scholarly journals “We're actually more of a likely ally than an unlikely ally”: relationships between syringe services programs and law enforcement

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Y. Franco ◽  
Angela E. Lee-Winn ◽  
Sara Brandspigel ◽  
Musheng L. Alishahi ◽  
Ashley Brooks-Russell
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Wound Care ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Treatment Programs ◽  
People Who Use Drugs ◽  
Positive Relationships ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Program Staff ◽  
Compliance With The Law

Abstract Background Syringe services programs provide sterile injection supplies and a range of health services (e.g., HIV and HEP-C testing, overdose prevention education, provision of naloxone) to a hard-to-reach population, including people who use drugs, aiming to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. Methods We performed a qualitative needs assessment of existing syringe services programs in the state of Colorado in 2018–2019 to describe—their activities, needs, and barriers. Using a phenomenological approach, we performed semi-structured interviews with key program staff of syringe services programs (n = 11). All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and validated. A data-driven iterative approach was used by researchers to develop a coding scheme to organize the data into major themes found across interviews. Memos were written to synthesize main themes. Results Nearly all the syringe program staff discussed their relationships with law enforcement at length. All syringe program staff viewed having a positive relationship with law enforcement as critical to the success of their program. Main factors that influence the quality of relationships between syringe services programs and law enforcement included: (1) alignment in agency culture, (2) support from law enforcement leadership, (3) police officers’ participation and compliance with the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which provides intensive case management for low-level drug offenders, and (4) implementation of the “Needle-Stick Prevention Law” and Drug Paraphernalia Law Exemption. All syringe program staff expressed a strong desire to have positive relationships with law enforcement and described how a collaborative working relationship was critical to the success of their programs. Conclusions Our findings reveal effective strategies to foster relationships between syringe services programs and law enforcement as well as key barriers to address. The need exists for both syringe services programs and law enforcement to devote time and resources to build a strong, positive partnership. Having such positive relationships with law enforcement has positive implications for syringe services program clients, including law enforcement being less likely to ticket persons for having used syringes, and encourage people who use drugs to seek services from syringe services programs, which can then lead them to other resources, such as housing, wound care, and substance use treatment programs.

scholarly journals "We're Actually More of a Likely Ally than an Unlikely Ally": Relationships Between Syringe Services Programs and Law Enforcement

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Y. Franco ◽  
Angela Lee-Winn ◽  
Sara Brandspigel ◽  
Musheng Alishahi ◽  
Ashley Brooks-Russell
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Prevention Education ◽  
Drug Offenders ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Collaborative Working ◽  
Compliance With The Law ◽  
Prevention Law

Abstract Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) provide sterile needles and a range of health services (e.g., HIV and HEP-C testing, overdose prevention education, provision of naloxone) to a hard-to-reach population, including people who inject drugs (PWID), aiming to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. We performed a qualitative needs assessment of existing SSPs in the state of Colorado in 2018-2019 to describe the SSP activities, needs, and barriers. We performed semi-structured interviews with key program staff of SSPs (n=11). All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and validated. Qualitative researchers coded each transcript and maintained coding consistency through coding statistics (Kappa coefficient > 0.80) between coders. Memos were written to synthesize main themes. Nearly all the SSPs discussed their relationships with law enforcement at length. All SSPs viewed having a positive relationship with law enforcement as critical to the success of their program. Main factors that influence the quality of relationships between SSPs and law enforcement included: 1) alignment in agency culture, 2) support from law enforcement leadership, 3) police officers’ participation and compliance with the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which provides intensive case management for low-level drug offenders, and 4) implementation of the “Needle-Stick Prevention Law” and Drug Paraphernalia Law Exemption. All SSPs expressed a strong desire to have positive relationships with law enforcement and described how a collaborative working relationship was critical to the success of their programs. Our findings suggest effective strategies to foster relationships between SSPs and law enforcement as well as key barriers to address.

