of that project, the study team fielded the 2021 National Law Enforcement Drug Response Survey, to which nearly 2,000 law enforcement agencies across the country responded. The Law Enforcement Drug Response Summit was a final deliverable to present the national study findings and showcase law enforcement leadership from around the country who shared their drug response strategies and perspectives. This webinar was supported by Arnold Ventures and hosted by RTI International and the Police Executive Research Forum on February 9, 2022. It is archived and made available on-demand by the NIJ’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.
Draft Agenda:
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
12:00 – 12:15 p.m. Opening Remarks
Hope Smiley-McDonald, PhD, Investigative Sciences Program Director, RTI
Walter Katz, Vice President of Criminal Justice, AV
12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Reimagining Crisis Response — Considerations for Co-Response Models in Today’s Environment
Jeremy Barnum, Senior Principal, Center for Applied Research, Police Executive Forum
Bradley Ray, PhD, Senior Research Sociologist, Center for Policing Research and Investigative Science, RTI International
Deputy Chief Catherine Cummings, Training, Policy and Oversight Division Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, IN
Detective Tracey Lomax, Behavioral Health Unit, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, IN
Description: In response to the opioid epidemic and increased behavioral health-related calls for service, many law enforcement agencies have partnered with health professionals, social workers, and/or Fire/EMS to launch programs designed to provide a coordinated response. This panel will highlight selected and established co-response programs. National survey findings will show common features across these types of co-response programs, including core law enforcement partnerships, information sharing practices across jurisdictions, and policies and procedures.
1:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Break
1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Law Enforcement Naloxone Policies and Practices
Peter Davidson, PhD, University of California-San Diego
Dr. Karl Sporer, EMS medical director for Alameda County, CA
Deputy Chief John Thompson, Greensboro Police Department (NC)
Ron Martin, Retired Detective Sergeant, North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition
Description: Law enforcement naloxone programs do not begin and end with the simple act of a police officer administering naloxone to someone who overdoses. This panel will show how law enforcement naloxone programs vary across several factors, including on scene pre- and post-naloxone administration standard operating procedures; officer training requirements; and other procedural, policy, and programmatic differences. These national findings will be put into context by law enforcement and by those who specialize in overdose response to begin identifying best practices in law enforcement naloxone programs.
3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Dismantling Fentanyl-Related Myths and Misinformation
Peyton Attaway, Research Analyst, Center for Policing Research and Investigative Science, RTI International
Melissia Larson, Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Coordinator, North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition
Justin Brower, Toxicologist, North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Brandon del Pozo, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Miriam Hospital/Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and former Police Chief of the Burlington Police Department (Vermont)
Description: Toxicologists and medical professionals have determined that the risk of overdose from dermal fentanyl exposure is very low for law enforcement. However, many law enforcement agencies have invested substantial funding in protective gear while officers unnecessarily worry about the occupational hazards involved in responding to scenes involving drugs like fentanyl. This panel will explore this myth, how it got propagated, and will engage the audience to identify effective ways to dispel harmful myths like these within the law enforcement community. How do we best disseminate information to law enforcement to drive evidence-based policy and practice?
4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
Alex Kral, PhD, RTI Distinguished Fellow
Partners:
Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)
Related Resources:
- Project Infographic
- Policing on the Front Lines of the Opioid Crisis
- ACMT and AACT Position Statement: Preventing Occupational Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analog Exposure to Emergency Responders
