CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION acknowledging the inherent responsibility of the City to reduce unnecessary justice system involvement; acknowledging that pre-arrest diversion programs, such as the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, represent a harm reduction, evidence-based approach to reduce recidivism and provide for the public safety; and declaring that the City is committed to ensuring that evidence-based, law enforcement-engaged, pre-booking diversion programs, such as LEAD, receive the funding necessary to accept all priority qualifying referrals.
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WHEREAS, the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program (LEAD) offers police officers the ability to exercise discretionary authority at point of contact to divert individuals to a community-based, harm-reduction intervention for law violations driven by unmet behavioral health needs; and
WHEREAS, LEAD clients bypass the normal criminal justice system cycle in qualifying cases and instead are referred into a trauma-informed, intensive case-management program where the individual receives a wide range of support services, often including mental health treatment, transitional and permanent housing, and drug treatment; and
WHEREAS, LEAD is recognized as an evidence-based diversion approach to improving health outcomes and reducing justice system involvement in the Washington State "Healthier Here" 2019 Medicaid Transformation Project Toolkit; and
WHEREAS, LEAD was recognized as the 2018 Outstanding Criminal Justice Program for the west region by the National Criminal Justice Association and received the Seattle Human Services Coalition 2014 Innovative Program Award; and
WHEREAS, LEAD has been identified by the Seattle City Auditor as a local program that has embraced rigorous evaluation and used continuous assessment to adjust operational program elements; and
WHEREAS, LEAD's Policy Coordinating Group has established both a standing Evaluation Workgroup, which ...
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