“The Light at the End of the Tunnel Has Been Permanently Shut Off”: Work-Role Overload Among U.S. Police

2021 ◽  
pp. 009385482110247
Author(s):  
Meret S. Hofer
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Role Overload ◽  
Work Role ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Functional Breadth

The functional breadth of the police role is a primary issue facing law enforcement. However, few empirical data examine how officers are experiencing an occupational environment characterized by an increasingly wider range of new (but routine) duties. I take a qualitative approach to explore experiences of work-role overload via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a sample of U.S. police officers ( N = 48). By applying the framework for thematic analysis, I find that work-role overload is a robust feature of police officers’ occupational experiences and presents in two ways: (a) through quantitative overload related to the excessive volume of work demands and (b) qualitative overload related to strained or diminished psychological resources. The findings provide valuable insights for improving the theoretical understanding of work-role overload among police in light of international trends toward broadening law enforcement’s social functions and add to contemporary discussions to “defund the police.”

Evaluation of an Experimental Educational Module on Opioid-Related Occupational Safety among Police Officers: Protocol for a Randomized Pragmatic Trial to Minimize Barriers to Overdose Response (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janie Simmons ◽  
Luther Elliott ◽  
Alexander Bennett ◽  
Leo Beletsky ◽  
Sonali Rajan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Pragmatic Trial ◽  
Occupational Risk ◽  
People Who Use Drugs ◽  
Safety Study ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach

BACKGROUND As drug-related morbidity and mortality continue to surge, police officers are on the front lines of the North American overdose crisis. Drug law enforcement shapes health risks among people who use drugs (PWUD), while also impacting occupational health and wellness of officers. Effective interventions to align law enforcement practices with public health and occupational safety goals remain under-researched. OBJECTIVE The Opioids and Police Safety Study (OPS) aims to shift police practices relating to people who use drugs (PWUD). It adapts and evaluates the relative effectiveness of a curriculum that bundles content on public health promotion with occupational risk reduction (ORR) to supplement a web-based overdose response and naloxone training platform (GetNaloxoneNow or GNN). This novel approach has the potential to improve public health and occupational safety practices, including using naloxone to reverse overdoses, referring PWUD to treatment and other supportive services, and avoiding syringe confiscation. METHODS This longitudinal study employs a randomized pragmatic trial design. A sample of 300 active-duty police officers from select counties in Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire with high overdose fatality rates will be randomized (150 each) to either the experimental arm (GNN + OPS) or the control arm (GNN + COVID-19 occupational risk reduction). A pre- and post-training survey will be administered to all 300 officers, after which they will be administered quarterly surveys for 12 months. A sub-sample of police officers will also be followed qualitatively in a simultaneous embedded mixed-methods approach. RESULTS Research ethics approval was obtained from the NYU Institutional Review Board. Findings will be disseminated widely, and the training products will be available nationally once the study is completed. CONCLUSIONS The Opioids and Police Safety Study is the first study to longitudinally assess the impact of an opioid-related occupational risk reduction intervention for law enforcement in the U.S. Our randomized pragmatic clinical trial aims to remove barriers to life-saving police engagement with PWUO/PWID by focusing both on the safety of law enforcement and evidence-based and best-practices for working with persons at risk of an opioid overdose. Our simultaneous embedded mixed-methods approach will provide empirical evaluation of the diffusion of naloxone-based response among law enforcement. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT05008523

Motivations for Police Support of Domestic Violence Response Team Implementation With Advocates

2020 ◽  
pp. 107780122093082
Author(s):  
Laura Johnson ◽  
Elisheva Davidoff ◽  
Abigail R. DeSilva
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Serious Crime ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Domestic Violence Organizations

