LAW ENFORCEMENT’S ROLE IN PREVENTING EPIDEMICS: ENFORCING COMMUNICABLE DISEASE QUARANTINE POLICIES

Abstract

The Philadelphia Police Department currently has no policy providing guidance to its police officers on how to safely and humanely enact the quarantine enforcement component of the Isolation and Quarantine Plan developed by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Thus, this thesis addresses the question: How can a humane quarantine policy be enforced by the Philadelphia Police Department to stop the spread of communicable infectious diseases? To answer the question, a Likert Scale was employed to rank the efficacy of quarantine enforcement: effectiveness, community support, cost, and implementation ease. The research indicates forced quarantine cannot be implemented successfully without evidence-based practices to support it. The use of self-quarantine benefits from providing essential services to quarantined citizens and the powers of arrest should only be used after reasonable enforcement means have been attempted. Hybrid quarantine plans tailored to the disease and enacted with sound medical advice are best suited to stop disease spread. U.S. law enforcement agencies would benefit from developing a quarantine enforcement plan and updating existing public health quarantine plans to include additional guidance for officers along these lines. A collaborative plan must be established among all stakeholders to deliver essential goods and information.