The Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP)

At a Senate hearing this week, @SenJeffMerkley read from LEAP's testimony opposing the End Sanctuary Cities Act of 2026. Please see the short video. LEAP’s position is simple: forcing local police to prioritize federal immigration enforcement undermines public safety. Read our statement in full: bit.ly/LEAPStatementS…

Across the U.S. community responder programs are being championed by communities and law enforcement professionals. This latest op-ed from recently retired Officer Balioni details why police aren’t always the best to respond to call-outs. Read in full: Bit.ly/AMNYBalioni

Officer Michael Balioni (Ret.): “Still, the limits of the job were clear. The standard police toolkit—a badge, gun, and handcuffs—was often poorly suited to these situations, and at times could make them worse. That’s why the newly created Department of Community Safety, tasked in part with handling mental health response, deserves a fair hearing.” amny.com/opinion/nycs-m…

‘Once illegal, now hopeful: Nevada advocates eye Trump’s shift on psychedelic therapies’ With details of a panel discussion and screening of ‘In Waves and War’ in Nevada on May 14th, panel moderator will be LEAP’s Executive Director @dianemgoldstein: lasvegassun.com/news/2026/apr/… by @gracedarocha

Police Commissioner Trevor Velinor (Ret.), recently delivered testimony before the United Nations’ and the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement in Geneva. He spoke about “Impacts of Drug Policing on Africans and People of African Descent” We invite you to read and share this important testimony.

It’s important to understand the nuances and context of rescheduling. With big news last week, our Executive Director @dianemgoldstein provides much-needed insights:

A small but significant step in reform.

Breaking news: Cannabis has officially just been rescheduled. apnews.com/article/medica…

Not everyday that Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) gets a mention in Korea Times… ‘US set to reclassify marijuana as early as Wednesday, Axios reports’ koreatimes.co.kr/amp/world/2026…

‘The governor of Pennsylvania is using the unofficial cannabis holiday 4/20 to press lawmakers once again to send him a bill to legalize marijuana.’ With mention of Law Enforcement Action Partnership. marijuanamoment.net/pennsylvania-g… by @tomangell for @MarijuanaMoment

Please read our latest op-ed. “Public safety cannot be built through force alone. It must be sustained through trust, stability and cooperation. Policies that undermine those foundations do not make communities safer. They make them more vulnerable.”

“The “War on Drugs” has been presented by the U.S. federal government as a way to protect people. Yet over 100,000 people in the United States die from overdose deaths each year.” LEAP Speaker and serving law enforcement officer Sarko Gergerian writes about the many overlaps of current policy and public health. Some very useful references cited too, such as @SteveTransform from @TransformDrugs and @DrugPolicyOrg #references-Section1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

‘Are we overlooking a key driver of officer trauma?’ LEAP speaker Chief James Small (Ret.) doing some inspiring and vitally important outreach: “The program is continuing to grow. “I know they (BRAVE) are getting a ton of emergency responder referrals between me and Amanda,” [James] Small said. “I’m getting them several a week.” Many of those referrals grow out of curiosity about Small’s PTSD service Golden retriever, Hawk; it turns out that dogs are great icebreakers for conversations about first responder wellness, even on traffic stops.” police1.com/wellness-week/…

This is live right now, so log in if you’re able and hear from two wonderful LEAP staffers on alternative response models. ecornell.cornell.edu/keynotes/view/…

Big news over the weekend across the pond. A new executive order was signed granting better access to research for emerging treatments around psychedelics for mental health conditions and PTSD. An area the UK should also be looking into.

Many good people like @danabealspeaks have been working for decades to move #Ibogaine forward in solving drug addiction. TY @joerogan for getting this to the @POTUS. #Psychedelic research is critical. AND, you need to speak more on the failed drug war. youtu.be/ywSyT240QEE?si…

Big news today. As an organization of law enforcement professionals, we are very much aware of the conversation around trauma and PTSD and the need to research new treatments.

A new Executive Order has just been signed… “aimed at encouraging expanded research into psychedelic drugs, part of a broader push to explore emerging mental health treatments.” edition.cnn.com/2026/04/18/pol… By @AlejandraJMillo