The Badge

Prescription Drug Take-Back

Just a reminder! We are having a Prescription Drug Take-Back event on April 27th, 2013 between the hours of 1000 am-200 pm. We will be taking your old unused prescription medication at two locations, the St. Clair County Jail and Whiteside Elementary School. So rid your medicine cabinets of those potential dangerous medications and let us dispose of them for you. Sponsored by The St. Clair County Sheriff Department D.A.R.E and Explorer Post 555. See you then!

Texting's cost in black, white

From the Belleville NEws Democrat

Go to the recycling pile and pull out Friday's Page A1. Clip out the lead story and put it on the refrigerator: "Texting tied to fatal crash."

St. Clair County sheriff's investigators said Mindy Hoyt, 29, of Swansea was texting either right before or during the head-on collision that critically injured her and killed her 4-year-old son, Diego Rangel. Imagine her waking up in the hospital, learning of her son's death and then living with her role each time she looks at one of Diego's four brothers for the rest of her life.

Texting while driving is illegal in Illinois for a good reason, yet we all see other drivers looking at their glowing cellphone screens instead of the road. Talking on the cell while driving is legal, but just a bad idea.

Drunken driving since 1982 fell from causing about half to causing one-third of the crash fatalities nationally in 2007, while distracted driving climbed to the cause of nearly two-thirds of the crash deaths. You don't need a new law to govern your behavior. You just need to look at that article and imagine if it were you. The text or the call should wait.

Read more here: 

Former St. Clair County sheriff, Belleville police chief dies at 86

 

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BY WALLY SPIERS  News-Democrat

Former Belleville Police Chief and St. Clair County Sheriff Paul J. Klincar died Saturday and will be buried Thursday in Lake View Memorial Gardens.

 Visitation is set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Lake View Funeral Home in Fairview Heights; the funeral will begin at 1 p.m.

 Klincar, 86, was the last Republican sheriff in St. Clair County. He was appointed sheriff in early 1977 to replace Dave O'Neal who resigned because he was elected lieutenant governor. Klincar had been the chief deputy sheriff since 1970.

 Klincar began his law enforcement career with the Belleville Police Department in 1947 as a patrolman and worked his way up to become chief of police in 1968. He lived in Belleville all his life. He was a member of St. Teresa of The Child Jesus Parish.

 His son, David, said his dad left after a year of police service to take a better paying job at Monsanto.

 "He was laid off from Monsanto and was able to come back to the police department," David said. "He also had a choice to go back to Monsanto but chose the police because he said the work was more interesting."

 Klincar resigned as chief in 1970 and became the county's chief deputy.

 He ran to retain the sheriff's office in the 1978 election but lost by more than 350 votes in a close race to Democrat Ray Herr.

 Klincar was appointed to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board in 1979 and later became chairman. In 1983 he talked about his work with the prison review board which decided such things as parole, mandatory supervised release and good conduct credits for prison inmates. He said it was interesting work but involved a lot of travel.

 "You're trying to find the right, proper time for that individual to go back into society. Of course none of us in infallible," he said.

 His professional career included time spent as a member of the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission and a member and president of the Illinois Police Benevolent and Protection Association.

 He graduated from the FBI National Police Academy in Virginia and was a member of the governing board of the Illinois State Police Energy Radio Network.

 He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He received the Silver Beaver Award from the Okaw Valley Boy Scout Council for distinguished service to the organization.

 Old colleagues and friends recalled him as a really likable guy.

 "He was a true professional," said St. Clair County Sheriff Merle Justus.

 Justus said he was concerned because Klincar usually attended the annual retired officer luncheon but wasn't there a couple of months ago.

 "He was the best chief I had," said Tom Burns, former Belleville policeman. "He took care of his men. If you needed anything you could go to him and talk. He taught me a lot of things when I first started."

 Klincar is survived by his wife, Irma, and son, David.

 © 2011 Belleville News-Democrat and news service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.bnd.com

 

MetroLink Transit Service Manager Recognized By St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department for Stepping Up

by Courtney from Metro

When you meet MetroLink Transit Service Manager (TSM) Amos Armour, you can tell he is a quiet, caring, and hardworking man.  And, it is no surprise he would do something out of the ordinary by going above and beyond to help a deputy from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department arrest a fare evader on a MetroLink train.

From Left to Right: Metro’s Interim Director of Security and Fare Enforcement Jason Davis, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Christopher Davis, MetroLink Transit Service Manager Amos Armour, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Commander Dominic Lauko, and St. Louis County Police MetroLink Unit Commander Captain Guy Means

One morning in January, Armour and another co-worker were helping passengers at the Emerson Park MetroLink Station. The pair then boarded the next eastbound train.  While waiting for it to depart, they heard a commotion in the aisle.

