Events offer shredding, drug drop-off

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) - Saturday, you can shred personal documents as well as get rid of unwanted prescriptions and electronics. WISH-TV is teaming up with Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana to help.

Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., you can get personal documents shredded while you watch in a Shred It truck. Carmel Police will be accepting prescription drugs that will be destroyed safely. And Goodwill will take computers and other electronics and recycle them. All of these services will be offered in addition to Carmel's Public Safety Day in the parking lot of St. Vincent Carmel at 13500 N. Meridian St.

The Crime Stoppers event is a fundraiser for the organization that pays rewards for tips that lead to arrests. A $5 donation is requested for each box of documents. But it serves a double purpose as a way to help prevent crime.

"This is the way that we help reduce crime," said Steve DuBois, from Crime Stoppers. "This is one of the things that we do to help citizens not become victims. We get rid of these documents that somebody could use to steal their identities."

There are eight things you should destroy to keep your personal information safe, according to TheStreet.com :

• Tax returns after three years
• Bank statements
• Credit card offers
• Credit card convenience checks
• Canceled credit cards
• Canceled checks
• Pay stubs
• Old photo IDs

The Crime Stoppers Shred It event is held twice a year. DuBois says the spring 2012 event ended up with 40 tons of documents shredded.

But the event grew when the event shared the same day as the DEA held its prescription drug take back event.

U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett appeared on Daybreak Friday to discuss the growing problem of prescription drug abuse.

"Prescription drug abuse is the single, fastest growing drug abuse problem in the country," Hogsett said. "We had more people in 2011 who died as a result of prescription drug overdoses, than who were unfortunately killed in an automobile accident. Prescription d-rug abuse has become our number 1 problem outstripping meth, cocaine, heroin."

• Crime Stoppers will have five locations on Saturday, September 29.
• St. Vincent Carmel, 13500 North Meridian Street
• Speedway Police Headquarters, 1410 North Lynhurst Drive in Speedway
• Greenwood Goodwill Store, 709 US Highway 31 in Greenwood
• Lawrence Police Headquarters, 9001 E. 59th Street in Lawrence
• Downtown Indianapolis at 1000 N. Meridian St.

In addition to the five Crime Stoppers Shred It events, you can drop off prescription drugs at state police posts throughout Indiana. For a full list, click here .