[Ventura County] Grand jury calls for uniform policy on drug drop-off bins

Some are easy to access, others not so much

Having examined the policies and practices of local law enforcement agencies in regard to prescription drug and needle disposal, the Ventura County civil grand jury is recommending the Board of Supervisors develop a new, uniform program throughout the county.

After visiting all Ventura County Sheriff’s Office stations and the county’s five police departments, the grand jury found inconsistencies from station to station, with some having requirements for use of drug disposal bins and some having no disposal bin at all.

In Ojai, the bin was moved from the lobby and now requires assistance to access it. The Oxnard Police Department requires proof of residency to use its disposal bin, and the Simi Valley Police Department requires an appointment to drop off medicine.

Santa Paula and Ventura police departments have no drug disposal bins.

Of all the stations surveyed, only Hueneme Police Department had a “sharps” drop-off bin. Sharps consist of hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets and other devices that are used to break the skin of people and animals.

The issue is important, the jury found, because research over the past decade indicates that both prescription and over-the-counter medications require secure disposal to prevent accidental poisonings as well as land and water pollution.

Additionally, there is growing research to demonstrate that unsecured drugs and a lack of safe disposal options are partly to blame for the opioid crisis in the nation, the jury said in a report written last month.

It also said unsafe disposal of sharps can result in accidental infection or injury.

The 19-member investigative body took up the issue after reading in the Acorn about the case of a Ventura County sheriff’s deputy who was caught on video taking medication from the Thousand Oaks Police station’s drug drop-off box. The deputy, who is no longer employed by the sheriff’s office, was arrested in June 2016 and charged with petty theft and two counts of possessing a controlled substance.

He has yet to be tried.

In addition to establishing a countywide policy, the grand jury recommended all law enforcement agencies improve their public outreach regarding drug and sharps disposal and that the county’s animal services agency be included in developing and implementing new drug programs, as animal medications may be disposed of in the bins as well.

While the jury, which serves as a “watchdog” by investigating and reporting on the affairs of local government, has no enforcement power, it can compel a response from public agencies, which it then makes public.

The jury is requiring a response from each of the county’s cities, the sheriff’s office and the Board of Supervisors, and is requesting a response from the county’s behavioral health and animal services departments.

The agencies have 60 or 90 days, depending on type of organization, in which to respond.

July 5, 2019

Moorpark Acorn

By Becca Whitnall