Community Conversation: LEAD-Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion

421 N 6th St,Vincennes IN 47591

25 May, 2022

Description

Community Training on LEAD, a new harm-reduction oriented process for responding to low-level offenses such as drug possession. In a LEAD program, police officers exercise discretionary authority at point of contact to divert individuals to a community-based, harm-reduction intervention for law violations driven by unmet behavioral health needs. In lieu of the normal criminal justice system cycle -- booking, detention, prosecution, conviction, incarceration -- individuals are instead referred into a trauma-informed intensive case-management program where the individual receives a wide range of support services, often including transitional and permanent housing and/or drug treatment. Prosecutors and police officers work closely with case managers to ensure that all contacts with LEAD participants going forward, including new criminal prosecutions for other offenses, are coordinated with the service plan for the participant to maximize the opportunity to achieve behavioral change. Please join experts from the National LEAD Bureau and Vanessa Phillips, Project Manager for LEAD on how Knox County will be working to implement this model in the community. Najja Morris-Frazier is the LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) Support Bureau Director. In her current role, Najja is responsible for leading the team which provides technical assistance and support to jurisdictions through all phases of the implementation of their LEAD initiatives both nationally and internationally. Prior to joining the LEAD National Support Bureau, Najja served as a Case Manager, then as Direct Services Supervisor, with the LEAD Pilot program in Seattle WA for over four years. Before beginning her work with LEAD in 2013, Najja dedicated over 20 years working within the urban areas of Seattle with/on behalf of a wide array of marginalized and disenfranchised communities; including foster-care/homeless youth, those struggling with mental health and substance abuse, chronically ill/homeless and youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Najja is the mother of three grown children and grandmother to four granddaughters and currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her wife. Dana Owens, BA, is currently a Practice Advisor with the LEAD Support Bureau for the Public Defender Association in Seattle, Washington. Dana started her work as an Early Childhood Educator by first becoming a teacher and eventually finding her passion in training other Early Childhood professionals. After 20 years in education, Dana transitioned into the political world where she spent two sessions in the Washington State Senate as an Aide. Dana started with Co-LEAD as a case manager in April 2020 and quickly advanced to supervising other case managers before joining the Support Bureau in November of 2020. Dana loves to read non-fiction books to continue to develop a sense of self. Chief (Ret.) Brendan Cox is the Director of Policing Strategies at the LEAD National Support Bureau where he provides strategic guidance on the implementation of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion/Let Everyone Advance with Dignity to jurisdictions around the world. Brendan was previously employed with the Albany, New York police department where he retired as Chief of Police in 2017. He served in numerous capacities in the Albany police department including overseeing its Special Operations Unit and Children and Family Services Unit. He rose through the ranks to become the Commander of Investigations, Assistant Chief of Operations and Deputy Chief. In July of 2015 he was appointed Chief of Police. In 2016, under Brendan's leadership, the Albany police department was recognized by the Department of Justice as one of the top 15 police departments in the country as part of the COPS Advancing 21st Century Policing Initiative. This was a direct result of strategies that were implemented on community policing and procedural justice platforms aimed at building positive relationships with the community. Included in these strategies were the implementation of a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) initiative, a Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents training and protocol, and training around implicit bias for both police employees and the community. In the summer of 2018, Brendan was appointed by New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, to serve as a member of the Workgroup to Draft Legislation for Regulated Adult-Use Marijuana Program. Brendan has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Dayton and a Master of Public Administration from Marist College. He is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police. He is a member of the New York State Juvenile Justice Advisory Group and an Executive Fellow with the Police Foundation. He is a speaker for the Law Enforcement Action Partnership and a member of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association. He sits on several local board of directors including the Albany Police Athletic League and the LaSalle School of Albany. He and his wife Ann have two children, Connor and Spencer.