Burlington County Sheriff Launches LEAD Program For Local Schools

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — The Burlington County Sheriff’s Office is launching a Law Enforcement Against Drugs (LEAD) education program in partnership with the Burlington County Municipal Alliance Program, county officials announced.

The program - which offers evidenced-based curriculum for kindergarten up to 12th grade about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, along with anti-bullying and violence programs - is expected to launch in local schools this fall.

It was created in 2014 as an alternative to traditional Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) classes taught by police officers to elementary school students for decades. LEAD is more interactive with students and teachers, and it has an on-the-streets component for officers, according to officials.

“We’re very excited to launch this new initiative to help educate Burlington County children about the dangers drugs, alcohol and tobacco can pose to their health and their futures,” Burlington County Sheriff Anthony Basantis said. “This program will also bring our officers into schools and classrooms and facilitate interactions with the students and help build bonds of trust between students and law enforcement.”

Six Burlington County Sheriff’s officers are trained as LEAD officers and will teach the program at various schools. The officers are: Sgt. John Zell, Sgt. Kenneth Windstein, Officer John Williamson, Officer Georgeann Shelton, Officer Kenneth Davis and Officer Jared Lynch.

“It’s been over a decade since our Department was teaching kids how to remain substance-free. Bringing an education program like this back was one of my biggest goals,” Basantis said.

Schools interested in hosting LEAD classes can contact Burlington County Municipal Alliance Coordinator Jennifer Wright at 609-265-5538 or jlwright@co.burlington.nj.us.

The Sheriff’s Department is also heading up the Burlington County Hope One mobile outreach unit with the Burlington County Human Services and Health Department and staff from Virtua, Maryville and Deborah Heart and Lung Center.

The unit regularly goes into county communities to help link residents with recovery specialists and treatment facilities, and trains people on how to administer the overdose antidote, known as Narcan.

The Hope One unit has interacted with more than 1,200 people and helped 22 enter treatment while providing treatment resources to another 200 so far this year, according to officials. It has also distributed more than 190 Narcan kits and assisted more than 120 people obtain photo IDs.

“Hope One has become an incredible resource in Burlington County, and we expect our L.E.A.D. program can have the same kind of impact,” Basantis said. “This programs is long overdue. We’re providing treatment and services to battling addiction with Hope One, and now we’re educating children about the dangers of drugs early in their lives as a prevention tool.”