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Before the current crisis in American policing reached its boiling point, there was already a recognition that policing plays a significant role in shaping health outcomes. Based on the number of incidents of deadly use of force, the American Public Health Association had declared policing as a “public health crisis” in 2018. Beyond a few notable exceptions, calls for reform had failed to gain real traction. The killing of George Floyd and ensuing national protests against police brutality have shifted this landscape.

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The Health in Justice Action Lab focuses on less recognized health impacts of policing, going well beyond the direct use of force. In the area of substance use and addiction, there is a growing body of evidence that documents how policing shapes health risk for people who use drugs. For instance, police activity encourages people to consume drugs in more risky settings. It can shape access to harm reduction and treatment services. Enforcement activities and prosecutions can also affect the willingness of witnesses to seek help during overdose events, especially if those involved are people of minority communities. 

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Polices roles in the COVID-19 response have followed similar patterns. Officers enforced orders to “flatten the curve” with varying intensity, adding the risk of infection to the existing set of negative health sequelae of law enforcement encounters. Often, the most severe enforcement actions targeted the more vulnerable members of the public, including racial and ethnic minorities, the unhoused, and economically marginalized people.

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Beyond the individual level, policing also cascades to health harms to social networks and communities. Our research has demonstrated how policing limits the impact of policy reforms on the population level, highlighting the gap between law on the books and law on the streets. For instance, intensive drug market enforcement can be iatrogenic, causing illicit drug supplies to become more dangerous. When overdose rises as a consequence, legislatures that pass Good Samaritan laws to save lives see less benefit than hoped due to police treating overdoses as crime scenes, making people wary of calling 911.

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Finally, the institution of policing as it currently stands harms front-line officers. Officers’ physical and mental health are taking a heavy toll, ranging from untreated alcohol and substance use disorder to suicide. There is a crisis of burnout within the ranks, with leading contributors including fear of needle stick injuries and fentanyl exposure, massive cumulative stress, a debilitating sense of futility toward addiction, and distraction from other activities that are more central to police’s core crime prevention mission. ​