BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — The Bridgeport Police Department will provide their own version of the drug take-back program after the DEA discontinued the program nationally.
Chief of Police John Walker says that 2500 children per day in the United States will try a prescription pain killer to get high for the first time. He hopes that this program will help put a dent in incidents like this that happen locally.
“With that not available right now, we thought it would be a great center for people in the community to bring their drugs into a take-back box here at the office,” said Walker.
The Department will use a small incinerator to render the drugs harmless, turning them into ash.
“It’s about the size of a piece of equipment you could use on a hand-cart,” said Walker. “So it’s not a huge piece of equipment.”
Walker’s concern is that children are being exposed to drugs in their own home, and that’s the way they are most likely to try and get high.
“If you ask high school kids or middle school kids where they could mostly obtain their narcotics, they’re going to tell you at home or from a relative or grandparent–something like that,” he said. “It’s easy for them to get.”
Though he believes the DEA may bring their national program back, Walker said that by having their own local program they can be more proactive in the fight to stop children from abusing prescription pills.
“This way we can get the drugs off the street everyday.”