New York State of Politics reports that since 2016 Albany Police have diverted 315 people from arrest through the “Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion" program. Instead of facing arrest because of actions taken due to substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, or poverty, the program diverts them to help. “These low-level charges where people cycle through systems that are not equipped to actually help them and resolve what’s actually going on — we can’t keep doing that,” said Albany Lead’s co-project manager Jennie Huling. The diversion idea started in Seattle, Washington in 2011. “If an officer assesses that a person needs help, instead of making an arrest on a low-level, non-violent charge, they call up Catholic Charities and see if the person can get some help through a case manager, through Albany LEAD,” Huling said. The program is headed to the cities of Cohoes and Watervliet next year and has already been established in Dutchess, Greene, Niagara, Schenectady, and Schoharie counties. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.