The Lafayette Police Department is asking residents to bring unwanted drugs and needles to them, instead of flushing them down the toilet or giving them away.
The LPD is hosting a ‘drug takeback’ event this weekend in an effort to keep substances like unused opioids off the streets and out of the water – but it’s not primarily addressed at the types of drugs Lafayette is having the most trouble policing, such as heroin.
Sgt. Matt Gard says even if a person brings illicit drugs or a prescription that isn’t theirs, they should feel safe to let the police dispose of it.
“It doesn’t happen all the time, but we’ve had situations where parents will be going through a child’s room or they come across it on the street,” Gard says. “We will go, and we’ll collect it and we’ll dispose of it.”
The takeback is focused on unused prescription pills, veterinary medicines and needles. Gard says the department plans to dispose of those in an environmentally-friendly way.
Gard says they’ve also gotten questions about packaging and quantity of drop-offs.
“If they bring it in in a Ziploc bag or the original pill bottles, or if they bring in five pills or 500 pills – it doesn’t matter, we’ll accept it,” Gard says.
The takeback is set to be held at the Lafayette Police Training Center at 1301 South Street this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.