MENOMONIE — Officials credit increased public trust in the Dunn County’s Law Enforcement Deflection and Diversion (LEDD) program, a joint effort with the city of Menomonie intended to keep people out of the criminal justice system, for the program’s explosive growth in 2025. 

Program officials reported recently that contacts between behavioural health officers or case workers with community members nearly tripled, and referrals to treatment also increased. 

The increases reflect growing public trust in a program that connects struggling individuals with help rather than funnelling them into the criminal justice system, said Sara Benedict, Director of the Dunn County Criminal Justice Collaboration Division. 

“The numbers have been growing over the years, but in 2025 the interactions really increased,” Benedict said. “They almost tripled from the prior year.” 

According to data presented to the Dunn County Criminal Justice Collaborating Council, interactions between Behavioural Health Officers and case workers with community members increased from 153 in 2024 to 585 in 2025, a 282 percent increase. The 2025 total was more than 10 times higher than the 58 interactions recorded in 2023.  

Law enforcement referrals increased from 73 in 2024 to 93 in 2025, a 27 percent increase. Referrals to treatment rose from 42 to 61, representing a 45 percent increase. 

Benedict said it is significant that the number of individuals known to have entered treatment climbed from 17 in 2024 to 57 in 2025. Since 2023, the number of people accessing treatment through the program has more than tripled.  

The dramatic growth was aided by increased staffing and the maturation of a program that has steadily built credibility throughout the community, officials said. 

The success of the LEDD program also relies heavily on a close partnership between Dunn County and the city of Menomonie, known as Project Hope. The Sheriff’s Office added a case worker to work alongside the Behavioural Health Officer, while the Menomonie Police Department added a similar position. Although those staffing additions occurred late in the year, Benedict said the biggest factor behind the growth was increasing community trust. 

“As the program has matured, the trust has increased,” Benedict said. “Folks out in the community will reach out to these behavioural health officers for follow-up, and that to me has been one of the most surprising and amazing outcomes. It’s just been the trust — the change in trust with law enforcement.” 

The LEDD program focuses on deflection, an approach that connects individuals experiencing substance abuse disorders, mental health challenges or other behavioural health needs with community-based services rather than arrest and incarceration when no significant crime has occurred. 

“Deflection is really keeping people out of the system,” Benedict said. “There’s no crime, but we want to keep them out of the system. We could arrest them and take them to jail, but that is not serving them, and it’s not serving their family. It’s really connecting them to care in the community.” 

Benedict said another notable development in 2025 was the growing number of traditional patrol officers seeking assistance from Behavioural Health Officers when they deal with people in crisis. 

“What we’re also seeing is other officers saying to the behavioural health officer, ‘I’ve encountered somebody out in the community that needs some extra support. Can you take this from me so I can get back out on the road?’” Benedict said. “That has been fantastic.” 

The statistics suggest that the program’s impact has accelerated rapidly in just a few years. Behavioural health contacts increased from 58 in 2023 to 153 in 2024 and then surged to 585 in 2025. The number of people accessing treatment remained relatively flat between 2023 and 2024, rising from 18 to 17, before skyrocketing to 57 in 2025. Meanwhile, law enforcement referrals climbed steadily from 69 in 2023 to 73 in 2024 and 93 in 2025.  

Benedict said she was initially questioned if residents would embrace a law-enforcement-led approach to behavioural health intervention. 

“I was a little sceptical about just law enforcement going out there and saying, ‘We’re from the government. We’re here to help,’” she said. “But it’s a totally different approach. It’s, ‘We know you’re struggling, and how can we help you?’” 

For Benedict, the numbers tell only part of the story: “It’s just a beautiful thing to see. The trust is increasing and people are reaching out to our behavioural health officers.”