Abstract
Objectives. To investigate what transpires at opioid overdoses where police administer naloxone and to identify the frequency with which concerns about police-administered naloxone are observed.
Methods. We reviewed body-worn camera (BWC) footage of all incidents where a Tempe, Arizona police officer administered naloxone or was present when the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue (TFMR) administered it, from February 3, 2020 to May 7, 2021 (n = 168). We devised a detailed coding instrument and employed univariate and bivariate analysis to examine the frequency of concerns regarding police-administered naloxone.
Results. Police arrived on scene before the TFMR in 73.7% of cases. In 88.6% of calls the individual was unconscious when police arrived, but 94.6% survived the overdose. The primary concerns about police-administered naloxone were rarely observed. There were no cases of improper naloxone administration or accidental opioid exposure to an officer. Aggression toward police from an overdose survivor rarely occurred (3.6%), and arrests of survivors (3.6%) and others on scene (1.2%) were infrequent.
Conclusions. BWC footage provides a unique window into opioid overdoses. In Tempe, the concerns over police-administered naloxone are overstated. If results are similar elsewhere, those concerns are barriers that must be removed.
Citation
White, M. D., Watts, S., Orosco, C., Perrone, D., & Malm, A. (2022). Leveraging body-worn camera footage to better understand opioid overdoses and the impact of police-administered naloxone. American journal of public health, 112(9), 1326-1332.
@article{white2022leveraging,
title={Leveraging body-worn camera footage to better understand opioid overdoses and the impact of police-administered naloxone},
author={White, Michael D and Watts, Seth and Orosco, Carlena and Perrone, Dina and Malm, Aili},
journal={American journal of public health},
volume={112},
number={9},
pages={1326--1332},
year={2022},
publisher={American Public Health Association}
}