On Monday, Feb. 27, a coalition of Multnomah County and Portland officials and social service agencies announced that local law enforcement would begin a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program (LEAD).
LEAD was first developed in King County, Seattle, WA in 2011. LEAD is a pre-booking diversion program developed with the community to address low-level drug and prostitution crimes. The program allows law enforcement officers to redirect low-level offenders engaged in drug or prostitution activity to community-based 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.
To learn more about LEAD, and how it will be implemented in Portland, Prison Pipeline Collective member Doug McVay speaks with Deborah Kafoury, Chair of the Multnomah County Commission, and Abbey Stamp, Executive Director of the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council.
Multnomah County's Local Public Safety Coordinating Council
- KBOO