City of Ithaca's LEAD Program

The Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) was developed as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) legislation. COSSAP’s purpose is to provide financial and technical assistance to states, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to develop, implement, or expand comprehensive efforts to identify, respond to, treat, and support those impacted by illicit opioids, stimulants, and other drugs of abuse.

The objective of Category 1 is to encourage and support the development of comprehensive, locally driven responses to opioids, stimulants, and other substances that expand access to supervision, treatment, and recovery support services across the criminal justice system; support law enforcement and other first responder diversion programs for nonviolent drug offenders; promote education and prevention activities; and address the needs of children impacted by substance abuse.

The Ithaca LEAD Program (ILP) will reduce repeated arrests and incarceration for people whose unlawful conduct stems from unmet behavioral health needs in the city of Ithaca and adjacent towns in Tompkins County, New York. ILP will reduce racial disparities in criminal justice involvement for the region’s African-American population, reduce unnecessary arrests and prosecutions imposed on the justice system, improve officer efficiency, maximize the value of the city’s community-based service array, and improve outcomes for this complex population. In the era of COVID-19, these changes are especially critical. Across the nation, officers are confronting new challenges in interacting with people on the street; jails are striving to reduce incarceration so as to mitigate COVID-19 risks; and judges, attorneys, and court staff are seeking to reduce congestion in courtrooms. This project serves the city of Ithaca, New York. The project includes partnerships with Tompkins County District Attorney and Legislature, Community Leadership Team DCI, Ithaca Police Department, Tompkins County Sheriff, REACH Medical, Greater Ithaca Activities Center, and the LEAD National Support Bureau.

CA/NCF