Beliefs of US chiefs of police about substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure, overdose response, and use of discretion: results from a national survey
Abstract Background To inform the feasibility and acceptability of evidence-informed police practices related to substance use, addiction, and overdose, we sought to better understand how US police chiefs perceive substance use and related policing practices. Methods A national sample of randomly se...
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BMC
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Health & Justice |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00318-8 |
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| author | Amelia Bailey Barbara Andraka-Christou Saba Rouhani M.H. Clark Danielle Atkins Brandon del Pozo |
| author_facet | Amelia Bailey Barbara Andraka-Christou Saba Rouhani M.H. Clark Danielle Atkins Brandon del Pozo |
| author_sort | Amelia Bailey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background To inform the feasibility and acceptability of evidence-informed police practices related to substance use, addiction, and overdose, we sought to better understand how US police chiefs perceive substance use and related policing practices. Methods A national sample of randomly selected US police chiefs (N = 276) completed a 37-item survey about substance use and policing. Nine items assessed chiefs’ perceptions of: officers’ discretion in making arrests, effectiveness of overdose responses, risks of fentanyl exposure, de-escalation practices, harmful drugs in their community, and illicitly-obtained buprenorphine. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and exploratory ordinal logistic regressions. Results Most chiefs (72.5%) agreed that arrest for any nonviolent misdemeanor was at the discretion of their officers, and they overwhelmingly (94.9%) trusted their officers to make the right arrest decision. The majority of chiefs (87.7%) felt their officers could effectively respond to an opioid overdose, and 83.7% reported their officers carried naloxone on patrol. Chiefs in the Northeast were significantly less likely to be confident in their officers’ ability to respond to a methamphetamine overdose than chiefs in the West. Most (90.0%) were receptive to implementing methamphetamine de-escalation strategies (i.e., techniques to resolve crises short of force). Almost all chiefs (91.2%) agreed with the inaccurate statement that fentanyl exposure at a drug overdose scene could harm officers. Conclusions Police chiefs express interest in several types of evidence-based public health approaches to policing. Critically, there is a need to curtail fentanyl misinformation and to improve officer knowledge about medications for treating opioid use disorder. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cf2f8bf489f34159a60f71224b021a08 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2194-7899 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | Health & Justice |
| spelling | doaj-art-cf2f8bf489f34159a60f71224b021a082025-08-20T01:57:45ZengBMCHealth & Justice2194-78992025-03-0113111010.1186/s40352-025-00318-8Beliefs of US chiefs of police about substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure, overdose response, and use of discretion: results from a national surveyAmelia Bailey0Barbara Andraka-Christou1Saba Rouhani2M.H. Clark3Danielle Atkins4Brandon del Pozo5Brown UniversityUniversity of Central FloridaNew York UniversityUniversity of Central FloridaFlorida State UniversityBrown UniversityAbstract Background To inform the feasibility and acceptability of evidence-informed police practices related to substance use, addiction, and overdose, we sought to better understand how US police chiefs perceive substance use and related policing practices. Methods A national sample of randomly selected US police chiefs (N = 276) completed a 37-item survey about substance use and policing. Nine items assessed chiefs’ perceptions of: officers’ discretion in making arrests, effectiveness of overdose responses, risks of fentanyl exposure, de-escalation practices, harmful drugs in their community, and illicitly-obtained buprenorphine. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and exploratory ordinal logistic regressions. Results Most chiefs (72.5%) agreed that arrest for any nonviolent misdemeanor was at the discretion of their officers, and they overwhelmingly (94.9%) trusted their officers to make the right arrest decision. The majority of chiefs (87.7%) felt their officers could effectively respond to an opioid overdose, and 83.7% reported their officers carried naloxone on patrol. Chiefs in the Northeast were significantly less likely to be confident in their officers’ ability to respond to a methamphetamine overdose than chiefs in the West. Most (90.0%) were receptive to implementing methamphetamine de-escalation strategies (i.e., techniques to resolve crises short of force). Almost all chiefs (91.2%) agreed with the inaccurate statement that fentanyl exposure at a drug overdose scene could harm officers. Conclusions Police chiefs express interest in several types of evidence-based public health approaches to policing. Critically, there is a need to curtail fentanyl misinformation and to improve officer knowledge about medications for treating opioid use disorder.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00318-8PoliceAddictionDiversionHarm reductionFentanyl exposureDiscretion |
| spellingShingle | Amelia Bailey Barbara Andraka-Christou Saba Rouhani M.H. Clark Danielle Atkins Brandon del Pozo Beliefs of US chiefs of police about substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure, overdose response, and use of discretion: results from a national survey Health & Justice Police Addiction Diversion Harm reduction Fentanyl exposure Discretion |
| title | Beliefs of US chiefs of police about substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure, overdose response, and use of discretion: results from a national survey |
| title_full | Beliefs of US chiefs of police about substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure, overdose response, and use of discretion: results from a national survey |
| title_fullStr | Beliefs of US chiefs of police about substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure, overdose response, and use of discretion: results from a national survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beliefs of US chiefs of police about substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure, overdose response, and use of discretion: results from a national survey |
| title_short | Beliefs of US chiefs of police about substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure, overdose response, and use of discretion: results from a national survey |
| title_sort | beliefs of us chiefs of police about substance use disorder fentanyl exposure overdose response and use of discretion results from a national survey |
| topic | Police Addiction Diversion Harm reduction Fentanyl exposure Discretion |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00318-8 |
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