by Sarah Thomack/St. Joseph Post staff
Another drop box has been installed at the Law Enforcement Center in St. Joseph specifically for the safe disposal of needles.
A prescription drug drop box was installed almost exactly a year ago and Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline that he realized there was a need for a place to drop off needles.
“I would get comments by citizens all the time about, 'Hey we’re finding these needles, what do we do with them?' There was lots of frustration and I felt like it was a problem and an issue that we needed to address,” Puett says. "So we took some sheriff fee money and we purchased this box."
The box is located in the lobby of the LEC and Puett says Mosaic Life Care is a partner that will help with the disposal of the needles along with Region H Hazmat team who will transport them for disposal.
“We just want to make sure everybody is safe, we give an outlet for getting that crap off the street so kids aren't picking it up and being exposed to drugs or disease or both,” Puett says. “It’s just a good program for the community to be able to address some of their concerns and that’s what we’re always looking for - better ways to serve, better ways to do things.”
Puett encourages residents to be careful transporting needles, avoid touching them without gloves and transport them to the drop box in a cardboard or plastic box.
