Schoharie County joins LEAD policing program

SCHOHARIE — The Schoharie County Sheriff's Department is one of the first rural police departments in the country to join the LEAD program.The program, short for Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, is designed to give police flexibility when dealing with low-level crimes; especially those involving people with mental health or substance abuse problems.At a news conference on Monday, Sheriff Ronald Stevens said the program would help the county tackle persistent crime issues related to drug