Third-Party Policing: A Randomized Field Trial to Assess Drug Crime Reduction and Police-Hotel Partnerships

• In Event: Mixed-Method Approaches to Evaluating Policing Partnerships, Policies, and Training

Abstract

Law enforcement plays a crucial role in addressing the drug crisis. Proactive police interventions that involve problem-solving and partnerships with community stakeholders are most effective. One strategy, third-party policing (TPP), involves persuading or coercing non-offending third parties (e.g., landlords, business owners) to help address crime and disorder. This report evaluates a TPP intervention in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, called Operation Check-Out, which aimed to reduce drug problems at hotels and motels by fostering partnerships between police and hotel staff. Calls for service data were analyzed to assess the impact on drug activity, overdoses, disorder, and violence. The study compared average monthly calls for service among hotels in treatment and control groups during pre-intervention, intervention, and post-intervention periods. Significant findings included lower drug activity and fewer overdoses at treatment hotels during the post-intervention period, but higher disorder during the intervention period. This presentation discusses the design, implementation challenges, findings, and implications of Operation Check-Out.

Authors

• Kevin Lucey, Police Executive Research Forum

• Jeremy Barnum, Police Executive Research Forum

• Meagan Cahill, Police Executive Research Forum