Gates Mills Police Department                  

Proud to Serve…Sworn to Protect

From Your Police Department:

On April 28^th, the Police Department partnered with the Drug Enforcement Agency in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Program.  At the town hall, Detective Michael Day collected over 31 lbs. of unwanted/unused medication and had participation from 30 residents and others from outside Gates Mills. You can dispose of unneeded prescription drugs anytime during the year at our 24/7 collection box located outside the side entrance of the town hall.

The April 28 collection brought in close to one million pounds of drugs at nearly 6,000 sites nationwide. Since September 2010, these events have collected 9.9 million pounds or 4,982 tons of prescription drugs. According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans abuse controlled prescription drugs. The study shows most abused drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. The DEA’s Drug Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to help prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. The DEA’s next National Prescription Take Back Day is October 27^th.

In March, Ptl. Joseph Godec was added to our full-time ranks.  Joe completed his police training at Lakeland Community College while earning his Associate Degree. After graduation Joe worked part-time for the Village of Kirtland Hills and the City of Chardon. Joe is very active, enjoys weightlifting and resides in Lake County with his two dogs.   We are very excited to have Joe with us and believe he will be a great asset to the Village!

We now have three Bicycle Officers trained within the department.  Officers Eric Kimball, Arch Kimbrew, and John Richards will be visible riding in neighborhoods throughout the summer and at our community wide events. Be sure to say hello when you see them!

And finally, this is the 28^th year that the Drug Abuse Education Program (DARE) has been taught to students in our schools!  In May, Officer Charlene Strasshofer held graduations for the students at Gates Mills Elementary and St. Francis of Assisi.  Charlene is a natural teaching the DARE curriculum to the students and has been a certified DARE instructor for approximately 20 years.

Until next month – Proud to serve…Sworn to Protect

Yours in Service,

Gregg Minichello

Chief of Police

(440) 423-4405 ext. 112

gminichello@gatesmillsvillage.com