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AG 03 Drug Collection and Disposal

Version 2.1 by Ryan Larkin on 2016/11/07 18:16

Washington County Sheriff's Office

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

Policy Manual

Volume: AG

Evidence and Property

Chapter: 03

Drug Collection and Disposal

Replaces and/or Supersedes:

None.

Published:

02/03/2010

Review Date:

10/31/2016

Sheriff Cory C. Pulsipher

Undersheriff James Standley

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AG 03_101  Definitions

AG 03_102  General

AG 03_101  DEFINITIONS

WCSO:  Washington County Sheriff's Office

PCF:  Purgatory Correctional Facility

AG 03_102  GENERAL

  1. Policy:
    1. The WCSO shall operate a drug collection and disposal program.
  2. Rationale:
    1. The drug collection and disposal program provides a safe disposal location for citizens to properly dispose of unused prescription medications.
    2. This program provides an environmentally safe alternative to disposing of medications in the landfill or sewer systems which may later negatively effect the environment.
    3. This program encourages citizens to remove their unneeded medications from their homes. This reduces access to addictive medications for accidental or intentional misuse by children in the home.
  3. Procedure:
    1. The WCSO will provide steel mailbox-style collection boxes in which citizens may deposit these medications.
    2. Collection boxes shall be clearly marked for this purpose.
    3. Collection boxes shall be locked and securely mounted to prohibit removal of the box or retrieval of medications from within the box without a key.
    4. Citizens may place their unused medications/drugs into the collection box anonymously.
    5. Medications can be placed into plastic bags or the entire prescription bottle can be placed into the drop box.
    6. Syringes will not be accepted and should not be placed in the drop box.
    7. Opened containers of liquid will not be accepted unless they are completely sealed.
    8. The Evidence Technician will be responsible for collection of the deposited medications. The Evidence Technician will be the sole possessor of keys to the collection boxes.
    9. Unauthorized staff shall not have access to the contents of the collection boxes.
    10. Authorized staff may monitor the collection of the drop box contents with the Evidence Technician. This allows the ability to survey the kinds of drugs and medications that are being disposed of. This information can be used for evaluation and decisions regarding the program.
    11. A case number will be assigned to each collection box point annually. The Evidence Technician will document each collection on a supplemental report. This allows for tracking of data to monitor the program's benefits. Collection and destruction data will be disseminated to authorized agencies, including Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality.
    12. All non-sworn Evidence Technicians will be escorted by weapons certified and qualified deputies when collecting the deposited drugs from the collection boxes. The Evidence Technician will collect the deposited drugs on a frequency deemed necessary based on the location and usage.
    13. The Evidence Technician will bag the deposited drugs, document a general description of the contents, provide a weight of the contents, and place into evidence pending destruction.
    14. The Evidence Technician will destroy the collected medications by methods recommended by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.