McHenry County Blog

Yesterday I posted a story about the Huntley Police Department’s participating in in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s prescription drug collection program. Crystal Lake is, too. Maybe there are other local police departments who have signed on as drop off points that I don’t know about.

In the Huntley article, I noted that the first place I heard of the idea was from David Bachmann in his first email to McHenry Count Blog on his coroner’s candidacy.

Then, the idea popped up in New Jersey under the sponsorship of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

 

This is the kind of publicity Jack Franks missed out on: Photo displays meds turned in under the OMC program on 11-14-2009. L to R: Gerard P. McAleer, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey- announcing the Operation Medicine Cabinet, Angelo Valente, Executive Director, Partnership for Drug Free New Jersey, and Mary Pat Angelini, Assemblywomen, 11 District, New Jersey Assembly

What I find most interesting is that when Bachmann took his idea to Democratic State Rep. Jack Franks, Franks did nothing with it.

Considering his constant need to have publicity, it is rather amazing to me that Franks did not jump on this idea.

Instead, he told Bachmann to draft a bill.  As a former legislator of sixteen years, may I suggest that is a disingenuous kiss off.   The minimum Franks should have done was to point Bachmann to the Legislative Reference Bureau, which drafts bills for legislators.

Don’t believe me?

Here’s the email to Bachmann:

Friday, June 27, 2008, 1:44 PM

Dear Mr. Bachmann

I have researched your legislation proposal about requiring police officers to dispose of unused prescription drugs when they respond to a death call.

State Rep. Franks urges you to draft a bill for consideration on this important issue. No legislator has submitted a bill like this in the 95th General Assembly. If you have any further questions, please call me.

Thank you,
Jake Smallhorn
Legislative Assistant
Jack Franks

And, here is the final contact from Franks’ office to Bachmann on the subject:

To: “david bachmann”
Date: Monday, June 30, 2008, 1:50 PM

Jack let me know today that he would like to see a draft of a bill so I sent off a request today to have the legislation drafted. Our office should be taking care of it. Sorry if there was any confusion.

Thanks,
Jake

Under yesterday’s article Bachmann has left the following comments.

09/15/2010 at 3:52 pm (Edit)

Thank you.

Today’s decision by many McHenry County Law Enforcement Entities to help safely ‘Dispose’ of these dangerous medications, is an outstanding moment for all ‘In Home’ health care workers, and, for our school system.

I’ve always believed that the ‘Hospice’ workers needed protection from any possible claims of wrong doing as it may relate to narcotic pain medication disposal and the like.

I’ve strongly believed that our children should not have clear access to these medications which are visibly showing up within the walls of our schools.

I am a chronic pain suffer myself due to many, many surgeries. Although I carefully and faithfully remain under the care of professional ‘Pain Management’ medical teams, I constantly tell my children that narcotic pain medications have no place outside the direct supervision of licensed physicians who specialize in ‘Pain Management’ Medical Care.

To be sure, when properly utilized, these medications are a blessing and help those who might otherwise be bedridden for life, find comfort from debilitating pain. I am such a blessed person.

What I have never spoken about prior to this moment, is that I had in fact, taken the Video that can be found on YouTube, that was made during my campaign, and sent it to Federal Authorities.

I also met an “Author” named Alan Jacobson who has been most helpful in my own quest to publish my first book. Alan has direct connections to the DEA and FBI powers that be. You can see why by visiting Alan’s web site.

From there, things grew and grew. First in Newark, NJ, then on and on.
Now, finally home to McHenry County.

The most interesting part of my journey regarding this important program, was that I literally dropped it upon the lap of Democratic State Representative Jack Franks. My emails to Jack Franks office affirm my assertion.

Additionally, I have email correspondence from Jack Franks office stating that NEVER BEFORE, is Illinois Legislative history, has ANYBODY introduced such a bill before.

I thought from that email, Jack would have taken the many, many hours of time I gave to his office explaining the details of such a program.

Sadly, it never happened.

This program well could have become Illinois Law some time ago and McHenry County could have been the first in the entire nation to adopt such a “Bill” and implement such a vital program.

I’ve learned many things through this political process.

First, is that I do not like politics.

When I depended upon a State Representative to help me, I got nowhere.

I sought the help of people I’d had never met before who had no Political advantage in helping me, and we see what has come full circle.

Thank you to all in McHenry County Law Enforcement who are working hard and putting in extra duty to protect our kids and our health care workers!

“Sometimes,” just “Sometimes,” a guy with a big mouth wins. Today is a victory for “We, The People!”

Later, he added the following comments about Marlene Lantz, the Republican woman who beat him in the fall election:

09/15/2010 at 5:24 pm (Edit)

Quickly, then I will be still………

I want to thank McHenry County Coroner Marlene Lantz. I know Coroner Lantz has been dedicated to this cause and I’m certain she has been working hard with the home health care workers she and her staff work so closely with each and everyday.

It takes a team to get things done. Sometimes ‘teams’ stand on opposite sides of the field. We all seek “Victory!”

