Gov. Josh Stein is taking North Carolina’s experiment with Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) on the road, rolling it into Wilmington, Greensboro, Albemarle, Robeson, Gaston and Harnett counties. The move gives officers more options than just cuffs and court dates for many low-level drug and sex-work encounters, aiming instead to send people to treatment and social services. State officials say the goal is to cut repeat contact with the justice system by getting people to care and community supports before their situations spiral.
Stein revealed the new LEAD locations in a post on X, noting he had previously worked with Fayetteville on LEAD investments while serving as attorney general. In that post, he cast the expansion as part of a broader public safety strategy that builds prevention and treatment into the front end of law enforcement responses.
https://x.com/i/status/2036501550693028063
What LEAD Does
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion is a pre-booking diversion model that lets officers steer eligible people stopped for low-level drug or sex-work activity toward case management, treatment, housing and other supports instead of arrest and prosecution, according to the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition. Local LEAD teams typically bring together law enforcement, public health partners and community providers to coordinate follow-up services. Supporters say this coordinated approach cuts recidivism and strengthens links to care while still addressing neighborhood safety concerns.
Funding And Rollout
The newly named counties are part of a larger state push on behavioral health and justice diversion. A presentation to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee outlines a $30 million pool for “Diverting Individuals to Care,” which includes money to take LEAD into additional counties and notes that several pilot sites are already complete or underway (Joint Legislative Oversight Committee presentation). The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has also sent out targeted grants to help communities build pre-arrest diversion programs in areas hit hardest by overdoses and service shortages, according to state officials.
Local History And Why It Matters
Fayetteville’s LEAD work, one of the state’s earliest sustained pilots, has leaned on local funding and opioid settlement dollars and is frequently held up as a template for other counties. City and county records detail recent appropriations aimed at keeping that program running and expanding its reach (City of Fayetteville materials). Other places have had a rockier path. Robeson County operated a LEAD program but transitioned to a locally run SAFE program when grant funding ran out in 2023, a shift that underscores how long-term funding and local partnerships often determine whether diversion models survive (WMBF).
Stein’s social post did not spell out a start date for the new sites. To actually flip the switch, counties will need memoranda of understanding with law enforcement agencies and service providers, along with staff to handle LEAD liaison work and case management. Technical assistance groups such as the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition and state health officials typically help communities shape those agreements, set up referral pathways and build data tracking systems as programs launch…