CHESTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Delaware County officials on Tuesday shared the results of a Pennsylvania behavioral health program they say is helping people get clear of substance use disorder — and keeping them out of jail.
In 2021, the Office of the Attorney General established the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative, or LETI, to get non-violent offenders out of the criminal justice system and into treatment with no threat to them of arrest or prosecution.
It has been implemented in 28 counties throughout the commonwealth.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer says it's "a way of trying to teach our people in law enforcement that there's another tool in the toolbox to help people with substance abuse disorder."
For three years, LETI has enabled police departments and behavioral health providers to work together to divert people with a substance use disorder away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. The district attorney's office also reviews cases at the time of arrest and refers appropriate cases to the county's designated LETI provider.
"They can drop the charges and take them immediately where they are going to get serviced," Stollsteimer said.
"Over 140 people have been diverted by law enforcement. That includes probation officers, that includes our staff, and that includes officers on the street."
Stollsteimer adds, the program is tailored to each individual to help them achieve sustainable sobriety. The program currently has a 52% completion rate, he said, and a number of participants are still working through it.
"What I want to do is — everybody who is at any time willing to go into recovery and complete it, we want to give them that opportunity," he said.
As law enforcement leaders in Delaware County and throughout the commonwealth continue to change the culture around substance use disorders, Stollsteimer says, they are now working to evolve and grow the LETI program.
