Drug prevention efforts by the Fountain Hills Coalition are catching the attention of officials beyond the town’s limits.

Sheriff’s Capt. Henry Brandimarte said the coalition’s Text-A-Tip program and its permanent drop box for prescription pills are two ideas that have been expanded by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

The coalition several years ago instituted its Text-A-Tip program, designed to feed anonymous tips through texting to MCSO.

While aimed primarily for use by teens to report drugs on campus or underage drinking parties, Text-A-Tip can be used by anyone in the community to alert the Sheriff’s Office on tips that are non-emergency related.

Through the years several arrests have been made from tips sent by students and others to MCSO.

Brandimarte said due to court-ordered mandates, MCSO had to start a new system of anonymous tips county-wide and essentially adopted the program launched by the Fountain Hills Coalition.

Coalition Executive Director Shelly Mowrey said it’s terrific to see what’s working in Fountain Hills shared with the rest of the county and thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its cooperation with this program over the years.

She said the program has made a difference in the community of Fountain Hills.

For example, one tip last year resulted in an underage drinking party being broken up by deputies.

When a mother was called to the scene to pick up her child, she in turn was cited by deputies for driving while under the influence.

Mowrey said the mother later told a coalition member that the incident was a “wake up call” for her, causing her to get treatment for alcohol abuse.

“These are the types of positive things that can result from a tip program,” Mowrey said. “And it has been effective in deterring alcohol and drug usage on our school campuses.”

Drop box

Each year the Drug Enforcement Administration helps sponsor drug “take back” days, when citizens are encouraged to turn in unwanted or expired prescription pills to law enforcement personnel for proper disposal.

The Fountain Hills Coalition, working in cooperation with the Town of Fountain Hills and MCSO, a few years ago had a permanent drop box installed in the Town Hall lobby adjacent to the Sheriff’s substation.

This has greatly increased the number of pills being dropped off on a year-round basis.

In 2017 alone in Fountain Hills, a total of 333 pounds of prescription drugs were collected on prescription take back days and through the drop-off box.

The intention is to get rid of these drugs in a safe manner so they cannot be stolen from someone’s medicine cabinet or abused in some other manner.

Brandimarte told the coalition at a recent meeting that the Sheriff’s Office is now working with other jurisdictions to have permanent drop boxes installed at all their substations throughout the county.

“We love the fact that the Sheriff’s Office has seen the value in permanent drop boxes and is taking this idea forward to other locations,” Mowrey said. “The more prevention efforts that are out there, the healthier our kids and communities will be.

“It’s important we continue to protect our youth and give them safe alternatives.

“We’re proud of the fact that our programs are working in Fountain Hills.”