A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a Surveillance Technology Impact Report (STIR)

SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY IMPACT REPORT Department: Police Division or Unit (if applicable): Clinical Support Unit Submitted by: Commissioner Elow/Jamie Barrett Date: 9/10/2024 Surveillance Technology: Critical Incident Management System (CIMS). 1. Describe how the proposed Surveillance Technology will work, including how it will collect Surveillance Data. CIMS is a software product developed to support countywide police led programs intending to document all overdose incidents within county jurisdictions, document all outreach attempts to individuals who have overdosed or are at-risk for overdose, and facilitate the transition of those experiencing drug overdoses to treatment. The system was developed with several core principals in mind: CIMS removes many of the barriers that traditionally hamper effective, timely, collaborative law enforcement responses. The data will include basic demographics and identifying information from the police reports which will be manually entered by staff in CPD’s Clinical Support Unit into the database. The data entered will consist of the individuals name, DOB, address or phone number and location of the overdose so that the individuals’ town of residence can follow up with them directly. . A notification is then sent to the police led program of the town of residence to alert them that their resident may be at higher risk of an additional overdose. The same is true for Cambridge residents who overdose in other towns/cities in Middlesex County. Once a Cambridge resident has overdosed in another town, CPD will be notified there was an overdose incident and note if follow up was already completed with the individual by their first responder clinicians or if follow up is warranted by CPD clinicians. 2. What is the purpose of the Surveillance Technology? The purpose of the Surveillance Technology is to improve communication and collaboration between first responders. This collaboration will improve awareness of at-risk individuals in our community and improve prompt, appropriate and early follow up interventions to reduce the overall number of overdose fatalities in Cambridge. Access to this data allows CPD’s Clinical Support Unit to respond in a timely manner to residents who have experienced an overdose in another city with the goal of preventing a potentially fatal additional overdose. Data has shown that those who experience a nonfatal overdose are more likely to experience another overdose shortly after. In a cohort study of 137,000 individuals, approximately 18% experienced an additional nonfatal overdose and 1% experienced a fatal one. The odds of a subsequential lethal overdose were

reduced when the individuals received gold standard care and life saving interventions such as crisis intervention follow up (75% lower odds), medication assisted treatment resources (~ 50%) and naloxone (30%)1. It will also allow Clinical Support to notify other cities of residents who have experienced an overdose in Cambridge. Cambridge Police Department’s Clinical Support Unit leads the P.A.R.T.N.E.R initiative which Provides Access to Resources, Treatment Needs and Education for Recovery for those who are struggling with substance use disorders. Through the initiative, clinicians follow up with the residents who have overdosed to provide these services, collaborate with families who reach out to the department for assistance with a loved one, and ensure a coordinated response with known providers for improved wraparound client centered care. The PARTNER Initiative has also partnered with Access: Drug User Health Program to conduct biweekly home visits and community outreach to those who have experienced an overdose. The focus of these visits is to provide resources for harm reduction, recovery and various treatment modalities. During this outreach a care package backpack with resources, basic hygienic needs, Narcan doses and water are provided. Access to utilize the CIMS program would provide expansion of number of responses through being alerted of high-risk individuals where a home visit or follow up is warranted. 3. Where will the Surveillance Technology be deployed? When? Within CPD to report overdoses when they occur and to access information on Cambridge residents who have experienced overdoses in other cities. Data is entered as overdoses occur. 4. What privacy impact will the Surveillance Technology have? People who have experienced an overdose will have that information shared with other law enforcement and first responder agencies in Middlesex County who are part of CIMS including Somerville, Medford, Arlington, Malden, Everett and more. It is important to note that Cambridge residents who overdose in other cities and towns are already being entered into this database as over 300 agencies are already participating in this program. Therefore, information entered by CPD into this database will minimally impact Cambridge residents as most of this information is already readily available in the CIMS database. 5. What are the fiscal costs of Surveillance Technology, including initial costs, ongoing maintenance and personnel costs, and source of funds? No cost to the city or CPD. 1 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2024, June 17). “Federal study examines care following nonfatal overdose among Medicare beneficiaries”. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20240617/federal-study- examines-care-following-nonfatal-overdose-among-medicare-beneficiaries