More prescription drug disposal sites in Kane County

If you missed the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, don't fret.

The Kane County Sheriff's Office, with the help of Sugar Grove and Pingree Grove, have got you covered.

The sheriff's office recently partnered with the two villages to place permanent prescription drug drop-off boxes in each of their police department lobbies.

Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez said his deputies will collect and dispose of drugs dropped off at each site: on the south end of Kane County in Sugar Grove, 10 Municipal Drive, and on the north end of the county in Pingree Grove, 1 Police Plaza.

The sheriff's office, 37W755 Route 38, St. Charles, also has a collection box in the front lobby that is available to any resident.

Numerous Kane County towns have drop boxes at their respective departments, but only residents of each city may drop off unused, expired or unwanted drugs.

"Instead of collecting twice a year, they can collect unused prescription meds year round," Perez said. "They can be a resident of anywhere. We just want to make sure prescription drugs don't fall into the wrong hands."

Authorities say experimentation with prescription drugs, especially opiates, is a gateway to harder drugs, such as heroin. Flushing old drugs down the toilet can contaminate the water supply.

Save the date

Administer Justice, an Elgin-based nonprofit group that helps provide pro bono legal services to low-income residents, will host its fundraising and dinner program Oct. 23.

Held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at The Meadows Club, 2950 W. Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, the keynote speaker will be Wilfredo De Jesus, also known as "Pastor Chico." De Jesus was named one of Time magazine's Most 100 Influential People in 2013.

There is no cost to attend but registration is required.

For more information, call Deb Wolf at (847) 844-1100, ext. 232, or email dwolf@administerjustice.org.

Following through

Last week, officials from the Kane County Sheriff's Office accepted a $10,000 grant from the Spirit of Blue Foundation to help cover the purchase of a new explosive detecting police dog.

The grant was co-sponsored by the Planet Dog Foundation, the charitable arm of the company Planet Dog, and later increased to $12,500.

"It's a win-win situation for everyone involved," Sheriff Pat Perez said. "The ability to have K-9 teams trained to find explosives is not something the public thinks about, but as a professional law enforcement organization it is an invaluable tool in our response teams."

hhitzeman@dailyherald.com