Month/Year of Graduation

5-2025

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Department

Criminology and Criminal Justice

First Advisor

Justin Nix

Abstract

Consumable substances have long been used to enhance performance and ease nerves in first-responder populations. Among these substances, caffeine and nicotine products are some of the most frequently used by law enforcement. For the purposes of this study, these substances will be coded as “soft substances” (SSs). As opposed to hard substances (heroin, methamphetamines, crack-cocaine, etc.) SSs are non-criminalized substances that do not significantly change one’s state of consciousness; these substances are also commonly used during the workday (e.g. nicotine used on smoke breaks, caffeinated drinks consumed during the day). Usage rates of SSs in the law enforcement population surpass those of the general population (Phan et al., 2021). While existing research has acknowledged the prevalence rates of these substances and their impact on worker productivity, few, if any, have explored the impact that usage has on patrol officer productivity specifically.

In this study, productivity refers to an officer’s arrests, traffic and pedestrian stops, and additional time worked outside of their regular hours. This study used data collected from a survey that was developed for this analysis. In this study, findings related to caffeine use and productivity were inconclusive, and nicotine and productivity had a moderate positive relationship (Pearson's r = .41; p = .001).

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