Washtenaw County’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) pilot provides officers with alternatives to citation, arrest, and incarceration for low-level, low-risk offenders with behavioral health disorders.
Ypsilanti Township residents who participate in the evidence-based pilot are connected to case managers who help them overcome the social and behavioral health challenges that lead to and exacerbate their criminal justice involvement.
In 2022, 26 deputies and five sergeants were trained in the model and 21 Ypsilanti Township residents were referred to the program, which is a collaboration between the sheriff's office, the prosecutor's office, the public defender's office, and Washtenaw County Community Mental Health.
Meet Willie Sturdivant, Jr., a case manager for the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection pilot.
In 2019, Washtenaw County received $2 million dollars to bolster its reentry support services—services that help people in the jails prepare to return to the community.
With a $1 million dollar grant from the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance and a $1 million matching grant from the millage, the county’s reentry team has accomplished a lot.
Two case managers, two peer support specialists, and one reentry coordinator provide services to hundreds of jail residents.
They help residents access behavioral health medications, mental health providers, substance use treatment programs, and other services required to succeed in the community after release.
How millage funds help residents of the jail navigate community reentry
Washtenaw County’s Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) strives to peacefully address threats and crisis situations in a trauma-informed manner, with no injury or loss of life.
Before the millage, Washtenaw County's CNT did not have any specialized mental health professionals. Now, five WCCMH staff members serve on Washtenaw County’s Crisis Negotiation Team.
The collaborative team receives intensive training to know how to respond to situations through engagement, de-escalation, dialogue, and negotiation strategies.
Millage funding, partnerships are reforming our response to public safety
In June 2022, a new pilot launched in Ypsilanti Township. Its goal? To improve Washtenaw's police response when an individual needs mental health support.
In the pilot, a Washtenaw County Community Mental Health social worker and a Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office deputy ride together in one car. This enables a co-response model, ensuring they arrive at the scene at the same time, rather than one arriving and then waiting for the other to arrive. Sometimes, this wait can be up to 30 minutes, which means the person in crisis is not receiving the support they need.
The co-response pilot allows Washtenaw County Community Mental Health to connect with people who might need mental health services but would never reach out for them directly.
Co-response unit is improving police and social worker collaboration
