The Yellow Line Project is a law enforcement diversion program designed and implemented in rural Blue Earth County in Minnesota. The program is a collaboration between law enforcement and human services/care providers to improve coordination and access to treatment for individuals with substance use or mental health conditions in lieu of incarceration. Individuals are screened by law enforcement in the field and need to be deemed not a risk to the community to be eligible for the program.

The primary goals of the Yellow Line Project are:

• improve access to treatment and social services for those who need them
• increase engagement with timely services
• reduce unnecessary incarceration

The program offers law enforcement officers more upstream options beyond emergency rooms, detox, or jail. The Yellow Line Project website provides useful guidance on how communities can create their own similar programs including a toolkit with sample policies and forms. Contact information for the program can be found here. 

More information on the program can be found in this summary.