Participation by police agencies and officers is essential for the successful implementation of deflection and pre-arrest diversion programs. Effective police buy-in increases the number of referrals to the program, enhances relations between police and community members, and creates or enhances cross-sector collaboration to create new pathways to community-based behavioral health services. 

Deflection programs may be led by police or sheriff's agencies, or administered by other types of organizations (e.g., prosecutors, community-based behavioral health, nonprofit, etc.). These types of programs share many of the same obstacles to securing officer support, but they each also encounter their own unique challenges. This checklist offers evidence-based strategies to enhance officer buy-in for both police-led and non-police-led deflection programs resulting in better outcomes for individuals, agencies, and communities. 

Strategies to Obtain Officer Support for Law Enforcement-Led Programs

Demonstrate executive leadership support:

• Encourage command staff participation in trainings and deflection efforts
• Use referrals as a performance metric
• Provide incentives for making deflection referrals

Develop clear policies and procedures:

• Consider including line officers in developing the policies and procedures of the program
• Develop clear eligibility requirements

Strategies to Obtain Officer Support for Deflection Programs led by Non-Law Enforcement Organizations

• Bring law enforcement agency leaders into the planning process from the beginning  
• Hire or assign a program manager to advocate for program goals, help train officers, and help build relationships between police and other stakeholders
• Include patrol officers and first-line supervisors in program planning

Strategies to Obtain Officer Support for All Deflection Programs

• Make sure that referring through the program is easier and less time-consuming than arrest and booking.
• Offer training on the following to provide insight about individuals with substance use and other behavioral health disorders:
  • The science of addiction
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)
  • The role of relapse in recovery
  • Historical context
• Educate agency personnel about treatment:
  • Invite a treatment professional to talk about the treatment and service capacity of the community and barriers to treatment
  • Include people who have lived experience with substance use disorders (SUDs) in your training
  • Inform officers about the post-referral process for program participants
• Create a feedback loop
  • Provide information to officers about referral outcomes (if possible) or aggregate program data  
  • Share program related research and data
  • Through discussions with officers, ask for feedback and suggestions

Law enforcement and deflection program leaders working with law enforcement may request hardcopies of the checklist by contacting [email protected]. 

Related resources:

COSSUP: Law Enforcement-First Responder Partnership Training and Technical Assistance Program  

COSSAP Webinar: Building an Organizational Culture That Values Law Enforcement Diversion

COSSAP Article: Building an Organizational Culture That Values Law Enforcement Diversion

2021 National COSSAP Forum: One Key to Program Success: How to Obtain Officer Buy-In for Your First Responder Diversion Program

IACP Alternatives to Arrest Research Project