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. 2014 Jan;25(1):105-11.
doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.06.005. Epub 2013 Aug 2.

Syringe access, syringe sharing, and police encounters among people who inject drugs in New York City: a community-level perspective

Leo Beletsky  1 , Daliah Heller  2 , Samuel M Jenness  3 , Alan Neaigus  2 , Camila Gelpi-Acosta  4 , Holly Hagan  5
Affiliations

Syringe access, syringe sharing, and police encounters among people who inject drugs in New York City: a community-level perspective

Leo Beletsky et al. Int J Drug Policy. 2014 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Injection drug user (IDU) experience and perceptions of police practices may alter syringe exchange program (SEP) use or influence risky behaviour. Previously, no community-level data had been collected to identify the prevalence or correlates of police encounters reported by IDUs in the United States.

Methods: New York City IDUs recruited through respondent-driven sampling were asked about past-year police encounters and risk behaviours, as part of the National HIV Behavioural Surveillance study. Data were analysed using multiple logistic regression.

Results: A majority (52%) of respondents (n=514) reported being stopped by police officers; 10% reported syringe confiscation. In multivariate modelling, IDUs reporting police stops were less likely to use SEPs consistently (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.40-0.89), and IDUs who had syringes confiscated may have been more likely to share syringes (AOR=1.76; 95% CI=0.90-3.44), though the finding did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that police encounters may influence consistent SEP use. The frequency of IDU-police encounters highlights the importance of including contextual and structural measures in infectious disease risk surveillance, and the need to develop approaches harmonizing structural policing and public health.

Keywords: Barriers; Injection drug use; Policing; Public health surveillance; Structural factors; Syringe exchange programs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no financial or other interest in any product or service described.

References

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