The Demopolis Police Department will participate in the National Take Back Initiative next month with the hopes of getting un-needed prescription drugs off the streets.

DPD officers participated in a similar effort in November, which resulted in the collection of in excess of 16 pounds of prescription medications in approximately four hours.

In conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the DPD’s latest effort will collect old prescriptions at Walmart Saturday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Demopolis Police Chief Tommie Reese said anyone needing to dispose of any prescription medications was free to stop by the DPD’s mobile command unit, “no questions asked.”

“This program is to get expired, unused, or unwanted controlled substances in our homes that are a potential source of supply which fuels abuse,” Reese added.

Medicines collected will be turned over to the DEA which will destroy them.

Reese said he hopes that citizens will use the Take Back initiative as an opportunity to safely dispose of any out-of-date or no longer needed prescriptions.

The aim of the program is to keep prescribed medications out of the hands of children, as well as keeping illicit drugs off the streets.

“If you don’t need (the medication) any more, it’s of no use to you,” Reese said. “It keeps a kid from getting into them, it keeps somebody from accidentally taking the wrong medication…it’s just safer to have expired medicines out of the home.”