Virginia ORS Team Develops Successful Training Module for Law Enforcement Training Academies

As part of the national Overdose Response Strategy (ORS), the Virginia ORS team of the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA (W/B HIDTA) has developed an “Addiction 101” training for law enforcement training academies. The W/B HIDTA team recently presented the training module, titled, “The Fundamental Substance Use Disorder Training for Law Enforcement,” at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy (NVCJA) and received an overwhelmingly positive feedback.

The multi-part training provides a high-level overview on addiction for law enforcement personnel, and includes sections on stigma reduction, the science of addiction, and first-hand experience of how addiction impacts their future work in the field of law enforcement . The goal of the training session is to connect with new law enforcement officers, prior to their entrance into the field, to explain how public health and public safety can come together through a shared understanding of the science of addiction to save lives.  

Virginia Drug Intelligence Officer (DIO) Ed Bane, and Virginia Public Health Analyst (PHA) Ali Burrell led the NVCJA training in May 2021. Sixty-six recruits from 17 jurisdictions in the Northern Virginia region participated in the class. DIO Bane and PHA Burrell were invited to present the module to future NVCJA classes as part of its regular curriculum as a result of the positive feedback received.   

The W/B HIDTA plans to connect with other criminal justice academies, law enforcement agencies, and public safety agencies throughout the region to provide greater access to the training.

To invite the W/B HIDTA staff to present this training at your organization, please contact Ali Burrell at aburrell@wb.hidta.org.

For more information on the ORS, click here.