RESUMO
BACKGROUND: In New York City (NYC), 1,487 unintentional overdose deaths occurred in 2017, largely driven by the presence of fentanyls in the illicit drug market. In response to fentanyl-involved overdoses, law enforcement entities both nationally and in NYC have taken a new interest in overdose events. This study explored attitudes toward and willingness to engage with police among NYC syringe service program (SSP) participants, a population likely to have had experiences with overdose and/or police. METHODS: Between March and July 2017, 332 surveys were conducted with a convenience sample of NYC SSP participants. RESULTS: Most respondents (76%) reported ever being arrested for a drug-related crime. Few respondents (5%) reported a previous arrest in the context of an overdose event. Of the 62 respondents who had witnessed an overdose in the previous 12 months, 25% had not called 911 because of concerns about law enforcement. Over half (51%) of all respondents reported they would not be willing to aid police in their investigation of the person who supplied the drugs. CONCLUSION: Police investigations of both fatal and non-fatal drug overdose events have the potential to exacerbate mistrust of law enforcement and discourage emergency medical service utilization among PWUD.
