By District Attorney Ryan Sayers
2023 Vol. 36
Over the weekend, Clearfield hosted a drug overdose and addiction awareness event, and I was asked to speak about these issues from my perspective as the Clearfield County District Attorney.
During the discussion, a few questions were asked of me, which I will highlight and answer here over the next few weeks.
This week I am going to address the question of, “what can you tell us about the LETI program?”
The Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative (aka LETI program) is an initiative of the Office of Attorney General in conjunction with each of the District Attorneys in the Commonwealth.
The LETI program is currently in 26 of the 67 counties. This program brings together the Office of the District Attorney, Office of the Attorney General, drug and alcohol service providers and all of the law enforcement officers of the county.
In Clearfield County, the Clearfield-Jefferson Drug & Alcohol Commission administers the program and provides services to those requesting assistance.
The purpose of this initiative is to enable individuals that are addicted to controlled substances to seek treatment and feel comfortable doing so through even when encountering law enforcement officers.
As I stated in 2021 when the program started in Clearfield County, “in many cases, getting treatment and providing services to low-level, non-violent offenders is a statistically better option than just incarceration, and this will hopefully help these individuals break the cycle of addiction that is causing them to be a part of the criminal justice system.”
Since the inception of the program in Clearfield County, the Clearfield-Jefferson Drug & Alcohol Commission has administered the program to thirteen (13) individuals.
Of the thirteen that have entered the program, five (5) have been unsuccessfully discharged and eight (8) are actively in recovery.
Two (2) of the eight (8) active in the program have been successful in their efforts in excess of one (1) year, which means that those two individuals are approaching completion of the program and can be a beacon of hope for those wanting to seek help.
More information about the LETI program can be found at: https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/leti/.
Also, if you or someone you know is in need of assistance with substance abuse and would like to be part of this program, please contact the Clearfield-Jefferson Drug & Alcohol Commission at 814-371-9002 or after hours at 814-371-7361.
Ryan Sayers is the elected District Attorney of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
The information contained in this article is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter.
You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this article without seeking legal or other professional advice.
The contents of these articles contain general information and may not reflect current legal developments or address your situation.
