This ninety-minute presentation and discussion with a panel of officers, prosecutors, and service providers will focus on the LEAD model and its approach to building a collective, multi-agency system of response to reduce the crime and disorder that can stem from unmanaged mental illness or substance use.

LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, also known as Let Everyone Advance with Dignity) is designed to enhance public safety and equity by diverting people with behavioral illness away from arrest and into collaborative systems of response and long-term case management. First implemented in Seattle in 2011, LEAD is now being replicated in dozens of jurisdictions across the United States, including in communities in Washington State; it is also the basis of the state’s Recovery Navigator Program (RNP) and Arrest and Jail Alternatives program (AJA).

This presentation will outline the foundational elements of the LEAD model; demonstrate how it can coexist with and enhance the value of a jurisdiction’s other response strategies (such as crisis intervention, co-responder programs, and specialty courts); describe the structure and purpose of its collaborative, multi-agency governance and implementation; detail methods to enhance the fidelity and efficacy of a LEAD initiative; illustrate LEAD’s benefit for both law enforcement officers and the communities they serve; and offer perspectives and insights from diverse practitioners who are using LEAD in their jurisdictions.