Saving Lives First: Harm Reduction Strategies for Law Enforcement

This webinar highlights how law enforcement can prioritize life, safety, and public health during substance related encounters. Grounded in evidence based harm reduction principles, this approach emphasizes overdose recognition, timely naloxone administration, nonjudgmental communication, and collaboration with health and community partners. By focusing on immediate risk reduction and linkage to care rather than punishment alone, law enforcement officers serve and protect as critical first responders who help prevent overdose deaths, reduce injury, and strengthen community trust.

Presenters

Derrick C. Glymph, PhD, DNAP, CRNA, CHSE, CNE, FAANA,FAAN, FIAAN

Dr. Derrick C. Glymph holds dual doctorates, including a PhD in Nursing Science and a Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. He is Associate Professor, Assistant Director, and Clinical Education Coordinator for the Nurse Anesthesia Program at the Duke University School of Nursing. With more than two decades of clinical practice as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and over 14 years in academic leadership, his work focuses on advancing nurse anesthesia education. His clinical interests include obstetric anesthesia and pain management, and his research centers on substance use disorder education, harm reduction strategies, and mentoring the next generation of nurse anesthetists.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify key harm reduction principles relevant to law enforcement encounters, including overdose recognition, naloxone administration, and nonjudgmental communication.

2. Apply harm reduction strategies to substance-related scenarios by prioritizing life-saving interventions, reducing immediate risk, and facilitating linkage to appropriate health and community services.

3. Evaluate the impact of harm reduction-oriented law enforcement practices on officer safety, community trust, and overdose outcomes within collaborative public health and law enforcement partnerships.