2012 annual report - Ashland Police Department

Drug TakebackPatrol and Narcoticinvestigators spend a lot of timeinvestigating illegal drugs. Thoseinvestigative efforts are timeconsuming and can sometimesnot get the narcotics off the streets.With that in mind citizens maynot realize that prescription drugabuse is the largest drug abuseproblem in the United Statestoday. Major Todd Kelley, TechnicalServices Commander, made itone of his priorities when hetransferred to the Division in 2011,to give citizens the opportunity toreduce the opportunities to accessprescription drugs.In an effort to reduce theseopportunities, application wasmade to the Drug EnforcementAdministration to become partof the National Drug Take-backinitiatives. Drug diversion - theft,burglary, illegal possession anddrug abuse - is a major crime inhouseholds where narcotics arepresent. The disposal of unwanteddrugs as trash or by flushing themdown the sink or toilet is unwiseand dangerous to the environmentand the water supply.DRUG ENFORCEMENTADMINISTRATION DRUG TAKE-BACK PROGRAMOn Saturday, April 28 andSeptember 29, the Ashland PoliceDepartment collected a combined400 pounds of prescriptionmedications from members ofthe community. Ashland arearesidents emptied medicinecabinets, bedside tables, andkitchen drawers of unwanted,unused, and expired prescriptiondrugs and took them to collectionsites located at the AshlandPolice Headquarters and to King’sDaughters Medical Center aspart of the Drug EnforcementAdministration’s (DEA) NationalPrescription Drug Take-Back Day.Our community added to thecollections from the DEA’s previousfour Take-Back events. In thoseevents more than 2 million poundsof medications were removed fromcirculation.According to the 2011Substance Abuse and MentalHealth Services Administration’sNational Survey on Drug Useand Health (NSDUH), more thansix million Americans abuseprescription drugs. That samestudy revealed more than 70percent of people abusingprescription pain relievers gotthem through friends or relatives,a statistic that includes raiding thefamily medicine cabinet.The National PrescriptionDrug Take-Back Day aims toprovide a safe, convenient, andresponsible means of disposal,while also educating the generalpublic about the potential forabuse of these medications.Shortly after DEA’s first Take-Back Day event two years ago,Congress passed, and PresidentObama signed, the Secure andResponsible Drug DisposalAct of 2010, which amendedthe Controlled Substances Act(CSA), allowing DEA to developpermanent, ongoing, andresponsible methods for disposal.Prior to the passage of theDisposal Act, the CSA providedno legal means for transferringpossession of controlled substancemedications from users to otherindividuals for disposal.DRUG DROP OFF PROGRAMCONTINUES ALL YEAR LONGThe Ashland PoliceDepartment does take inmedications in between the takebackinitiatives. Any citizen canbring unwanted medication tothe Information Desk at policeheadquarters Monday throughFriday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.If citizens are concerned abouttransporting a call can be madeto the non-emergency number606-327-2020 to schedule anappointment to have an officerpick up the medication. Pickupservices are only available withinthe corporation limits of the City ofAshland.