MASON CITY – A drop-box set up at the Mason City police headquarters has had a good response, Police Chief Michael Lashbrook said this week.
In June, the MCPD followed a trend where police are proactively accepting unused medications in order to provide a safe, secure and environmentally friendly way to help the public in disposing of unwanted or expired medication, including prescriptions, over-the counter drugs and unused pharmaceuticals. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department has been providing this service for the past couple years.
Chief Lashbrook said that “the response has been good, we have to empty it at least once a week.”
He said that he would’t change much about how people bring in their med’s, only to say that they prefer “No sharps or liquids.”
“We have received drugs in their containers and bags,” he explained. “At this point I don’t see much difference, what we don’t want is to have them dropped off without some sort of containment and we are able to see what is in it.”
Elsewhere, other police departments also report strong response to the program.
In Charles City, on April 26, police there reported that between the hours of 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, officers collected 120 pounds of unused or expired prescription medications. They all announced later that med’s can be dropped off 24 hours a day/7 days a week in a safe drop box in the hallway at the police department located in the City Hall building at 105 Milwaukee Mall.
In Ames, police said that the drug drop off box “has been a huge success. In our first month and a half we have brought in over 120lbs. We actually were not fully prepared for the quantities we received.”
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