Indicator Description
People with drug and alcohol problems may resort to illegal activity to support their addiction. Crimes including burglary, theft, and assault affect the whole community. Using this indicator can help show the relationship between drug and excessive alcohol use and criminal activity.

Focusing on the behavior of arrestees is also advantageous because people who are arrested are thought to engage in more risky drug-use behavior than the general population. Trends in drug use among arrestees may foreshadow trends that will affect other community populations. For example, methamphetamine use appeared among arrestees before becoming a problem in the general population.

What to Measure

• The total number of arrestees testing positive for alcohol or drug use at the time of arrest as a percentage of all arrestees who are tested.
• The total number of arrestees testing positive by drug of use.

Where to Find Local Data

• Contact your state or local police department.
• The National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) collects data from state and local forensic laboratories across the country.

Interpretation Guidelines

• The use of urine tests rather than the reliance of self-report of drug use is a strength that ensures accurate reporting of drug use.
• The estimates undoubtedly do not capture all drug use among this population.

Drug-Free Marion County. A Community at Risk: Drug-Free Marion County's Snapshot of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use, May 2005.

Drug-Free Marion County. A Community at Risk: Drug-Free Marion County's Snapshot of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use, May 2005.