An Evaluation of HRVM Implementation on Drug-related Police Stops in Washington, DC

• In Event: Studies of the Spatial Overlap of Drug Use, Drug Treatment and Crime

Abstract

Harm Reduction Vending Machines (HRVM) are publicly-available vending machines that offer a low contact method for people who use drugs (PWUD) to obtain risk reduction supplies, such as Narcan, clean needles, and wound care kits. One persistent implementation barrier is community opposition, on the grounds that the introduction of services targeting PWUD will attract unwanted crime and disorder. While research has found largely null effects on crime and disorder following the opening of other harm reduction interventions, an evaluation has yet to be conducted on HRVM. This project will evaluate a HRVM program initiated in Washington, DC in 2023. A difference-in-differences approach is employed to identify the effects of six HRVM on nearby, low-level drug stops. Using the Metropolitan Police Department’s police stop data, monthly drug seizure and arrest incidents were analyzed within a range of distances around each HRVM from 2018 through 2024. Preliminary findings indicate that HRVM implementation produced no significant changes in the prevalence of arrest stops or the likelihood of drug seizure at the time a stop incident occurs. These findings comport with prior harm reduction evaluations, suggesting that they may be effectively used as a public health tool without posing significant risk to public safety.

Authors

• Codey Carr, University of Maryland, College Park

• Greg Midgette, University of Maryland / RAND

• Andrea Lopez, University of Maryland

• Tanveer Hassan, University of Maryland