Hoquiam installs 24-hour drug drop box

Now every day is “drug take-back day” at the Hoquiam Police Department.

Following four years of successful participation in the national biannual program, the department recently installed a 24-hour drug drop box in the department’s lobby — the first of its kind in the county.

“The goal (of the national program and the box) is to get unwanted prescription medicine off shelves and out of cabinets and safely dispose of them so they aren’t stolen, or get in the hands of children, or get flushed down the toilet and into our water supply,” Hoquiam Chief Jeff Myers said.

When the department participated in the national program, the take-back only was held for four hours twice per year.

On each occasion, the program gathered several large boxes of unwanted medications.

The first Hoquiam take back day was in September 2010.

In April this year, the department collected 312 pounds of unwanted drugs, filling eight large boxes, from 98 people. In September, the program gathered 165 pounds, filling six boxes, from 58 people.

Those boxes, provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, were sealed and sent to the DEA to be incinerated.

But there often were stragglers.

“Typically, a couple of days after the take-back, someone shows up asking when the next take-back day is,” Myers said.

Officers were put in a position where they had to either turn the citizen away or take on the “collateral duties” of logging the drugs into the evidence system.

More often than not, the department had to turn those people away until the next drug take-back day.

“It’s important to provide a take-back service, but we can’t absorb more services and programs in our daily routines,” Myers said.

During department leadership meetings, Hoquiam sergeants, the deputy chief and Myers discussed the idea of a 24-hour drop box.

While collaborating with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Hoquiam Detective Sgt. Shane Krohn asked about their drop box program only to find out Jefferson County had an extra drop box, which they offered to Hoquiam for free.

Krohn rearranged the back seat of his undercover car and undertook the arduous task of loading in the steel box (about the size of a mail drop box).

“They offered to hold it for him until he could come back with a different vehicle, but he loaded it anyway,” Myers said. “I think he just wanted to get the box before they had the chance to change their minds.”

Decals were put onto the box by Image Signs of Hoquiam.

Myers’ biggest concern was taking on an unfunded service to deal with unwanted prescriptions.

A donated box meant Hoquiam wouldn’t have to invest in equipment, and a 24-hour drop means the department won’t have to take on extra paperwork like they would if they accepted drugs from individuals on a walk-in basis.

Still, Hoquiam will have to periodically empty the drop box, seal it, and either send the drugs to the DEA or incinerate them along with other department incineration procedures.

“It’s so important to get unwanted medications disposed of safely, we’re willing to put in the extra effort to get it done,” Myers said. “This is the most efficient and cost-effective way, and it’s convenient, which means people are more likely to use it.”

The program is not only for Hoquiam residents — all Harborites, rural residents, those passing through, or anybody really, can use the box to safely discard unwanted medication.

“It doesn’t matter where the medication came from, it doesn’t matter whose it is — just come into the lobby, drop it in the box and walk out,” Myers said. “It’s a good service and we’re hoping people will take advantage of it.”

The box was installed over the weekend. “One of ourpolice services officers, Roy Kinney, working a graveyard shift, spent some time installing the box,” Myers said. “He even came back on his own time to finish it when he was missing a part. We have outstanding people here who go above and beyond.”

As of Wednesday, it already had been used.