Chief speaks on bike licensing and prescription drug disposal

It’s been over half a century since the city of Columbia Falls enacted an ordinance requiring people to license their bicycles.

It doesn’t cost anything and it might help someone recover a stolen or lost bike, police chief Dave Perry said, adding that there’s been a noticeable decline in bike licensing to about 25 a year.

Bike owners should come down to the police station with their bikes so officers can record the bike’s serial number along with the owner’s contact information. A nonremoveable license sticker is then affixed to the bike.

Perry said 45 bikes on average are recovered each year in Columbia Falls. About two-thirds were stolen and the rest were accidentally left somewhere or misplaced.

Many stolen bikes are never reported, he noted. Most of the recovered bikes are reclaimed by their owners, and the remainder go to public auction.

“I remember licensing my bike when I was a kid,” he said. “I rode it all over town — to school, to swimming — it was the way of transportation in Columbia Falls.”

The police chief also wanted to remind people of the prescription drug drop-off box in the City Hall between the police station and city court. People can dispose of unwanted prescription drugs there in their original vials or plastic bubble packs — but no needles.

The heavy-metal enclosure with a slot was installed in the hallway about six months ago. About 26 pounds of drugs were deposited there in the first six months and about 32 pounds in the next six months, Perry said.

Many people accumulate leftover prescription drugs in their home medicine cabinets. While it’s a good idea to dispose of them so they don’t fall into the hands of drug abusers, flushing unwanted drugs down the drain can harm the environment.

Once drugs that are flushed down the drain get past the city’s sewage treatment plant, they can end up in rivers and lakes, where they can harm fish and other animals, Perry said. A better way to get rid of unwanted prescription drugs is to drop them in the slot at City Hall, he said.