Police presence at overdose scenes can deter life-saving help-seeking behaviors due to fear of legal consequences, leading some jurisdictions to consider police non-attendance policies. However, business stakeholders’ attitudes toward the role of law enforcement in overdose response remain understudied. We surveyed 100 business employees and service providers in areas of high overdose concentration in Rhode Island from November 2022 to April 2024. Participants completed structured questionnaires assessing attitudes toward police effectiveness in overdose prevention, service linkage, and public safety. Participants expressed mixed views on police effectiveness: 39% believed police presence helps prevent overdoses, 40% felt it connects people who use drugs to services, and 52% thought it prevents drug selling. Most (66%) agreed police keep communities safe, yet only 5% endorsed incarceration for people who use drugs. Significant variations in attitudes were observed by race, urbanicity, and organization type, including near-universal opposition to incarcerating people who use drugs. While stakeholders valued police for general safety, most did not endorse their effectiveness in overdose prevention and service linkage. Policymakers implementing police non-attendance or alternative response models must proactively engage diverse local stakeholders to address specific safety concerns while leveraging the community’s existing receptivity toward non-punitive overdose interventions.
Business and service provider attitudes towards police involvement in overdose response: A cross-sectional survey in Rhode Island overdose hotspots
Journal of Community Health [Epub 2026 Mar 29]. doi: 10.1007/s10900-026-01570-1.