As passengers stepped aside, Armour saw a man trying to get away from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department deputy who was assigned to the train. The passenger did not have a valid ticket, and pushed the law officer out of the way and headed toward the door. Deputy Christopher Davis grabbed his arm and upper body, to bring him to the floor.  But the man was determined to get away, so he grabbed on to one of the hand rails, and tried to position his foot outside the train door to escape.

Seeing that the fare evader was trying to get away, Armour jumped into action, and grabbed the man and held him down until Davis could get handcuffs on him.  The fare evader was immediately taken off the train and into custody at the Emerson Park Police Sub-Station.  He was later taken to the St. Clair County Jail where he faced a several violations.

On February 1, Armour was presented with a special certificate for his efforts. Armour said, “Looking back in hind sight, I am just glad there were no injuries and that everyone was okay!”  He smiled and went on to say, “I am not the hero because the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department is great. Whenever we call them, they’re right there, ready to assist.”

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Commander Dominic Lauko, Metro’s Interim Director of Security and Fare Enforcement Jason Davis, MetroLink Operations staff members, Deputy Christopher Davis and other police officers from St. Clair County and St. Louis County assigned to MetroLink attended the special ceremony which was held at the Illinois MetroLink facility in East St. Louis.

Armour enjoys being a MetroLink Transit Service Manager.  For the last six years, he has worked as a TSM for Metro in Missouri and Illinois. He is just one of the many Metro employees who continues to go above and beyond the call of duty whenever needed because they care about the Agency and its transit system.

From Metro

Illinois Sheriff’s Association Scholarship

ILLINOIS SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION

ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIPS

The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association announces that it will be awarding over $53,000 in college scholarships throughout the State of Illinois to students wishing to pursue higher education during the 2012-2013 academic year. The scholarships are to be applied to tuition, books and fees only. The student must be enrolled full-time at a certified institution of higher learning within the State of Illinois.

Sheriff Mearl J. Justus, St. Clair County, will be awarding one scholarship in the amount of $500.

There will be no restriction on any applicant by reason of race, age, creed, color, sex or national origin. The only limitations are as follows:

· Applicants must be permanent Illinois residents;

· Scholarships must be utilized at institutions of higher learning with the State of Illinois;

· Students must be enrolled as a full-time student during the 2012-2013 school year, excluding summer session.

Applications are now available at the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department or on the internet at www.ilsheriff.org. Students must complete the application, answer the essay question and return all documentation to the sheriff’s office in their permanent county of residence by March 12, 2012 (must be postmarked by this date).

For more information, please contact Major Thomas Knapp, Executive Deputy, 618.277.3505, x5721, high school advising center or college financial aid office.

Beyond Scared Straight–St. Clair County

Officers make room so the inmates can give the teens a preview of the kind of stress and pressure they would feel were they to be incarcerated.

The "Scared Straight" juvenile intervention program at the St. Clair County Jail pits hardened convicts against Illinois' most defiant teens. David is a 14-year old with an explosive temper. Renee, 14, one of David's frequent eighth grade targets, steals clothes and dreams of becoming a teen mom. When an entire cellblock of screaming inmates unexpectedly swarms the teens, David and Renee must turn to each other for safety. However, the greatest shock of the day will come moments after the teens step outside the jail.

The Show will air on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 9:00 pm central time on A&E

More information on the A@E Program click here.

For information on participating in future Scared Straight Activities at the St. St. Clair County Jail please click here.

Sheriff’s Department collects 212 pounds of un-needed prescription drugs

The Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration helped the public prevent pill abuse and theft by collecting potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs on Drug Take-Back Day, Oct. 29, 2011. The public was encouraged to bring medications for disposal from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. The service was free and anonymous, no questions asked.  Nationwide, the DEA and partner agencies collected 377086 pounds of unused medications.

We collected the largest amount of recycled prescription drugs in St. Clair County!

Department	Pounds
Sheriff’s Department	212
O’Fallon PD	133
Belleville PD	36
Fairview Heights PD	30
Swansea PD	26
Total Collected	437

We partner with the DEA twice a year to collect prescription medications. But you don’t have to wait until the next collection day. We ha a permanent collection container in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Department.

Another record breaking day

Sunday, October 23, 2011 was another record breaking day. Our population reached 535 detainees.

Population over the top!

On Sunday, October 9, 2011 the jail population reached 531! This is our highest population total in our history. Or capacity is 330.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

OCTOBER 29, 2011

Belleville, Illinois – On October 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to the Sheriff’s Department at 700 North Fifth St. Belleville, Illinois The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in 376,593 pounds—188 tons—of prescription drugs at nearly 5,400 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,000 state and local law enforcement partners.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Four days after the first Take-Back event in September 2010, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances. DEA has begun drafting regulations to implement the Act, a process that can take as long as 24 months. Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.