To the Editor:
I am writing to ask all Wood County voters to support the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health
Services Renewal Levy. I have been serving the citizens of Bowling Green for the past 34 years, the last
3 as your police chief. I have seen first hand the tremendous services that Wood County has to offer to
people suffering from mental illness or addictions to drugs and alcohol.
A collaboration exists in Wood County that is second to none. Law enforcement and service providers
within the mental health system have partnered to provide training to officers on the street, equipping
them with the tools that they need to more effectively work with people requiring mental health
services. Through this collaboration, improvements have been made in the availability of emergency
services, providing for 24/7 access. Access to psychiatric hospitals has also been improved.
Drug addiction and the collateral damage caused by those addictions impacts all communities in Wood
County. The most prevalent issue today is the impact of opiates/heroin. As a result, law enforcement and
our mental health partners recognize that additional tools must be used if we are going to combat this
problem. The ADAMHS levy dollars provide increased access to residential treatment facilities and have
funded the development of a 10-week outpatient addiction treatment program.
Please join me in supporting the work that is being done in Wood County to provide mental health and
addiction services. Please vote "yes" for the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health
Services Renewal Levy.
Bradford Conner
BG Chief of Police