David Quillin, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com

As previously released:

On Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM, the Kingsport Police Department will be participating in a community drug take-back event. This event will take place in the parking lot of the V.O. Dobbins Complex, located at 301 Louis Street, in the Riverview neighborhood of Kingsport.

This event is sponsored by the United Way of Greater Kingsport, the Kingsport Police Department, and the Sullivan County Anti-Drug Coalition. The event will also include a Community Resource Fair with participation from the Sullivan County Health Department, New Vision Youth, Central Baptist Church, Shiloh Baptist Church, Upper East Tennessee Human Development, South Central Kingsport Neighborhood Redevelopment, and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kingsport.

Between now and Saturday, April 28th, all area residents are encouraged to go through their medicine cabinets and inventory their medications. This community drug take-back event is open to the public and is a prime opportunity and the preferred method to safely dispose of any medications that are no longer needed.

The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsors two National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days each year, in April and October. National Prescription Drug Take Back Days aim to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

While the DEA does recognize these two annual days, at the Kingsport Police Department, we like to think of every day as Take-Back Day. K.P.D. has been participating in drug take-back initiatives since 2010 and installed a permanent drug collection box in the lobby of the Kingsport Justice Center, located at 200 Shelby Street in Downtown Kingsport, in 2012. Our box is accessible 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, 365 days-a-year. To date, K.P.D. has been able to safely incinerate over 10,000 pounds (5 tons) of leftover, unwanted, or expired medications.

The goals of this program are to keep drugs off the street, prevent overdoses and accidental poisonings, and avoid environmental contamination. Drugs that can be accepted include prescription, over the counter (OTC), vitamins, herbals, supplements, and veterinary medications. Items that are preferably not accepted through this program include needles or sharps, biohazard materials, and illegal drugs.

For more information on the DEA’s National Take-Back Day initiative, please visit the following links:

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/

https://takebackday.dea.gov/

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton