Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion
NC Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) is an advocate for implementing Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) programs in North Carolina. LEAD is a pre-booking diversion pilot program developed with the community to address low-level drug and crimes associated with sex work. The program allows police and sheriffs to redirect low-level offenders engaged in drug or sex work activity to community-based programs and services, instead of jail and prosecution. By diverting eligible individuals to services, LEAD is committed to improving public safety and public order, and reducing the criminal behavior of people who participate in the program.
Source: http://leadkingcounty.org. “LEAD” is a registered trademark held by the Public Defender Association (Seattle) for the Seattle/King County LEAD Policy Coordinating Group.
North Carolina LEAD Programs
In operation: Fayetteville Police Department, Wilmington Police Department, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Waynesville Police Department, Statesville Police Department, Mooresville Police Department, Catawba County local law enforcement, Burke County local law enforcement. Contact NCHRC for policy and procedure examples.
To learn more about LEAD program policies and evaluations from sites across the country, visit:
- National LEAD Bureau: https://www.leadbureau.org. This site includes a site map of updated locations of community exploring, developing, launching, or operating LEAD program.
- Santa Fe, New Mexico LEAD Program: https://www.lead-santafe.org
- Multnomah County, Oregon LEAD Program: https://multco.us/law-enforcement-assisted-diversion
- Seattle, Washington LEAD Program: http://leadkingcounty.org
United States LEAD Programs
- Seattle, WA
- Santa Fe, NM
- Albany, NY
- Fayetteville, NC
- Huntington, WV
- Wilmington, NC
- Portland, OR
- Baltimore, MD
- Wilmington, NC
- Waynesville, NC
- Bangor, ME
- Charleston, WV
- Huntington, WV