January-2024-Police-Chief-cover

January 2024: Illicit Drugs & Substance Abuse

GUEST EDITORS Jim Maisano and Karen Maline

It’s no secret that illicit substance use is a societal issue that often intersects with public safety. Whether combating fentanyl and other contributors to the opioid epidemic or finding their footing with kratom and other emerging trends, police worldwide are seeking ways to partner with communities to prevent overdoses, steer people toward recovery, and improve community wellness.

Articles

  • What Law Enforcement Needs to Know About Kratom

    By Stan Crowder, PhD, Associate Professor, Kennesaw State University, Georgia, and Andy Altizer, Emergency Operations Coordinator, Westminster Schools, Atlanta, Georgia
    In 2022, the Wetherington Law Firm filed civil action 22-A-1536 in the State Court of Cobb County, State of Georgia, for plaintiffs Dana Pope and John Pope, surviving parents of Ethan Pope, against 15...

    Read More

  • Hope in Action

    By Nicholas Capriglione, Police Inspector and NJTPD Social Service Outreach Supervisor, New Jersey Transit Police Department, and Divad Sanders, Program Director, Newark Community Street Team – Overdose Response Team
    In the ongoing battle against substance abuse, effective partnerships have emerged as a cornerstone for success. The collaborative efforts of the New Jersey Transit Police Department (NJTPD) and the ...

    Read More

  • Lighting the Pathways to Recovery

    By John Sherwin, Chief, Faribault Police Department, Minnesota
    The traditional police response to service calls involving substance use disorder (SUD) is focused on short-term interventions—life-saving treatment, detox, and enforcement or arrest. In contrast, l...

    Read More

  • Building Community Capacity to Combat the Overdose Crisis with Data

    By Sean P. Varano, Roger Williams University/Kelley Research Associates; Pamela Kelley, Stonehill College/Kelley Research Associates; Marc Duphily, Chief, Carver Police Department; Victoria Butler, Plymouth County Outreach; and Hannah Panteleos, Plymouth County Outreach, Massachusetts
    Plymouth County is located in southeastern Massachusetts, between Boston and Cape Cod. The county has more than 500,000 residents and is made up of a diverse array of 27 communities, ranging from sma...

    Read More

Columns