Belfast LEAD Expansion project

The Belfast Police Department (BPD) in partnership with Volunteers of America Northern New England (VOA) a licensed substance use disorder & mental health agency proposes the “Belfast Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Expansion Project” which will expand upon current diversion and deflection efforts in Waldo and Knox Counties, Maine. Belfast-LEAD will employ The Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) to drive the efforts, develop, implement, or expand comprehensive programs in response to the overdose crisis and impacts of illicit opioids, stimulants, or other substances. This project will target 150 men and women who have encountered the criminal justice system, with presumed substance use disorder (SUD) and/or co-occurring disorders (COD). BPD and VOA, plan to evaluate the effectiveness of current efforts to identify gaps and execute interventions, by routinely meeting with a collaborative team to implement best practices across counties to help people experiencing SUD and COD to avoid direct interactions with law enforcement, deescalate crisis situations and resolve conflicts through referrals to community-based resources. The Project includes co-response of substance use counselors with law enforcement, utilization of LEAD to increase focus on engagement with case managers for connection to community-based resources, increasing public safety and diverting and deflection the target population to reduce the burden on law enforcement by the number of times they come in contact with law enforcement.