Thanks Coroner Lantz for your dedication and service on this “Mission.”

If you want a friendly and safe laundromat in Hoboken, N.J., the Skinner family recommends Giant Wash Laundromat at 604 Washington Street. It's right across the street from an excellent Italian Ice shop.

While we were in Hoboken, New Jersey, sitting in the Giant Wash Laundromat, I bought the local dead tree publication.

Washington Street is a delightful Italian neighborhood and, except that the apartment buildings are five stories high, it reminded me of Taylor Street in Chicago.

The man running the laundromat was a gung-ho Yankees fan. He had a banner with all the years the baseball team had won the World Series.

Having been a Brooklyn Dodgers fan back when I lived in Easton, Maryland, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Middletown, New York, I kept my feelings to myself, except in The Hudson, the 24-hour deli next door, to a man wearing a Dodgers’ tee shirt.

We had plenty of time to spare waiting for the clothes to dry, so I bought the local papers, plus a bagel with lox and cream cheese in between trying to plug the broken parking meter to prevent the aggressive meter guy from giving us a ticket.

For some reason, this Hudson River part of New Jersey had many cleaners and few laundromats. Look closely at the window of the laundromat and you will see the banner listing all the years the New York Yankees won the World Series. Click to enlarge.

In a local paper the Hudson County News, I found the photo below, apparently supplied by the local sheriff, Juan Perez, who has just switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party. He’s standing next to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio in the picture of the new county prisoner transport bus.

A photo published in the Hoboken newspaper I read in the laundromat.

Maybe the sheriff’s name is on the bus, but I can’t make it out.

Compare that to the branding McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren paints on his vehicles.

Sheriff Keith Nygren has his name painted on McHenry County's prisoner buses.

In the Crystal Lake parade, perhaps sensitized by the June 26th Hudson County bus photo, I took pictures of the entries from the Sheriff’s Department.

I missed Nygren. I guess he was in the cars carrying dignitaries at the beginning of the parade before the Color Guard and Grand Marshall‘s car carrying Jason McLeod’s family.

The Sheriff’s Department was well represented.

These motorcyclists, one a Sheriff's deputy and the other a McHenry County Conservation District Officer, performed a routine for the crowd.

The crime prevention trailer was pulled by a station wagon.

A snow mobile trailer was pulled by a pick-up truck.

Reflections of the Independence Day Parade crowd can be seen on the side of the snow mobile trailer.

All but the motorcycle had McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren’s name on them.

But, back to Hoboken.

My wife accompanied her parents to visit family in Italy when she was in her early twenties.  There she had Italian Ice.  Whenever we see a store selling Italian Ice, she comments.

People can enjoy Ralph's Famous Italian Ices outside in Hoboken.

Across the street from the laundromat was a new Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices franchise celebrating its grand opening.

Ralph's Italian Ice shop's menu has so many choices, my selection was difficult. I picked chocolate fudge pretzel, while my wife selected lemon. The pretzel taste came from little balls in the ice. Click to enlarge, if you want your mouth to water.

The product was wonderful.  My wife said it was as good as what she had eaten in Italy.

One of the issues that Dave Bachmann, unsuccessful 2008 Democratic Party candidate for McHenry County Coroner, proposed in his October 31, 2007, candidacy announcement was initiation of a prescription drug collection from those who died at home under hospice care.

I’m pretty sure that incumbent Republican Marlene Lantz included it in her platform, but haven’t heard anything about it since the election.

Now I read in a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration press release that the idea has taken hold in New Jersey. The first two paragraphs of the release follow:

Thousands of New Jersey Residents Prescribe to Operation Medicine Cabinet
Over 9,000 Pounds of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medicine Collected During First in the Nation Day of Disposal

NOV 18 — (Newark) – Gerard P. McAleer, the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Jersey Division and Angelo M. Valente, the Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), announced today that over 9,000 pounds of medicine, with a street value of over $35 million, was collected during Operation Medicine Cabinet New Jersey, the first in the nation statewide day of disposal of unused, unwanted, and expired medicine.

This statewide effort is being spearheaded by the DEA New Jersey Division, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG), and the PDFNJ, with partnership and support by many other local and statewide prevention and enforcement organizations.

Photo displays meds turned in under the OMC program on 11-14-2009. L to R: Gerard P. McAleer, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey- announcing the Operation Medicine Cabinet, Angelo Valente, Executive Director, Partnership for Drug Free New Jersey, and Mary Pat Angelini, Assemblywomen, 11 District, New Jersey Assembly

Over 440 local police departments and sheriff departments, in all of New Jersey’s 21 counties, hosted collection sites, where New Jersey residents came out in force to support Operation Medicine Cabinet and rid their homes of unused, unwanted, and expired medicines on November 14th, clearing their homes of over 9,000 pounds of prescription and over-the- counter medicine.

Perhaps this good example will be followed in Illinois. Lots of publicity potential for anyone who pulls it off.