The village of Bethel will soon be sending one of its own police officers to help aid in the recovery of those areas devastated by hurricane Katrina. At the Bethel Village Council meeting Sept. 12, the decision to send a police volunteer to help in the recovery efforts was made public.

In his regular report, Police Chief John Wallace spoke at length concerning the dire situation in the south. Shortly after the hurricane struck, Chief Wallace was contacted in a conference call by Clermont County Emergency Management, Ohio Emergency Management, and representatives from FEMA. He said that they were in desperate need of peace officers and vehicles to help aid in the aftermath of the disaster. Areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were all pleading for assistance to be sent immediately.

Once notified, Chief Wallace spoke with Mayor Simpson and council members to see what could be done. A decision was made to send one of their own officers to the disaster site with other officers from surrounding communities. Auxiliary officer Chris Allen called Chief Wallace and volunteered to go after receiving a leave of absence from his employer. Once all the preparations were in order, officer Allen was cleared to leave.