The Brief
- Policy researcher Eric Zimmerman claims the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program expanded nationwide based on a flawed centerpiece statistic, arguing an initial study’s “58% reduction in arrests” was a misapplied, non-factual metric.
- Critics contend LEAD fails to show meaningful impacts on homelessness, employment, or recidivism, while founder Lisa Daugaard and the University of Washington acknowledge minor terminology errors but defend the program’s real-world effectiveness and positive evaluation data.
- Zimmerman is calling on all jurisdictions that fund LEAD to conduct independent reviews and require transparent, consistent reporting on participant outcomes.
SEATTLE – A diversion program that originated in Seattle and replicated across the country is coming under fire, with allegations that its foundational metric is false.
Eric Zimmerman with the Washington Policy Center says his research shows the core data behind the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program is flawed.
LEAD is a pre-booking alternative to jail for individuals using drugs, allowing officers to divert low-level offenders directly into community-based support services. Over the last decade, the model expanded to roughly 40–60 jurisdictions across 20 states, eventually written into federal law, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal appropriations and grants.…