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NCT Number: NCT07804121

Project SHIELD 2.0

The project is a pragmatic, quasi-experimental hybrid type II effectiveness-implementation trial of a structural HIV prevention intervention to address police behavior (arrests and referrals) and ultimately improve health among people who use drugs. The study involves a novel implementation strategy that engages behavioral health workers as "local champions" in the delivery of an evidence-based police education program (SHIELD training intervention). In addition to examining implementation outcomes, primary outcomes focus on assessing effectiveness of the intervention among police (specifically in reducing drug-related arrests and promoting referrals to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) treatment. The investigator's overarching effectiveness hypothesis is that after law enforcement organizations receive the SHIELD training intervention, they will be more likely to refer people who use drugs to MOUD treatment and other health and social services, rather than arresting them for low level possession offenses. The study will be conducted across different counties in Appalachian Kentucky.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

HIV Chemically-Induced Disorders Mental Disorders Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Substance-Related Disorders

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • An adult over the age of 18 years old
  • Currently employed in a law enforcement agency in one of the nine counties participating in the trial

Exclusion criteria

  • Only adult participants over the age of 18 will be recruited into the study, and we will not restrict eligibility based on gender, race, or any other socio-demographic characteristics.

Treatment and study plan

SHIELD 2.0

Behavioral

SHIELD is an evidence-based police education training program that has been demonstrated to change police behavior (arrest and referrals) and improve outcomes among police and people who use drugs in NIH-funded and other research studies. The original intervention delivery relied on academic teams, limiting sustainability and scalability. Our novel "SHIELD 2.0" implementation strategy aims to address these limitations by capacitating the local behavioral health workforce to implement the steps of the SHIELD process, specifically to complete the delivery of the SHIELD intervention to local police officers.

Primary outcomes

  1. Frequency of Law enforcement officer self-reported referrals to MOUD

    Time frame: From baseline up to 12 months post SHIELD training

  2. Frequency of Law enforcement officer self-reported drug-related arrests

    Time frame: From baseline up to 12 months post SHIELD training

Secondary outcomes

  1. Law enforcement officer self-reported stress as assessed by survey

    Time frame: From baseline up to 12 months post SHIELD training

    Survey scores range from 0-12, with lower scores indicating a lower level of stress

  2. Law enforcement officer self-reported burnout as assessed by survey

    Time frame: From baseline up to 12 months post SHIELD training

    Survey scores range from 0-24, with lower scores indicating a lower level of burnout

  3. Law enforcement officer self-reported job satisfaction as assessed by survey

    Time frame: From baseline up to 12 months post SHIELD training

    Survey scores range from 0-6, with lower scores indicating a lower level of job satisfaction

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Skylar M Chapdelaine, BA

CONTACT

[email protected]

4138961552

Zach R Salazar, MPH

CONTACT

[email protected]

8132307741

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Other

Collaborators

  • Brown University
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • Northeastern University
  • San Diego State University
  • University of California, San Diego
  • University of Kentucky

Registry information

Official study title

Project SHIELD 2.0: Police Education to Support Public Health in Kentucky

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2029
First posted
Sep 4, 2026
Registry last updated
Sep 4, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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