In New Jersey, collaboration between police departments and advocates from domestic violence organizations is mandated by state policy, which requires law enforcement agencies to participate in domestic violence response teams (DVRTs). The purpose of this study is to examine factors that motivate police officers to implement DVRT. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with DVRT coordinators and domestic violence liaison police officers. Findings suggest that police motivation for implementing the intervention is often influenced by perceived benefits to police response and investigation, perceived benefits to victims, the need to comply with mandates, and recognition of domestic violence as a serious crime.

scholarly journals Reality checks for career women: An interpretevist paradigm

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Mary Anthony ◽  
Werner Soontiens
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Career Women ◽  
The Public ◽  
Gendered Leadership ◽  
Management Positions ◽  
Organisational Process

AbstractThis paper reflects on the latent organisational process that leads tothe scarcity of women in senior positions. Utilising characteristics of legitimisation, institutionalisation and self-determination theories the paper observes how women manage upward mobility. Subsequently, it was important to investigate the mid-level cohorts, as there lies the critical question triggering the anomaly. Focusing on the public sector with an interest in gendered organisations, the study examines law enforcement. Conversely, the aim of this paper is to focus on why there is a continued dearth in the number of policewomen at top level positions in USA and Australia. A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach is applied. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with 40 policewomen in mid-management positions in American and Australian law enforcement. It further aims to explore the linkages of the ongoing paucity of gendered leadership in organisations, questioning how these will influence women's ability to advance to higher-level positions.

scholarly journals Administrative Supervision of the National Police of Ukraine

2021 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-78
Author(s):  
I. M. Kovalov ◽  
V. A. Yevtushok
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Scientific Article ◽  
Administrative Supervision ◽  
The Law ◽  
Compliance With The Law ◽  
National Police

The scientific article is focused on the legal regulation of administrative supervision of the National Police of Ukraine. The purpose of the study is to define the concept and features of police administrative supervision and develop propositions for amending the existing legislation regulating law enforcement activity. The relevance of the chosen topic is the fact that police officers’ powers to monitor the rule of law in the fields of economy and public administration can directly affect the rights and freedoms of individuals and the legitimate interests of legal entities. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the doctrinal definition of the concept of police administrative supervision and its features and the development of propositions for amending the Law of Ukraine "On the National Police". The publications of scholars who studied the problems of police administrative supervision in various sectors of the economy and public administration were studied. The norms of legislative acts that establish the supervisory powers of the police are analyzed. It is concluded that police administrative supervision is systematic monitoring of the compliance with Ukrainian legislation in the fields of economy, public administration, public life, and the application of coercive measures to offenders to stop the offense and bring them to justice. Features of police administrative supervision, such as regularity, legality, formality, publicity, have been identified. Police administrative supervision is protective. Its purpose is to stop and prevent violations of Ukrainian law. Administrative supervision over the compliance with the law is carried out in the areas of public order and public safety, public administration, business, drug trafficking, firearms and ammunition, road safety, and other sectors of the economy and public administration. It is offered to make appropriate amendments to the Art. 2 of the Law of Ukraine "On the National Police". The results of the study can be used in lawmaking, law enforcement practice, and the educational process.

scholarly journals Reducing police turnover: Recommendations for the law enforcement agency

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83
Author(s):  
Susan Hilal ◽  
Bryan Litsey
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Light Duty ◽  
Personal Wellness ◽  
Law Enforcement Agency ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Term Data

Law enforcement is a career that offers long-term employment; however, not everyone who enters the profession stays until they retire. Because the costs of employing a police officer can be significant to both the organization and the individual seeking to pursue and maintain a career in law enforcement, identifying ways to reduce police turnover is important. This study captures the experiences of officers who left prematurely, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, to help identify what agencies can do to keep officers long term. Data for this exploratory study was gathered via semi-structured interviews with 36 former police officers. The findings highlighted several common themes that law enforcement agencies could address, including: leadership training, clear and transparent processes, permanent light-duty assignments, shift flexibility, improved morale, and more focus on personal wellness.

