It may look like a boring green metal box but for the Maple Valley Police Department it is the latest tool to fight drug abuse.
Maple Valley Police Chief Michelle Bennett unveiled the drug drop box Nov. 5, which is locked and bolted securely to the wall of the lobby in the police station.
Bennett described the addition of the drop box as something “of great importance” to the police department.
“How many of you in your cabinet or drawer at home had pills that expired 10 years ago and you’re wondering what to do with them,” Bennett asked a group of Rotarians, city staff and council members.
This was an opportunity, Bennett explained, to participate in a program supported by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, and Maple Valley is one of a handful of departments in King County with a drug drop box.
Maple Valley joins Bothell, North Bend, Snoqualmie and Woodinville with police department drop boxes.
“This was supported by the Maple Valley Community Center, it was supported individually with donations,” Bennett said. “This is a very important initiative.”
The police department also received support from the Maple Valley Rotary, Communities that Care, the Tahoma School District and other groups.
Erin Weaver, who serves on the Maple Valley City Council, led the partnership with Communities the Care coalition which is part of the Community Center.
“This is truly a testament to how wonderful our community is,” Weaver said. “Rotary became one of the leading supporters of this effort… and our community as a whole.”
Weaver said the drug drop box is a way for the community to be proactive about a rising drug use problem in Maple Valley, particularly among teens, and this is an opportunity to prevent a tragedy before it happens.
A study of drug use in King County in 2009 showed that of the 253 drug overdoses, more than half involved prescription pain medications such as OxyContin, which is almost eight times higher than the number of overdoses in that category in 1997.
Prescription medications leftover from a minor surgery lingering in the medicine cabinet can be mistakenly consumed or stolen, but the drop box will allow people to safely dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs.
Pharmacies can’t take controlled substances such as narcotic painkillers because of their highly addictive nature so taking them to the police department for safe disposal is ideal. It also ensures drugs don’t get dumped down the drain or thrown away where they could contaminate the environment.
The drop box is a lockable safe that has an alarm and will be accessible during regular business hours. Citizens can place medications in a disposal bag provided by the department then drop them in the box.
For more information call the Maple Valley Police a 425-413-5158.
