Resource Library
September 22, 2016
Building Successful Partnerships Between Law Enforcement and Public Health Agencies to Address Opioid Use
As the incidence of opioid and heroin addiction grows, American law enforcement has developed new approaches to combating it. Based on collaborative partnerships with public health and other professionals, these new strategies stress prevention and treatment as well as enforcement. To identify the most effective of these approaches, the COPS Office hosted the Law Enforcement and Public Health: Successful Partnerships in Addressing Opioid Use Forum in partnership with the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Police Executive Research Forum. Participants—who included representatives from public health agencies, law enforcement executives, and other stakeholders—discussed the establishment of treatment and prevention partnerships, the use of naloxone deployment programs, and best practices to mitigate drug use. They also discussed methods for sharing access to data and intelligence. This report not only documents the discussions but also describes innovative programs based on collaboration between the public health and public safety sectors.