Conflicting Laws and Priorities as Drug Policy Implementation Barriers: A Qualitative Analysis of Police Perspectives in Tijuana, Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Morales ◽  
Pieter Baker ◽  
Claudia Rafful ◽  
Maria L. Mittal ◽  
Teresita Rocha-Jimenez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
People Who Use Drugs ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Implementation Barriers ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Municipal Police

AbstractBackground and AimsDrug policy reforms typically seek to improve health among people who use drugs (PWUD), but flawed implementation impedes potential benefits. Mexico’s 2009 drug policy reform emphasized public health-oriented measures to address addiction. Implementation has been deficient, however. We explored the role of municipal police officers’ (MPOs) enforcement decision-making and local systems as barriers to reform operationalization.MethodsBetween February-June 2016, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with MPOs in Tijuana. Interviews were transcribed, translated and coded using a consensus-based approach. Emergent themes, trends and frameworks were analyzed through a hermeneutic grounded theory protocol.ResultsIn conceptualizing their orientation towards municipal (not state) law, MPOs reported prioritizing enforcement of nebulous anti-vice ordinances to control PWUD activity. Local laws were seen as conflicting with drug policy reforms. Incentives within the police organization were aligned with ordinance enforcement, generating pressure through quotas and reinforced by judges. Driven by discretion, fuzzy understanding of procedures, and incentives to sanitize space, detention of PWUD for minor infractions was systematic.ConclusionsFailure to harmonize policies and priorities at different levels of government undermine effective operationalization of health-oriented drug policy. Implementation must address local priorities and administrative pressures shaping MPO decision-making and enforcement practice.

Constrained Agency Theory and Leadership: A New Perspective to Understand How Female Police Officers Overcome the Structural and Social Impediments to Promotion

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa S. Morabito ◽  
Tara O’Connor Shelley
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Agency Theory ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Gendered Organizations ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Female Officers

Substantial research has examined both the barriers preventing women from entering and flourishing in policing and the coping mechanisms used to adapt to the gendered institution of policing. However, there is scant research that examines the mechanisms by which some women successfully navigate the police bureaucracy. Drawing from in-depth, semi-structured interviews of 47 female officers from 30 law enforcement agencies across seven states, we apply Constrained Agency Theory as a means to identify and understand how women capitalize on conditions and opportunities to advance and/or gain promotion in gendered organizations. The purpose of our research is to explore the efficacy of this theoretical framework for the study of women in policing. Results suggest that Constrained Agency Theory offers a promising way of understanding how female officers experience and utilize opportunities and conditions for advancement across a variety of agencies, generations, and organizational cultures.

scholarly journals “I Almost Quit”: Exploring the Prevalence of the Ferguson Effect in Two Small Sized Law Enforcement Agencies in Rural Southcentral Virginia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Adams
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Police Agencies ◽  
Rural Police ◽  
Ferguson Effect

Recent negatively publicized police-citizen interactions in the media, followed by a subsequent de-policing of police in the United States, has been named the Ferguson Effect. The Ferguson Effect has been explored by prominent scholars in the criminal justice community; however, little is known about how police officers in small rural police agencies perceive the Ferguson Effect. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of police officers regarding the Ferguson Effect in small rural police agencies, as well as police officers’ perceptions of their own organizational justice. Organizational justice theory was utilized as the theoretical lens for this study. Research questions focused on exploring police officers’ perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of the Ferguson Effect phenomenon and willingness to partner with the community. Purposeful sampling was utilized and semi structured interviews were conducted of nine active sworn law enforcement personnel in southcentral Virginia. Data were analyzed through in vivo coding, pattern coding, and structural analysis utilizing NVivo 11 Pro. Themes included: (a) racial division, (b) rush to judgment, and (c) steadfast leadership. Findings indicated participants demanded clear and fair policies and procedures from leadership, increased effort of transparency in policing, feelings of racial tension, and the need to regain community trust post-Ferguson.

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