A new published in mid-October by a team of University researchers calls into question whether police presence is necessary for responding to drug overdose incidents.聽
Recent suggests that the public鈥檚 fear of law enforcement presence is the main reason that people do not call 911 when witnessing an overdose. Last year, Providence emergency medical services were to more than 500 overdose incidents.
The new study adds to this research, finding that a minimal portion of recent drug overdose incidents in Providence required law enforcement intervention.
Alexandria Macmadu '14 MSc'15 PhD'22, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology, was the lead author of the study. Along with a team of researchers and the partnership of community organization , she analyzed 211 incidents in which police responded to overdose calls in a Rhode Island city, which was not named to provide privacy for the individuals鈥� involved.
鈥淧olice broadly see themselves as being responsible for 鈥榮ecuring the scene鈥� and ensuring that all persons on scene, whether it be EMS or other bystanders, are safe throughout that encounter,鈥� Macmadu told The Herald.聽
The team 鈥渄ug through the narrative incident report鈥� of each document and queried words such as 鈥渃ombative鈥� or 鈥渟truggled鈥� to determine if police were needed to defuse the situation and protect others, Macmadu said. They found that only 1% of incidents involved an individual who was described as 鈥渃ombative鈥� by police.聽
Only three instances involved arrests; two of these instances 鈥渨ere extenuating circumstances in which others were in danger, including minors,鈥� Macmadu explained. The final arrest was made when police found that a person on the scene had an outstanding search warrant.聽
Macmadu also highlighted that 鈥渨arrant searches at the scene of an overdose (are) perfectly legal at this time 鈥� but it strongly discourages people from calling for help.鈥� Rhode Island鈥檚 also prohibits anyone on the scene of an overdose from being arrested with charges related to drug possession.聽
Although police are required to carry naloxone 鈥� a drug that reverses the effects of an overdose 鈥� they often arrive on the scene last, after naloxone has been administered by another party, according to Brandon Marshall, professor of epidemiology and mentor for this paper.聽
鈥淏ystanders or other first responders are the most effective people present at an overdose,鈥� not police, he said. The report found a low rate of combative behavior and delayed police response times, challenging whether police response to overdose calls is truly necessary.聽
鈥淚n an ideal world, we should be relying on other first responders,鈥� such as EMS and fire services, Marshall said. 鈥淧olice should only be a last resort.鈥�
Both researchers emphasized that until there is a system in which rapid response is guaranteed by EMS, police should continue to be dispatched to administer naloxone but return to their patrol once medical personnel arrive. Until these suggestions can be implemented, 鈥減olice should really be utilized as a secondary safety net for overdoses,鈥� Macmadu said.
This may be especially true in rural areas, Marshall said. He added that he would 鈥渓ove to see this kind of study replicated in other settings,鈥� such as in suburban or rural areas. In these neighborhoods, police may respond and administer naloxone more rapidly than EMS, he said, but further research is needed.
Lisa Frueh, an author on the paper and current PhD student at Drexel University, said that they hope this research will allow 鈥減olicymakers to have a real conversation about how they would like overdose response to go.鈥� They maintain that representatives can have more 鈥渘uanced conversations鈥� about 鈥渢he most effective ways that we can make sure that people aren鈥檛 dying of overdose, which is a preventable death.鈥�
As for Macmadu, she believes 鈥渢hat the findings from this work can result in warrant searches at the scene of an overdose being prohibited.鈥澛�
With such a change, she hopes that more people will be encouraged to call for help in potential overdose situations. In these circumstances, she said, 鈥渕inutes matter and (any) hesitation can ultimately result in a loss of life.鈥�
Owen Dahlkamp is a Section Editor overseeing coverage for University News and Science & Research. Hailing from San Diego, CA, he is concentrating in political science and cognitive neuroscience with an interest in data analytics. In his free time, you can find him making spreadsheets at Dave鈥檚 Coffee.
