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North Collins sees success in drug take back

OBSERVER photo by Andrew Kuczkowski North Collins police officer Phil Tremblay sits in front of 1/4 of the collected drugs and needles. Not pictured is Cheryll Moore of Erie County Department of Health.

NORTH COLLINS — The North Collins Town Board recognized the North Collins Village Police for its efforts in the area and its recent drug take-back program.

On Oct. 28, the four-hour drug take back program with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration took in over 78 pounds of drugs and 45 pounds of needles. It was a record for the take back program.

North Collins Town Supervisor John Tobia awarded the village police at the town board meeting on Nov. 8.

“This being the month of Thanksgiving, the board thought it would be a nice idea to recognize people that have gone above and beyond in our community this year. There are so many,” Tobia said. “… These guys go above and beyond for every citizen in this town and whether it is enforcing the law, and in some cases with the children, teaching the law. It’s not just about slapping handcuffs on and writing tickets with these guys. It’s being a part of the community.”

The drug intake was stunning and reflects what the area residents asked for.

“The people look forward to it,” North Collins Village Police Administrator Richard Cooper said. “We always get questions on when they can turn the drugs in. People want to get them out of their house. So, this is a big collection for us also. … We had people coming from not only the village and the town, they are coming from the outskirts. It was tremendous.”

The 45 pounds of needles were contained in plastic totes that were pierce-proof. The take back program had four tubs of them and needed more.

“We ran out of boxes,” North Collins officer Phil Tremblay said. “We had to use a box that we used for our water container. We’ve been doing this since the first collection that they had.”

The previous high for drugs taken back was 74 pounds. The event had 47 cars come to drop off drugs and/or needles. The benefits, however, are priceless to residents that fear the drugs may land in the wrong hands. Tremblay noted that fentanyl was common during the take back.

“Kids can’t get. That way if you have somebody breaking in, they can’t grab them. They can’t have grandkids getting them from seniors,” Cooper said.

“And polluting the water and the water systems, the ones that do flush them,” Tremblay added.

The drugs were disposed to the federal DEA that day.

The next drug take back event will be in spring 2018.

Twitter: @Kuczkowski95

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