Lauren Dembski-Martin, LCSW, is social services manager for the Scarborough Police Department, where she works on the LEAD program.

After decades of individuals stumbling to find resources and support services for substance abuse disorders, the state of Maine has seen encouraging data in the last 12 months with the overdose crisis.

Every life lost to substance use is a tragedy and a reminder of the adverse challenges individuals are facing. The considerable reduction in overdose fatalities in our state compared to previous years of record fatalities is optimistic. We must remain steadfast in our level of interventions in order to maintain momentum of consistent reductions in overdose deaths.

The law enforcement response and the criminal justice system approach was to incarcerate an individual struggling with substance abuse. The result was a strained system that repeatedly failed on many fronts. Our jails became full of people who needed detox and long-term treatment.

Officers felt frustrated because they could not do more to help people they saw struggling every day on the streets. Individuals became part of a cycle they could not escape, recirculating through the justice system without sufficient support. Oftentimes, layers of trauma and unmet needs were also prevalent.

Our state has evolved its approach, which has afforded a variety of strategies to policing. Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) is one such approach. In my role as the social services manager, I am embedded in the Scarborough Police Department and have managed the LEAD program since its inception in 2020.

Our officers often encounter situations where arresting the person does not serve the best interest of the individual or the community as a whole. LEAD provides an option for positive change and growth instead of repeated interactions with the criminal justice system. LEAD transforms how we approach public safety to allow officers to create a path leading individuals out of the criminal justice system and into intensive case management.

Individuals work with the LEAD case manager to create a sustainable path of benchmarks, which may include moving toward stable housing, food security or addressing cumulative years of trauma. LEAD was built upon the premise of public health and compassion, not incarceration.

The data supports the investment in the LEAD program. People involved in the LEAD program are 58% less likely to reoffend than non-participants, according to a national study. More importantly, we are meeting individuals at their current state and playing a key role in tackling the overdose crisis. We have achieved success in overdose reduction by helping individuals navigate substance use, mental health treatment and resources. 

Sometimes the restrictions that come from federal funding for programs such as LEAD can be a source of frustration. While LEAD grant program monies exist, the federal government has imposed restrictions saying that money cannot be spent on food boxes, transportation or other basic necessities like sleeping bags.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee that oversees federal funding for LEAD. There is currently a proposal that would increase funding essential for programs that are evidence-based and sustainable. Sen. Collins has been a supporter of public health and law enforcement in our state. She has also been a longtime supporter of LEAD, helping establish the original grant program in 2018.

In the state of Maine, the governor’s office is also a supporter of LEAD. This support has enabled LEAD to develop in sites across the state, including an additional program embedded in the Waldo County Sheriff’s Department. This program has existed for over a decade.

This support must continue as we enter a new and more optimistic phase with substance use across the state. Successful programs must continue, and support is needed if we are to continue to see lives being saved. The LEAD program will continue to exhibit a human approach to Mainers who need it most.