Congress Urged to Halt Funding for $100M+ Seattle Diversion Program

Seattle's Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, better known as LEAD, is facing renewed scrutiny after more than $100 million in federal funding has gone toward the Seattle-born diversion model and similar programs around the country. LEAD was created as an alternative to traditional prosecution and incarceration, allowing law enforcement officers to divert certain people accused of crimes into voluntary services rather than funneling them through the criminal justice system. The Seattle and King County model has since been replicated across the United States. But Washington Policy Center Director for Public Safety Solutions Eric Zimmerman is now calling on Congress to pause additional LEAD funding and conduct greater scrutiny of the program's effectiveness. Zimmerman has challenged statistics that have been used to promote LEAD, including a widely cited 58% reduction in recidivism. He argues lawmakers should demand stronger evidence about the program's results before committing additional federal taxpayer dollars. The debate also comes as Seattle, King County and Washington continue confronting major problems involving homelessness, drug addiction and overdose deaths. Zimmerman questions whether voluntary diversion programs are producing the results supporters claim and argues policymakers need to examine the broader outcomes experienced in communities where LEAD has operated. LEAD creator Lisa Daugaard strongly disputes attempts to connect the diversion program with Washington's broader homelessness and overdose problems. She argues there is no causal connection between LEAD and the state's overall performance on homelessness and describes LEAD as a successful program operating within a much larger and deeply troubled system. The disagreement raises a major public policy and taxpayer question: after more than $100 million in federal funding, what evidence should Congress require before continuing to expand the LEAD model? Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee Chair Bob Kettle has remained supportive of LEAD and has advocated additional investment in the program, according to the segment. Washington in Focus Daily continues seeking his response to the latest criticism. Watch for the full breakdown of Seattle's LEAD program, federal taxpayer funding, crime diversion, recidivism statistics, homelessness, drug overdoses, addiction policy and the growing debate over whether Congress should continue funding the model. #Seattle #SeattleCrime #LEAD #PublicSafety #SeattleNews #WashingtonState #Crime #Homelessness #DrugCrisis #TaxpayerMoney #FederalSpending #KingCounty #WashingtonNews #TheCenterSquare