The following letter was sent to the United States Congress Conference Committee:

July 5, 2016

Dear Senators and Congresspersons,

The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative is a network of over 140 police departments and 300 treatment centers.

Our mission is to promote treatment, reduce stigma and aid in the opioid epidemic rather than to simply arrest and incarcerate. Over the last year we have successfully placed thousands of individuals into treatment through our partner police departments.

One of the biggest barriers we face in helping people in their battle with addiction is access to treatment. In light of this, we are asking you to support $1.1 billion increased funding for programs nationwide that provide treatment.

Everyone deserves to be treated for this disease no matter where they live or who their insurer is. We must have more resources if we are going to overcome this epidemic that takes 30,000 lives each year.

Sincerely,

The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative

Leonard Campanello

Co-Founder

Chief of Police, Gloucester MA

John Rosenthal,

Co-Founder

Chairman of the Board

Additional Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs signing individually:

Chief of Police Fred Ryan, Arlington MA

Sheriff John Thorp, Lucas County, OH

Chief of Police Fredrick Harran, Bensalem Township, PA

Chief of Police Brad Wendtland, Greenfield, WI

Chief of Police Brian Costa, Keene, NH

Chief of Police Joseph Solomon, Methuen, MA

Deputy Chief of Police Edward McGinn, Worcester, MA

Chief of Police Danny Langloss, Jr., Dixon, IL

Chief of Police Robbie Moulton, Scarborough, ME

Sheriff Eli Rivera, Cheshire County, NH

Chief of Police Kenneth Hatmaker, Jeffersontown, KY

Chief of Police Keith Keogh, Lodi, OH

Chief of Police Barry Connell, Newark, OH

Chief of Police Peter Morency, Berlin, NH

Chief of Police Janet Champlin, Bartlett, NH

Chief of Police Michael Lawn, Watertown, MA

Chief of Police Thomas Davoren, Groton City, CT

Sheriff John Simonton, Lee County, IL

Chief of Police Adan Klimczak, LaPorte City, IN

Chief of Police Timothy Lentz, Covington, LA

Sheriff Frank G. Cousins, Essex County, MA

Chief of Police Robert Bongiorno, Bedford, MA

Chief of Police Scott Allen, East Bridgewater, MA

Chief of Police Michael Wyle, Melrose, MA

Chief of Police Michael Wilk, Chicopee, MA

Chief of Police Earl Dessert, Sturbridge, MA

Chief of Police Robert LaMarche, Escanaba, MI

Chief of Police Thomas Bashore, Nashville, NC

Chief of Police Gerald Lassiter, Edenton, NC

Chief of Police Anthony Colarusso, Dover, NH

Deputy Chief of Police Lawrence Cattano, Perth Amboy, NJ

Drug Intelligent Officer Daniel Rinaldo, Erie County, NY

Chief of Police Stephen McAllister, Floral Park, NY

Chief of Police Stephen Raiport, Gowanda, NY

Chief of Police William Karn, Lancaster, NY

Sheriff Colleen O’Neill, Jefferson County, NY

Chief of Police E. Joseph Wehrfritz, Orchard Park, NY

Chief of Police Richard Bialkowski, Cobleskill, NY

Chief of Police Martin Newber, Phoenix NY

Chief of Police Tighe O’Meara, Ashland, OR

Chief of Police Kenneth Joyner, Appalachia, VA

Chief of Police Thomas Hanley, Middlebury, VT

Chief of Police Jonathan Ventura, Arlington, WA

Chief of Police Darrin Moody, Shelton, WA

Chief of Police George Kral, Toledo OH

Chief Tim Barfield, Wellington, OH

Chief of Police Clayton Keefe, Woodstock, NY

Chief of Police Raul Quezada, Anaheim, CA

Chief of Police John Nowacki, Rolling Meadows, IL