Anti-Drug Programs Funded In Avon Via Grant

AVON, OH — The Avon Police Department is again the recipient of a $7,136 from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office. The drug abuse prevention grant has been awarded to police departments and sheriffs' offices throughout the state for years. Avon Police have been receiving funds via the grant for approximately five years, a spokesperson for the department said.

According to a release from DeWine, all grant funds must be used to establish or maintain drug abuse prevention education and awareness programs for students during the 2017-2018 school year. Departments are also required to provide over-the-counter prescription medication abuse and prevention programs.

"We use it and have been using it for our school resource officer program," said Captain Larry Fishbach of Avon Police. "We have an officer that is housed in the school during the school year. We have to submit the number of hours the officer will be teaching drug use prevention in the grant application. The grant covers half of the total cost and then the city and school split the remaining cost. It’s a true collaboration."

About 130 police departments and sheriffs' offices received grants from DeWine's office in 2017. (To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Avon-Avon Lake newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

"The abuse of prescription drugs is one of the primary reasons behind the current opiate epidemic in Ohio, which is why it's important that students receive age-appropriate lessons about the dangers of these and other drugs at an early age," said DeWine in a statement.

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