The Washington Policy Center has uncovered "widespread and systematic factual errors" in the outcomes reporting of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), a Seattle-based drug diversion program that has expanded to 70 cities nationwide, including Minneapolis. The center published its comprehensive findings in August in a two-part brief, revealing that inaccurate or misleading claims span recidivism, felony rates, employment, and cost savings. These false assertions have been used repeatedly by decriminalization advocates to secure support and funding from major philanthropic organizations, state and local governments, and even Congress.
The Washington Policy Center's analysis determined that LEAD's claims "typically more than double LEAD's possible effectiveness." Chief among the discredited assertions is the repeated claim of a 58% reduction in recidivism for LEAD participants—a figure that appeared in promotional materials for LEAD Minneapolis when GreenLight Fund awarded the program a $1.4 million grant in April 2022. LEAD originated in Seattle in 2015 as a pre-arrest diversion program, and over 11 years, supporters have consistently claimed the program led to reduced recidivism, increased employment, and reductions in homelessness. The Minneapolis program, housed within Pillsbury United Communities, has since received funding from the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and the Minnesota Department of Health, following the typical pattern of transitioning from private seed money to taxpayer-funded "sustainability" support.
Data evaluating LEAD Minneapolis's results is lacking, according to the report. Despite operating since 2022 and announcing a new data tracking system, the program's website shares virtually no substantive outcome data. As of August 2025, LEAD Minneapolis reported making 763 "client contacts" but had enrolled just 59 of those contacts, with no information available on what enrollment represents or what outcomes those enrolled individuals experienced. The report notes that a 2024 Democrat-led Minnesota Legislature created a State Task Force on Holistic and Effective Responses to Illicit Drug Use, which recommended public policymakers support and expand funding for programs like LEAD Minneapolis—though the recommendation received only 75% backing after law enforcement representatives on the task force voted no.
The Washington Policy Center argues that funding based on false assertions amounts to circular validation that prolongs dysfunction while directing resources away from proven strategies. The report points to the Drug Market Initiative, a targeted enforcement-based effort that has shown success in cities like Nashville and been verified by U.S. Department of Justice research. The center recommends jurisdictions where LEAD has been adopted should pause expansion, place programs into external audit by independent auditors, and evaluate alternatives including baseline criminal justice and compliance-dependent treatment diversion on a case-by-case basis. For jurisdictions considering LEAD adoption, the report recommends suspending the process pending rigorous evidence generation for real-world individual outcomes, while establishing robust monitoring practices that ensure participant outcomes are transparently and regularly reported to government and the public.